DS has unveiled the E-Tense Performance, an updated version of its 2016 E-Tense electric supercar concept, which now packs more than twice as much power as before.
With a carbon-fibre monocoque structure and drivetrain derived from the company's successful involvement in the all-electric Formula E series, the E-Tense Performance develops 815hp, which is almost three times the power of a Formula E racing car.
Updated looks
Initially, the E-Tense Performance looks like a lightly reworked version of the older E-Tense concept, but quite a few things have changed. At the front, in place of a grille is a "surface for expression" displaying the DS corporate logo with a 3D effect and a lightshow welcome sequence. Flanking the surface are two strips of daytime running lamps, made up of 800 LEDs. Data-collecting cameras are used instead of headlights.
The cabin features both sports bucket seats as well as a Formula E steering wheel and has, like the headlights, been designed to gather data.
While the odd flip-effect paint which changes colour depending on the light and the 21-inch wheels are eye-catching, the E-Tense's biggest headlines are under the skin.
Formula E powertrain
Developed by DS's Formula E team, the concept's powertrain consists of two electric motors delivering 815hp and 8,000Nm of torque at the wheels. Storing that power is a compact, energy-dense battery mounted low and in the middle of the car, behind the driver, for better weight distribution. It uses, the company says, "an innovative chemistry and an immersive cooling system for cells, at odds with current technology," and is encased in a carbon-aluminium composite housing. With a pretty hefty 600kW of regenerative braking ability, DS says that lessons learned from the concept's drivetrain may well trickle down into its production cars. So powerful, in fact, is the regenerative capacity that the company claims that the brakes on the car are redundant, only being fitted as a safety back-up.
No performance figures for the DS E-Tense Performance have yet been revealed, as testing is due to commence later this month in the hands of DS's Formula E drivers Jean-Éric Vergne and Antonio Felix da Costa. Given, however, that a Formula E car can manage the 0-100km/h sprint in around 2.8 seconds, expect something similar.
Trickle-down engineering
DS plans on becoming an all-electric brand by 2024, so there are important engineering advantages to be gained from both Formula E and high-powered concepts such as the E-Tense Performance.
According to Thomas Chevaucher, the director at DS Performance, the company's motorsport division:
"Our objective is to apply the experience acquired in Formula E and the expertise that we've taken from our international titles to a project which predicts the high-performance electric car of tomorrow. It is a laboratory that we will use to analyse the behaviour of components and to develop them with a view to future manufacturing."
"The idea," he said, "is also to find solutions to lower costs, make them easier to manufacture and explore implementations in production models. The next generations of the E-Tense range will benefit from these developments."
DS has competed in the Formula E series since 2015. A partnership with the Chinese team Techeetah won the company a constructor's and driver's championship in the 2018-2019 season, a feat which was repeated the following year.