Latest news with #RMLGroup
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
A wild new EV battery can charge in just 18 seconds — plus, 4 more stories you need to know this week
This week, we're looking at Ford's wildest EV pony yet, more on the "Tesla effect," and a new wonder battery with a mind-blowing promise. Plus, we've got all the other stories you need to know about clean machines this week: The VarEVolt battery, a British invention, can reportedly fully charge in just 18 seconds. If that's true, it would completely change how we think about EV charge times. RML Group was just given regulatory permission to mass-produce the new battery for EVs. Right now, the company plans on producing just a few, but if it becomes available widely, it's the gas stations — not the charging stations — that will start seeming laughably slow. Ford's latest electric dream is an extreme race car called the Super Mustang Mach-E. Built to beat its sibling, last year's Ford F-150 Lightning SuperTruck, the Super Mustang that was designed for this year's Pikes Peak International Hill Climb has 1,421 horsepower and 6,900 pounds of downforce — double the weight of the race car itself. As if that wasn't enough, Ford has a second, even more hardcore version with 2,250 horsepower — more than even the record-setting Rimac Nevera hypercar. Porsche hasn't even officially announced production of an electric Cayenne — yet. To date, the German sports carmaker has given only sparse details about an electrified version of its largest SUV. Even still, a camouflaged version of one still managed to set a record for an SUV at the 2025 British Championship Hillclimb in Shelsley Walsh. The recent 16% drop in Tesla's U.S. sales is a huge part of why total EV sales have dropped for the first time in over a year. This is despite the $7,500 tax credit for some new models still being in play (although it will likely disappear for most models at the end of this year). Americans bought just under 98,000 EVs in April, 4.4% less than last year at the same time. As Fortune so aptly put it, "when Tesla sneezes, the entire U.S. electric vehicle market catches a cold." If you were going to purchase an EV, which of these factors would be most important to you? Cost Battery range Power and speed The way it looks Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. But the news isn't all bad, as Chevrolet's EV sales tripled, thanks largely to its Equinox crossover. In what the company called a "nationally representative" survey, BMW reported that a whopping 92% of Americans believe that continued innovation in electric vehicles is important and 30% of those believe that it's very important. Such open-minded optimism isn't just about EVs, either: The same study found that 58% of Americans are open to hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
New electric car battery promises full recharge in just 18 seconds
In what sounds like science fiction, a British company says it's poised to start producing a battery for electric vehicles that can recharge to full power in an astounding 18 seconds. With a charging time that, if true, is a tiny fraction of what's required for a current EV battery to refill, the VarEVolt battery was designed for hypercars by the UK's performance car company RML Group. VarEVolt says the battery is now set for limited production after the parent company received the Conformity of Production (CoP) approval in June. This UK certification is widely seen as a minimum benchmark for suppliers who wish to work with major automotive manufacturers with reliable results and safety standards. The high-density battery has been trialled in the Czinger C21 hybrid hypercar. For comparison, Porsche says its Taycan - one of the fastest electric cars in the world when it comes to recharging - needs 18 minutes to recharge from 10% to 80%. Such batteries are coupled to ultra-quick electric motors which can zip from zero to 100 km/h more quickly than any liquid-fuelled engine. Mid-range and entry-level electric cars meanwhile often need several hours to recharge. This, combined with the limited range of many EVs, has slowed the switch to electric mobility, given that combustion engine cars can be refuelled in seconds.
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
This EV battery fully recharges in just 18 seconds — and it just got the green light for mass production
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. A British firm has received approval to mass-produce an ultra-high-power-density electric vehicle (EV) battery that can be fully recharged in just 18 seconds. The RML Group was granted Conformity of Production certification for its VarEVolt battery on June 2. This government approval signifies that the firm can mass-produce the powerful batteries for EV manufacturers. The certification "underlines our readiness to move from prototyping and niche volumes to supporting larger production contracts," James Arkell, the head of powertrain at RML Group, said in a statement. RML's battery can deliver lots of power in a short span. The VarEVolt battery can supply 6 kilowatts per kilogram, and it's capable of "dumping all its power really, really quickly," RML board member Michael Mallock told Autocar. The battery has a C rating of 200, meaning it's capable of fully charging or discharging in about 18 seconds. In comparison, the fully electric Porsche Taycan's battery has a C rating of around 4 to 5, so it takes 12 to 15 minutes to charge or discharge. The VarEVolt's modular design lets manufacturers tune it for different applications. "We can focus on range, we can focus on power, or we can balance the two," depending on the type of vehicle it will be deployed in, RML Group CEO Paul Dickinson told Autocar. Some small-scale manufacturers are already using the VarEVolt battery; it helps power the futuristic Czinger 21C hybrid hypercar, which relies on a combination of an electric motor that uses energy stored in the battery and an internal combustion engine that burns gasoline. Related stories —'Single crystal' electrodes could power EVs for millions of miles —'Springy' solid-state battery is twice the width of a white blood cell and could drastically increase EV range —Honda promises solid-state batteries that could double EV range to 620 miles by 2030 Right now, the RML group is producing just a few of the VarEVolt batteries at a time, but future large-scale output wouldn't necessarily be confined to exclusive products like the 21C. (Czinger produced just 80 of the luxury sports cars in the first run.) The firm is developing a kit to convert the battery packs in older hypercars, such as the LaFerrari or the McLaren P1, to updated versions, according to Mallock. "For those types of cars, we can do a replacement pack that will significantly increase the range, and if the rest of the hardware within the car would allow it, you could have a version that was eight times the power output," Mallock told Autocar.
