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Government-funded Aura electric sports car offers 400-mile range

September 24, 2021 9 Min Read

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A new pure electric, British-built roadster is intended to show ‘the future of driver’s cars’.

Revealed at the Cenex Low Carbon Vehicle show in Bedfordshire, the Aura concept car is funded by the government’s Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV).

With two 44 kWh batteries, one front-mounted, the other under the chassis, the Aura promises a range of 400 miles on a single charge. For reference, a Tesla Model S with a 100kWh battery – the longest range EV currently on sale – can travel 412 miles between fill-ups.

Key to the Aura’s efficiency are light weight and aerodynamic design. Its body panels are made from natural composite fibres and woven fabric, described as ‘cleaner to produce and recycle than metal equivalents’.

Its slippery shape, including side air curtains, rear wheel covers, a large diffuser and low-rolling-resistance tyres, was analysed at length using computational fluid dynamics (CFD).

There’s no roof, but the two-seat interior does offer vegan leather and an Android Auto-powered media system. A 10-inch central touchscreen is joined by a five-inch self-levelling display within the steering wheel. This relays key information such as speed and miles-to-empty.

Gallery: Countdown to 2030: when will each car company go electric? (Motoring Electric)

An all-electric future

DS Automobiles has announced it will only sell electric cars from 2024. The French marque’s electric range is currently limited to the DS 3 Crossback E-Tense crossover, but a new EV with a promised 400-mile range is on the way. The pivot to EVs will come six years ahead of the UK’s government 2030 deadline, banning the sale of new, non-electrified petrol and diesel cars.

Here, we reveal when other car manufacturers plan to make the switch.

Smart – now

Smart is ahead of the game, having switched to all-electric power in Europe and the USA. Mercedes-Benz and Geely will unveil a Smart electric SUV later this year.

Daniel Lescow, Smart’s vice-president of global sales, said on LinkedIn: “It may come as a surprise to some: Smart will enter the market with a fully electric SUV – spacious yet compact. This will be the first vehicle of the joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and Geely, due out in 2022, built in China.”

Tesla – now

There’s no need for Tesla to adjust its sales strategy, because the American company is 100 percent electric. The current range includes the Model 3, Model S and Model X, with the Model Y likely to arrive in the UK next year. The compact SUV is expected to offer 314 miles of electric range.

Jaguar – 2025

Jaguar is to be reinvented as a pure electric car brand by 2025 with a “dramatically beautiful” range of new cars. CEO Thierry Bollore told Motoring Research his personal car is currently a Jaguar I-Pace. “It is a great car… we have plenty of ideas to make it even better.” Sister company Land Rover has confirmed that it will launch six pure electric variants in the next five years, with the first all-electric model arriving in 2024.

Vauxhall – 2028

Like DS, British brand Vauxhall is part of the Stellantis empire. It says all the vehicles in its range will offer electrified versions by 2024 – then be fully electric from 2028. The announcement followed news that the Ellesmere Port factory in Cheshire will shift to producing solely electric vehicles, starting with the new Combo-e LCV van.

Lotus – late 2020s

Lotus will shift to being an all-electric brand by the late 2020s. This is according to a quote from CEO Matt Windle published on the Automotive News Europe website. The decision was made in 2018 after positive feedback. “We took the decision to go straight to EVs after the Emira, which was already in development,” he said.

Aston Martin – 2030

In a recent Financial Times article, Aston Martin chairman Lance Stroll said the company will continue to build internal combustion engines well into the next decade. That said, it will build its first EV in the UK from 2025. Everything points to the ability to buy an Aston Martin with a petrol engine until legislation says otherwise.

Citroen and Peugeot – 2030

With DS going electric from 2024 and Vauxhall from 2028, their sister Citroen and Peugeot brands in the Stellantis stable could follow suit. However, a Stallantis spokesperson told Motoring Research: “We have no current plans to stop any sales ahead of legislation. All of our brands are committed to electrifying our respective car and van ranges in the coming few years and our consumers will decide what powertrains that they want. We respond to their changing needs.”

Ford – 2030

You’ll almost certainly be able to buy a Ford with an internal combustion engine right up until the 2030 ban, but the company has laid out its path to zero. By mid-2026, 100 percent of its passenger car range will be zero-emissions capable, all-electric or plug-in hybrid, moving to pure electric by 2030.

