Meet the AIM EV Sport 01, an all-electric sports car concept that will take its first public drive at the Goodwood Festival of Speed later this month.
You’ll be forgiven for not being familiar with AIM because the EV Sport 01 is actually its first-ever concept vehicle. Founded in 1998, the Japanese engineering company specializes in automotive design and technology.
The EV Sport 01 was first unveiled in April in Japan and it was well received, which motivated AIM to explore a potential limited series production run. For now, though, the vehicle is undergoing testing and evaluation. The company is also using the concept to test its advanced APM200 electric motor in a dual-motor, real-wheel-drive configuration.
The numbers look promising as the two-seat coupe has a curb weight of just 3,141 pounds (1,425 kilograms) and is powered by two APM200 motors producing a combined 483 horsepower (360 kilowatts) and a maximum torque of 545 pound-feet (740 Newton-meters). The motors are controlled by an advanced torque vectoring system, and the inverter is rated at 720V input and 380 kW output.
AIM says the dual-motor powertrain is powered by a laminate rechargeable lithium battery with a capacity of 81 kilowatt-hours configured in four packs enabling an estimated driving range of 186 miles (300 km). The company doesn’t mention anything about performance, but it should be respectable given the car’s low weight, aerodynamic shape, and decent power.
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The car is about the same length as a subcompact car at 153.5 inches (3.9 meters), but much wider at 74.8 in (1.9 m) and much lower at 47.2 in (1.2 m). It features a multi-tubular aluminum frame chassis with double-wishbone front and rear suspension system.
The body panels are made from a carbon fiber laminate structure and the interior “bathtub” is all carbon fiber. The EV Sport 01 Concept rides on 20-inch wheels with 235/35 ZR20 tires at the front and 275/30 ZR20 rear tires.
The small electric coupe was designed by SN Design Platform, a company led by Shiro Nakamura, the long-time chief designer at Nissan who oversaw the creation of many models including the GT-R, Cube, Leaf, and others.
“We learned from the spirit of the great sports cars of the past, helped by the RWD configuration and layout. I wanted to express dynamism with sophisticated elegance through a simple, clean design. The EV Sport 01 has minimal form language and avoids exaggerated and complicated surfaces, reminiscent of the great European and Japanese sports cars of the 1960’s. Given that inspiration, it is particularly fitting we can demonstrate our car at Goodwood.”
Shiro Nakamura, president SN Design Platform
The AIM EV Sport 01 will make timed runs at the Goodwood Festival of Speed (July 13-16) as part of the “First Glance” category.
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