Drako Motors
 | |
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| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive |
| Headquarters | |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Founder & CEO Dean Drako, Founder & EVP Shiv Sikand |
| Products | Drako GTE Electric Vehicle |
| Website | www.drakomotors.com/ |
Drako Motors, Inc. is a Silicon Valley[1][2] manufacturer that began a small production run of electric luxury sports cars in 2020, with its headquarters in San Jose, California. Drako Motors produces the Drako GTE, a four-motor, all-electric sports sedan.[3][4]
History
Drako Motors was founded in 2013 by Dean Drako[5][6] and Shiv Sikand.[3] In August 2015, Drako Motors [7] announced its DriveOS four-wheel torque vectoring, single-VCU drive operating system which applies positive and negative torque to each individual wheel within milliseconds, as a way to deliver additional corner control, performance, and safety compared with conventional drivetrains.[8]
In 2015, Drako Motors worked with Metropolia University[9] to build a four-motor, electric, test race car using the DriveOS with 4 motors, which set a lap time record of 7 minutes 49.04 seconds at Nürburgring Nordschleife.[10][11][12]
In 2019, Drako Motors announced its all-electric, production Drako GTE at The Quail Motorsport.[13][14]
In 2020, the Drako GTE was featured on CNBC’s Jay Leno’s garage.[15]
Drako GTE
The Drako GTE is an all-electric, quad motor, full-size 4 door sports sedan that seats 4 passengers.[16][17] It uses a Fisker Karma chassis, however, other than the doors, the body panels are completely new.[18][19] The carbon-fiber bodywork [20] was designed by Lowie Vermeersch[21] of GranStudio,[22] responsible for the design of multiple Ferrari and Maserati vehicles.[23]
The GTE has a claimed top speed of 206 mph (332 km/h) and a 0-60 mph (97 km/h) time of less than 3 seconds.[24][25][26]
Drako Motors announced a limited production of 25 Drako GTE vehicles in 2020, with a base price of US$1,250,000.[27]
Technology
The Drako GTE uses proprietary Drako DriveOS software.[28] The four motors produce a combined output of 1,200 hp (895 kW) and 6490 lb-ft (8,800 Nm) of combined torque through four permanent-magnet hybrid synchronous electric motors (225 kW each) and four direct-drive gearboxes.[29] [30] The car has no differentials.
Each motor is controlled individually[31] by the Drako DriveOS operating system, which computes a new torque value for each wheel every 10 milliseconds, based on steering angle, slip angle, wheel-speed sensors, accelerator, and brakes. [32] [33]
In addition to forward torque, the DriveOS can decelerate the individual wheels. [34]
The GTE's drive control system lets drivers select driving modes for different road surface conditions, including ice, snow, rain, dry, track and race.[35][36]
The GTE has Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes,[37] with regenerative braking and slip control.[38]
Battery
The battery pack that drives the motors is a 90 kWh, 450-volt unit made up of 10,000 cells.[39] It can output 1,800 continuous and 2,200 peak amps, to supply the four motors with 900 kW of power.[40]
It has an internal parallel cooling architecture which integrates multiple cooling channels that surround each individual battery cell to dissipate heat more quickly.[41]
The battery is mounted in the floor to give it a low center of gravity for greater traction and safety on different road surfaces.[18][42]
The car has a 15-kW on-board charger that is compatible with electric vehicle charging infrastructure,[43] and has a fast charging option through both CHAdeMO or Combined Charging System up to 150 kW.[44][45]
Drako Motors states that the battery delivers an estimated 250 miles of range.[46]
References
- ^ CarBuzz A New Electric Supercar With 1,200 HP Is Coming
- ^ Top Gear The Drako GTE is a 1,200bhp, 206mph electric GT car
- ^ a b Forbes Drako, A $1.25 Million Electric Supercar, Debuts At Quail
- ^ Automobile Magazine Print Cover Story: Drako's GTE looks to revolutionize Performance Driving as we know it - January 2020
- ^ Fox News Are bounty-hunting hackers the key to car security?