Genesis – 2030

Hyundai premium division Genesis currently doesn’t offer even an electrified hybrid car in its range. But it’s planning to catch up fast – the GV60 pictured above will be its first pure electric car and, by 2030, every car it sells will be an EV. Even by 2025, it’s planning to only launch pure electric cars: if you like your petrol-engined Genesis, best buy now, while you can…

Mazda – 2030

Mazda told us it does not intend to cease UK sales of petrol and diesel cars ahead of the 2030 ban. It says it believes ‘a multi-solution approach that combines different technologies is the best way forward to reducing CO2 emissions. Electrification is a key pillar within Mazda’s multi-solution approach and by 2030 all Mazda vehicles will be electrified in some form. While electric vehicles are important to reducing CO2, we will still need internal combustion engines to power the majority of cars today and in the coming years.’

Mini – 2030

Currently, the only pure electric Mini you can buy is the Mini Electric, but everything looks set to change. The last Mini with an internal combustion engine will arrive in 2025, before the company goes fully electric by 2030. New pure electric versions of the Mini Hatch and Countryman are scheduled to launch in 2023.

Renault – 2030

Renault told us it will stop selling petrol and diesel cars in the UK in 2030. There’s no word on whether the date will be brought forward.

Suzuki – 2030

Like Mazda, Suzuki has no plans to stop selling cars with an internal combustion engine ahead of 2030 and already offers a 100 percent hybrid model range with one plug-in hybrid model available. Suzuki stopped selling diesel engined models in the UK in 2017 due to limited demand.

Volvo – 2030

Volvo’s electric strategy dovetails with the UK’s ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars. The company says it plans to be fully electric by 2030, phasing out any cars with an internal combustion engine, including hybrids. “To remain successful, we need profitable growth. So instead of investing in a shrinking business, we choose to invest in the future – electric and online,” said Hakan Samuelsson, Volvo chief executive.

Bentley – TBC

Bentley will switch its entire model to offer exclusively plug-in hybrid or battery electric vehicles by 2026, and pure electric vehicles by 2030. This sees it move from being the largest producer of 12-cylinder petrol engines to having no internal combustion engines within a decade.

BMW – TBC

BMW Group told us it expects fully-electric models to account for at least 50 percent of global deliveries by 2030. The company will have 13 all-electric models on the road from 2023, with at least one all-electric model offered in approximately 90 percent of the company’s current market segments. The BMW Group includes BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce.

Kia – TBC

Kia told Motoring Research it’s too early to say when it will sell its last internal combustion engine in the UK, but the company is already set to meet its 95g/km emissions target this year. The company’s EV portfolio includes the e-Niro, Soul EV and forthcoming EV6.

Honda – TBC

Honda recently announced that it wants its range to be 100 percent battery or hydrogen powered in major markets by 2040. It also intends to offer solid state battery technology in its new EVs by the late 2020s.

Nissan – TBC

Nissan says all its ‘new vehicle offerings’ in key markets will be electrified by the early 2030s. “We’re determined to help create a carbon-neutral society and accelerate the global effort against climate change,” said Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida. The company hasn’t confirmed if it will stop selling petrol and diesel cars before the 2030 ban.

Mercedes-Benz – TBC

Mercedes-Benz says it will launch three new electric cars in 2021. However, the company is unwilling to comment on any plans to stop selling petrol and diesel cars ahead of the 2030 ban.

MG – TBC

MG sells two EVs: the ZS EV and MG 5 estate car. It told us there’s no plan to cease petrol and diesel sales ahead of the ban, but that an early move to 100 percent electric wouldn’t be a ‘surprise’.

Toyota and Lexus – TBC

Toyota said it was ‘probably a bit too far forward to provide any definitive response at this stage’. By 2025, the company will offer more than 70 electrified vehicles, including at least 15 pure electric cars.

Volkswagen – TBC

“In the year 2026 will be the last product start on a combustion engine platform,” VW strategy chief Michael Jost told an automotive summit in 2018. A spokesperson confirmed that the German giant will focus on electric cars instead. This doesn’t mean that VW will stop selling petrol and diesel cars ahead of the 2030 ban, but it paves the way for a radical move.

Other companies

Other car companies, including Audi, Skoda, Fiat and Jeep, haven’t responded to our request for information. We will update our guide as news develops.

25/25 SLIDES

Bespoke software calculates real-world energy use via the sat-nav and directs the driver to the nearest charge point. It’s claimed to be accurate to within 0.5 percent of range.

The one-off concept is fully road-legal and was created in less than 12 months by a consortium of British businesses: Astheimer Design, BAMD Composites, Conjure and Potenza Technology.

No performance figures are quoted, but the combination of lightness, instant electric torque and a low centre of gravity should translate into plenty of driving fun. At least until it starts raining…

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