GENEVA: The covers have come off Singapore’s first-ever hypercar, the Dendrobium, which has made its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show. The brainchild of Singapore electric mobility experts Vanda Electrics, Dendrobium is a two seater all-electric sports car concept, which features a striking design and a target top speed in excess of 200mph.
Specialising in battery technology, research, innovation and design, Vanda Electrics is one of Singapore’s leading e-mobility companies. Its revolutionary strategy is to develop a range of global electric products that capitalize on the trend towards zero emission mobility and focus on three key segments: luxury, consumer and industrial.
With the launch of a fast-charging zero emission electric light commercial vehicle (http://vandaelectrics.com/pro-anttruck/) and electric mini scooter (http://motochimp.com) taking place later this year, the company has chosen the 2017 Geneva Motor Show to unveil its most exciting model yet, a high performance halo product that will sit in the luxury sector.
A project that has been many years in the making, Dendrobium is finally being realised as a result of rapid advancements in electrification technology, which allows headturning styling to be combined with high performance, compact e-powertrains.
Vanda Electrics has also engaged a small number of key partners to develop the Dendrobium concept car.
Technical partner is Williams Advanced Engineering, the technology and engineering services division of the Williams Group. The division specialises in a number of core areas that are highly relevant to Dendrobium, including aerodynamics, lightweight structures, vehicle integration and, of course, electrification. Williams Advanced Engineering has taken the project from the design stage to dynamic concept car.
Designed by Vanda’s in-house team, Dendrobium’s shape incorporates an automatic roof and doors, which open in a synchronised manner, resembling a fully-opened dendrobium flower, a genus of orchids native to Singapore.
This unique feature is not just for show either – it also improves access to the cockpit, making ingress and egress easier than other hypercars. The tear drop shape that forms around the cockpit and ends in the tail – where the plug-in port is located, just behind a panel above the charging light, which shows the status of the car’s battery – is a design feature that has remained a key part of Dendrobium from the initial sketches.
Other highlights of Dendrobium’s exterior are the aerodynamic floor, rear double diffuser and front splitter. At the back, the rear light bar floats over the tail of the car, and throughout the design there is pure, motorsport-inspired functionality, such as the exposed double wishbone front and rear suspension. That motorsport theme is continued in the materials used. In order to meet its target weight of 1,750kg, Dendrobium features a composite monocoque chassis, carbon-fibre body panels, carbon ceramic brake discs and lightweight alloy calipers inside 20-inch front and 21-inch rear alloy wheels, wrapped in Michelin high performance tyres.
Carbon fibre is also used extensively in the interior, fitting with Dendrobium’s minimalist but functional design brief. The driver sits in a bright red body-hugging sports seat – which contrasts with the predominately black interior. Both driver and passenger seats feature stitching and motifs inspired by muscle fibres.
The interior of the Dendrobium concept has been trimmed using leather from Scotland’s Bridge of Weir Leather Company.
In front of the driver is a digital dashboard flanked by two rear-view displays, which take feeds from wing-mounted cameras. All of the dashboard buttons are hexagon-shaped: a recurring design theme throughout Dendrobium, replicated in the air vents, front grille and headlight bezels.
Although strictly a concept car at this stage, performance targets for Dendrobium are a top speed in excess of 320kph and 0-100kph in 2.7 seconds. The project will feature the latest lithium-ion battery and electric powertrain technology calling on Vanda Electrics’ own expertise and, of course, that of technical partner Williams Advanced Engineering.
Should Dendrobium go into production, a layout featuring two inboard-mounted electric motors per axle, with a single-speed gearbox and differential at the front and a multi-speed gearbox and differential at the rear, is envisaged. If Vanda Electrics receives enough positive interest at the Geneva Motor Show, the first model is expected to hit the road by 2020.
“Dendrobium is the culmination of a dream. Our design team has had sketches of an electric hypercar on the drawing board since the mid-90s, but that vision was many years ahead of its time,” said Vanda Electrics CEO Larissa Tan.
“As electric technology has advanced, we have been able to revisit this vision and now, as we launch our revolutionary global e-mobility strategy, the timing is finally right for us to take the wraps off a halo model.”
Keyword: 2017 Geneva Motor Show: Singapore hypercar Vanda Dendrobium finally revealed