---
title: "Electric Aston Martin Headed For Production By 2018"
description: "Electrified Rapide S will be made with Chinese help."
date: "2016-02-18"
modified: "2016-02-18"
authors:
  - name: "Will Sabel Courtney"
    job_title: "Contributor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/will-sabel-courtney"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/2229/electric-aston-martin-headed-for-production-by-2018"
categories:
  - "News"
tags:
  - "Aston Martin"
  - "Electric Cars"
---

# Electric Aston Martin Headed For Production By 2018

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/archive-images/021816-electric-aston-martin-hero.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com\</em\>*

They’ll get green with a little help from their friends. Aston Martin’s plans to build an electric car will be facilitated via a freshly announced partnership with Chinese technology group LeEco, the two companies announced February 17.

“It brings Aston Martin’s electric car project forward,” Aston Martin CEO and [noted electric car-related profanity advocate](<https://www.motortrend.com/news/nissan-exec-calls-dirty-electric-car-claims-bull-142883/>) Andy Palmer said of the joint venture during a Frankfurt press conference. Together, [the two companies plan to bring an electric-powered version of the Rapide S sedan to production by 2018 or so](<https://www.autonews.com/article/20160217/OEM05/160219891/aston-martin-to-develop-first-ev-with-chinas-leeco>); future electric vehicles from both companies are likely to follow.

The news hardly comes as (brace for incoming pun) a shock. While Aston Martin has been discussing electric vehicles for a while, their first real-world dalliance with building an electric version of the Rapide came several months back, [when it whipped up a prototype with the help of Britain’s Williams Advanced Engineering](<https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/583/shocker-aston-martin-unveils-1-000-hp-electric-rapide-e>). At the time, we heard that a production version could generate as much as 1,000 horsepower, a thought that gave us the sort of happy shivers thinking about electric cars rarely does.

Interestingly enough, the Aston/LeEco partnership is expected also to partner with [mysterious electric car company Faraday Future](<https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/1043/faraday-future-disruptive-mobility-and-the-allure-of-possibility>), which has some very deep-pocketed Chinese backers. Does this mean the electric Rapide S will share technology with [the top-secret hatchback/van Alex Roy caught a glimpse of](<https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/1513/ive-seen-the-real-faraday-and-you-can-too>)? Will it be capable of driving itself? And most importantly, will it seriously have 1,000 horses? Because if it looks like a Rapide and has quadruple-digit horsepower, we don’t care if it’s powered by orphans’ tears—we’ll still want to try it out.

## Author
Will is the former managing editor of *RIDES Magazine* and the former online editor for *0-60 Magazine*. He has worked for *Time Out New York* and *Rolling Stone*, and was the creator of *College Cars Online*, the first automotive blog specifically targeted at college students and young professionals.

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://instagram.com/willsabelcourtney>)  
[Twitter](<https://twitter.com/willscourtney>)