We're starting to get some more insight into Alpine's electric sports car future, with the reveal of the A110 Future development car, ahead of its runs at the upcoming Goodwood Festival of Speed.
An electric Alpine A110? Tricky…
Very tricky, as the current petrol-powered A110's character and brilliance are based largely on its featherweight mass, which allows it to be both agile and efficient. An electric version will inevitably be much heavier.
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How is Alpine going to square that circle?
With cleverness! For a start, the new A110, as previewed by this A110 Future car, which is essentially a development mule, will use a lightweight aluminium structure, which is a good starting point. More interestingly, the electric A110 will use a split battery pack, with two sections located at the front and rear of the car, allowing for a classic mid-engined sports-car weight distribution of 40 per cent front and 60 per cent rear.
Interesting…
It gets better. As with the A390 electric crossover, the A110 Future (and the eventual production car) uses two rear-mounted electric motors, each powering one wheel, allowing for clever torque distribution. This rear e-axle also incorporates a fully integrated power inverter, as well as a trick braking setup, and is linked to the car's bodywork by all-aluminium suspension.
Click here to read our review of the Alpine A390.
What else do we know about the Alpine A110 Future?
Not much, except that if the A110 Future's shape is anything to go by, it will keep the gorgeously retro styling of the current A110, which itself harks back to the classic original A110 of the 1960s and 1970s. The wheelarches look a little wider and boxier, but apart from that, the overall proportions of the A110 seem to have been preserved.
When can I see the A110 Future running?
You can see the A110 Future on the stand and on the hillclimb at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, which kicks off on 9 July. Alpine will be bringing along its full roster of racing drivers to the event to help show off the A110 Future and its current production and racing cars, including Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto from the BWT Alpine Formula One Team, and they will be joined by Alpine Academy and reserve drivers Nina Gademan, Paul Aron and Ireland's own Alex Dunne.