When asked what is the biggest weakness of electric cars, the majority might answer the charging time. Sure enough, even fast charging technology developed by Porsche has so far only been able to record 15-20 minutes to fill 80% of the total car battery capacity.
Piëch Mark Zero with sophisticated fast charging technology has debuted at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2JYfWmD)
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So far you might be wondering, who is the figure behind Piëch Automotive, and why does his name sound so familiar? Piëch is an automotive company based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has no affiliation with the Volkswagen Group.
Left side view of Piëch Mark Zero. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2HSKx31) |
On their debutant car is a two-door car concept that is different from electric vehicles from startup brands because it does not use the 'skateboard' chassis type, as popularized by Tesla. This car is based on a modular platform developed by Piëch with the help of 200 employees.
This new debutant car is named Piëch Mark Zero and is claimed to only require 4 minutes 40 seconds to fill 80% of its total capacity thanks to the use of a new type of battery cell that is able to cope with high electric currents without the risk of overheating. Under five minutes actually it is appropriate to be compared with the time needed to fill gas tank. And those battery is provided by a Chinese company, Desten.
Rear three quarter view of Piëch Mark Zero. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2TJw2QM) |
Also interesting is the modular principle whose Piëch applied to its car design. This means that what can be updated is not just the software, but also the hardware, such as battery units that have started to age and drastically reduced in capacity.
This modular architecture also means Piëch can offer its design to other interested car manufacturers. Business with consumers they serve, then they can also serve other fellow businessmen.
Turning to Mark Zero's physicality, the shape of the car looks like a combination of Aston Martin and Porsche. But Piëch doesn't want to focus on the sports car segment alone, they also have plans to realize a number of other models, including an SUV.
Piëch Mark Zero has been officially introduced at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show. Although it sounds so potential, Piëch Automotive's ambitious vision will depend on the availability of infrastructure, and this infrastructure has actually succeeded in making Tesla the leader in the electric car segment today.
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