Forbes
26-05-2025
- Automotive
- Forbes
Insane 920HP Porsche-Based Hypercar Breaks Cover At Supercar Fest 2025
It's not every day a new hypercar appears, so when RML Group arrived at Supercar Fest with its P39 prototype, the crowd was in for a treat. You might have already spotted the P39's silhouette looks rather familiar. Created as a commemorative piece to celebrate RML Group's 40th anniversary, the hypercar is based on a Porsche 992.1 Turbo S platform. The idea is to combine the 992's daily driver characteristics with a brutal track beast alter ego. Michael Mallock, Board Member responsible for RML's Bespoke Division, said: 'From the outset we set ourselves the challenge of building a car which could switch personalities at the touch of a button – serene on the road, savage on the circuit. The numbers speak for themselves, but what excites me most is how intuitive and confidence‑inspiring the P39 feels, whatever the setting.' In collaboration with Litchfield Motors the twin-turbo flat-six has been re-engineered with a larger diameter intake and exhaust plumbing. Thermal routing has also been optimized to enable an uprated 920 hp and 705 lb-ft of torque in Sport/Sport+ mode. To try and help drivers not to immediately crash into a wall when they get behind the wheel, RML Group has added two other driving modes. Wet mode drops maximum power to 600 hp while normal mode limits it to 750 hp for road driving conditions. Paul Dickinson, Chief Executive Officer of RML Group, added: 'P39 is a rolling demonstration of what RML's engineering division can achieve. By integrating active aerodynamics, a re‑imagined chassis and a 920 hp powertrain, we have created a hypercar that delivers relentless track performance yet remains perfectly at home on the King's Road. It is the purest expression of 40 years of engineering excellence, distilled into a car that wears our badge with pride.' Although the P39 still bears resemblance to the 992, the bodywork has been redone in carbon fiber to cut weight. Of course, the main feature is the huge rear wing that detracts from the Porsche relation at the rear end. It features electronically movable parts to optimize downforce depending on the scenario. In track mode it moves to increase downforce by an impressive 24%. For maximum performance on straights, the driver can select the drag reduction system to flatten the wing and cut drag by 23%. Aero kit can be found all over, including at the very front in the form of an extending splitter which slides 75mm forward in track mode. This extra distance repositions nose pressure and keeps the front end sharper into turns. Additional aero features include air curtains around the front wheels, fender cut outs, underbody diffuser and vented rear arches. All of this combines to boost the stock Turbo S's downforce of 1,432N up to 5,100N in road mode and over 6,500N in track mode at 150mph. To cope with the extra power and unimaginable forces acting on the vehicle, some chassis tweaks were needed to get the best out of it. The track was widened with new suspension links, customised top mounts keep the right camber angles and secondary springs help to find the balance between track and road performance. The P39 also features bespoke R53 supplied dampers turned by RML Group and a hydraulic lift system to offer two rear and three front ride height options. RML Group plans to show off the P39 hypercar prototype at the Supercar Driver Secret Meet at Silverstone, June 17. Summer appearances will be rounded off at the Silverstone Festival August 22 to 24. As the name suggests, this beauty is limited to a run of just 39 examples.
TimesLIVE
23-05-2025
- Automotive
- TimesLIVE
RML P39 hypercar prototype makes public debut
UK-based engineering company RML Group wowed spectators at Supercar Fest The Runway 2025 with the first public appearance of its limited-run P39 40th Special Edition (40SE) prototype. The event, based around top speed and repeated full-throttle acceleration runs, is staged annually at Sywell aerodrome, near Northampton, UK. It provided the perfect opportunity for RML to flex the vehicle's muscles. Designed around the Porsche 992.1 Turbo S, the P39 40SE combines elements of Le Mans Hypercar technology with practical road capabilities. Key modifications include an increased track width at the front and rear, along with an extended wheelbase. The standard body has been replaced with a carbon fibre shell, featuring active aerodynamics such as a driver-controlled drag reduction system and a remotely adjustable chassis to boost downforce. With this set-up, the car generates 662kg of downforce at 240km/h. Under the engine lid, the twin-turbocharged six-cylinder motor has been tuned to produce 671kW and 1,000Nm of torque. RML achieved the increase in power by fitting a new ECU, upgraded turbos and intercoolers, new manifolds and catalytic converters, plus an Inconel sports exhaust. Four drive modes are offered: Normal, Sport, Sport+ and Wet. According to the company's simulations, the P39 40SE is capable of lapping the gnarly Nürburgring Nordschleife in 6:45, quicker than a base 992.1 Turbo S by 32 seconds.
