Co-developed by Chinese startup firm Aiways and ex-Audi Motorsport Director Roland Gumpert, the Nathalie is a brand-new supercar that uses a new kind of fuel and comes priced at €407,000 (First Edition batch).
The one killer feature of the Nathalie is its powertrain, which incorporates a traction battery used as a temporary buffer storage for electric power, a 65-liter gas tank, and a 15-kW methanol cell array. During operation, the methyl alcohol warms up to between 300 and 400 degrees Celsius (572ºF – 752ºF) and releases hydrogen that is later converted into electric power for the battery.
Powertrain-wise, the Roland Gumpert Nathalie packs four electric motors and comes rated at 544 PS (400 kilowatts). It needs 2.5 seconds to hit 100 km/h (62 mph) ftom standstill and doesn’t reach its limit until 300 km/h (186 mph). The driving range amounts to 820 kilometers (510 miles), which is pretty solid, if somewhat short of the initially promised 1,200 km (745 miles).
The production run will be limited to 500 units, with the first buyers getting their cars in spring 2021 at the earliest.