2018 Geneva Motor Show: REN RS electric race car packs twin-turbine range extenders

A CHINESE bespoke car maker has unveiled a six-motor hypercar producing almost 1000kW, and with a top speed of 330km/h.

The track-only, single-seat electric car, called the REN RS, boasts a carbonfibre and aluminium monocoque, follows on from a previous road-going concept car simply called the REN. The track car differs from its more pedestrian sibling in that instead of having just a single range-extending turbine engine, the option is there to fit a pair of them.

The REN RS, unveiled ahead of this week’s Geneva Motor Show, incorporates a motorsport-grade roll cage and modular design. The flagship version features six liquid-cooled electric motors (two in the front and four in the rear), giving a total output of 960kW and a staggering 2340Nm, enough to propel the car from 0-100km/h in just 3.0 seconds.

Everything about the car showcases cutting-edge technologies, from the specially developed traction control and torque vectoring systems, to the fighter jet-style canopy that can be ejected in the event of impact or fire. It’s not light, though; packing in all that technology means the REN RS weighs in at 1854kg, or about the same as a BMW X4.

Techrules forecasts initial deliveries of the REN RS to take place within two years’ time, so it’ll be interesting to see if Le Mans 2020 plays host to a score of turbine- and battery-fuelled supercars.