Wiesmann has released some more detailed information regarding its upcoming EV roadster nicknamed Project Thunderball, revealing power outputs, targeted acceleration times, and details of the advanced electric powertrain.
Earlier this year, Wiesmann unveiled Project Thunderball to the world. It's another retro-inspired coupe the brand is renowned for, but with one big difference: this one isn't borrowing BMW M3 engines anymore. Instead, it's opting for a state-of-the-art electrical powertrain that makes 680 horsepower and 811 lb-ft of torque.
This twin-motor, rear-wheel drivetrain will propel the car from 0-62 mph in a targeted 2.9 seconds and offer a claimed 310 miles of range (on the WLTP cycle, most likely), all while looking like a vintage roadster from the mid-1900s. Man, we live in a pretty cool time for cars.
The vehicle will sit on a bespoke 800-volt architecture with all of the components packaged to give the vehicle as low a center of gravity as possible. The company positioned the driver and passenger as far back as it could to ensure it stayed true to the classic roadster proportions, which made packaging difficult.
To get around this, the engineers located the drivetrain behind the driver. Then they positioned the batteries in a T shape along the center tunnel of the car into the front along with the twin Axial flux, PMSM e-motors. The vehicle tips the scales at 3,747 lbs, which isn't terrible compared to the weight of many modern performance EVs.
Wiesmann also says that the battery module will utilize an extremely advanced thermal management system using a water-glycol mix to keep the battery performing at such a high level. A bespoke battery management system allows the engineers to adjust and calibrate the vehicle's drivability to optimize it for all driving states and conditions.
Two battery packs will be available. The standard item is a 92 kWh Li-ion NMC "module-to-pack" battery that utilizes a series of modules with integrated pouch cells and weighs only 1,100 lbs. Should you prioritize light weight over range, an 83 kWh pack will be available, although details like range and weight have not been publicized for this setup.
The 800-volt architecture enables 300-kW DC fast charging when you're out and about, but also caters to at-home charging with an onboard 22-kW charger. Using a standard Type-2 charging port, Project Thunderball can utilize both AC and DC charging.
Five-stage regenerative braking is adjustable via paddles on the steering wheel, letting the driver choose between one-pedal driving for extended range or more traditional driving dynamics best suited to canyon-carving excursions.
"The continued development of Project Thunderball is bringing Wiesmann ever closer to the goal of producing what will be the world's most exciting electric sports car," says Roheen Berry, CEO of Wiesmann. "Thanks to endless research and testing, the roadster will blend our bespoke cutting-edge powertrain technology with Wiesmann's trademark German engineering excellence. We are putting the emotion back into EVs."
Wiesmann is already taking reservations, but it's going to cost a pretty hefty 300,000 Euros ($308,586 at the time of writing) downpayment to get your hands on one. There aren't many other electric roadsters with this kind of performance for this price. MG is planning an all-electric roadster in the near future that will target the Mazda MX-5 Miata, while the Tesla Roadster was supposed to be with us but has seemingly been placed on the backburner by Musk et al. By contrast, the Wiesmann is very real, and all we can hope is that the car lives up to its roots because if it does the company will surely have another hit on its hands.