- ^ SiliconHills Drako Motors Creates Software to run Electric Sports Cars
- ^ Silicon Valley Business Journal Barracuda Networks founder plans to unveil electric 'supercar' this summer
- ^ Car Stories Drako Motors Says Software Is The Future of Electric Cars, Proves it at the Ring
- ^ AmericanInno Drako Motors’ New Car-Controlling Technology Helped Set a Lap Record in Germany
- ^ Road & Track The Latest EV Startup Promises a 206-MPH Four-Seater With 6490 Lb-Ft of Torque
- ^ The Verge Drako Motors’ 1,200-horsepower GTE is Silicon Valley’s latest crack at electric cars
- ^ Financial Express Drako GTE teased; Another electric supercar with over 1,200hp
- ^ Automobile Mag Automobile's 20 Best Car Stories of the Year
- ^ Inside Evs See All The Slick And Wild EVs Revealed In Pebble Beach.
- ^ Motor Authority Jay Leno gets the low-down on the $1.25M Drako GTE electric super sedan
- ^ Architectural Digest These Are the Next Wave of Ultra-Luxury Electric Cars Entering the Market—and They Don't Disappoint
- ^ Inside Hook The Story Behind Drako, The EV That Clobbered Tesla in a Drag Race
- ^ a b "Drako Unveils The Most Powerful All-Electric Grand Tourer on the Planet". RobbReport. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
- ^ The Drive The Electric Drako Motors GTE Can Smoke A Tesla, But At $1.25 Million It Had Better
- ^ FossBytes Drako GTE Electric Car Smokes A Tesla Model S P100D In Drag Race
- ^ Inside Evs Drako Motors Teases Drako GTE Electric Supercar
- ^ Hot Cars 6,500 Lb.-Ft. Of Torque Drako GTE Electric Supercar
- ^ Electrek Drako unveils insanely powerful and expensive all-electric supercar
- ^ Car and Driver The 2020 Drako GTE Sedan Is an Ultra-Fast and Ultra-Pricey EV
- ^ Hollywood Reporter Here Come the Electric Hypercars: 4 Sustainable Vehicles Rolling Out in 2020
- ^ Autoblog Another EV startup is introducing a sports car with over 1,000 horsepower
- ^ Esquire ME Tesla has big competition with the Drako’s GTE all-electric supercar
- ^ Electric Vehicles News Drako GTE Featured on the Cover of Automobile Magazine
- ^ CarScoops Drako GTE Electric Supercar Coming This Summer With 1200 HP
- ^ Hot Hardware Drako GTE Is A Ferocious Quad-Motor EV With A Staggering 1200HP And 206MPH Top Speed
- ^ Dupont Registry Daily Top 10 Monterey Unveilings for 2019
- ^ Top Speed Drako’s all-electric supercar is surely promising loads of performance
- ^ Automobile MagThe 2020 Drako GTE Is a 1,200-Hp, All-Electric Hyper-Handling Supercar
- ^ Business Journal Austin startup develops software for electric vehicles
- ^ Dupont Registry Daily Drako GTE Revealed: “Most Powerful GT Car Ever Made”
- ^ The Things 20 Small Companies Making A Big Splash In The Supercar Industry
- ^ "Here Comes the All-Electric Drako GTE with over a Thousand Horsepower". MensGear. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
- ^ "Silicon Valley's Drako Motors unleashes track-torching 206-mph electric sedan]". New Atlas. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
- ^ Automobile Mag 2020 Drako GTE First Drive Review: The 1,200-HP EV Sweetheart
- ^ "2020 Drako GTE Electric Sedan Promises 6,491 lb-ft of torque". Autoweek. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
- ^ "Why EV Battery Design Is So Difficult". SemiEngineering. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
- ^ "2020 Drako GTE: Meet the 206 MPH EV Hypercar from Silicon Valley". TSB. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
- ^ "Barracuda Networks founder has a 1,200-HP, $1.25M supercar he wants to sell you". Silicon Valley Business Journal. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
- ^ "Drako's GTE electric supercar will be a four-motor, 1,200HP monster". Engadget. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
- ^ "Jay Leno gets the low-down on the $1.25M Drako GTE electric super sedan". Motor Authority. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
- ^ "Drako GTE EV Super Sedan Shows Tesla Its Taillights In New Video". Motor 1. Retrieved 9 January 2020.