This is the Alpine A110 E-ternité, an all-electric prototype from French sports car brand Alpine which previews a future electric car and showcases the firm’s EV ambitions.
Alpine’s electric prototype is the firm’s first electric vehicle, and its first of the modern era with a portion of the roof open to the elements.
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Unveiled on the 60th Anniversary of the Alpine A110, Alpine says the E-ternité will serve as a “rolling laboratory” and will help Alpine engineers to develop a series production electric sports car.
Alpine is set to undergo a bold revival plan, spearheaded by Group Renault boss Luca de Meo, who will transform it into a premium performance electric car brand.
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The A110 E-ternité uses the same chassis as the current ICE powered car, but is equipped with batteries from the Renault Megane E-Tech.
For optimum weight distribution - and to accommodate the 12 battery packs - Alpine has placed the batteries in bespoke casings and integrated them around the chassis. Four modules are situated in the front and eight at the rear.
Alpine says that despite the additional weight the batteries pack (392kg), the weight of the A110 E-ternité has only been increased by 258kg.
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With an overall kerb weight of 1378kg, the E-ternité is still a very light EV, demonstrating - it says - that the firm is staying true to its lightweight philosophy for its electric future.
The electric prototype is fitted with a 178kW motor which is mounted at the rear and promises a 0-60mph time of 4.5 sec and a top speed of 155mph.
With a 60kWh battery pack the Alpine can achieve up to 261 miles between charges.
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Intriguingly, the E-ternité features a gearbox - which is not a feature on many electric cars. Alpine says its gearbox has been specially designed for the car as “no gearbox in-house” met the firm's criteria for the car.
A gearbox was studied alongside Alpine’s normal supplier, with the engineers opting to adapt the petrol A110’s dual-clutch automatic gearbox. Alpine says the gearbox avoids any breaks in torque and remains light and compact.
Visually, the E-ternité is almost identical to the ICE power A110. However, it features an innovative multimedia system operated by a tablet-like touchscreen which sits in the centre of the dash. It also gets the same audio system.
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Unlike its petrol sibling, the E-ternité has a removable roof which Alpine says does not “impact the rigidity of the production A110”. To retain lightness, Alpine produced the roof using recycled carbon.
The firm has previously confirmed it is working on three new electric cars, with an electric successor to the A110 on the cards. An all-electric sports car in the vein of this prototype is widely expected to be one of them.
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