Originally launched as a sub-marque of Citroën before turning into its own standalone company in 2014, DS Automobiles is a French luxury brand that trades in both road-going production cars and state-of-the-art Formula E racers. And after claiming back-to-back Formula E titles in 2019 and 2020, DS is now looking to take lessons from its all-electric race program and apply them to future production platforms. To show off these capabilities, the French firm has just unleashed an ultra-capable EV supercar prototype known as the E-TENSE PERFORMANCE.
Borrowing a slew of technologies and features from the DS Techeetah team’s E-Tense FE race cars, the E-TENSE PERFORMANCE is crafted around a carbon fiber monocoque chassis that’s been paired with a Formula E-derived suspension package. Modeled loosely around DS’s Formula E single-seater, the prototype’s powertrain is comprised of two motors — a 250kW unit in front and a 350kW mill in the rear — that are collectively good for 600kW (or 815hp) and an otherwordly 5,900ft-lbs of instantaneous torque. Offering regeneration of up to 600kW, the EV’s centrally-rear-mounted battery pack is set in a carbon-aluminum composite housing and equipped with a wildly-advanced quartz EV fluid solution-based cooling system.
Trimmed in black leather, the interior of the car has also been equipped with race bucket seats, a Formula E steering wheel, and an ultra-premium FOCAL Utopia sound system that was developed specifically for this project. Riding on a set of 21” wheels fitted with aerodynamic insert covers, the prototype EV also sports a chameleon-style exterior paint job that changes colors depending on the angle and lighting in which it’s viewed.
The ultimate aim of the project is for DS to both unlock new technologies, while also lowering production and development costs in order to deliver a more accessibly-priced — yet still thoroughly high-performance and cutting-edge — electric car lineup. In total, DS Automobiles will be debuting four different series between now and October of 2022, where another prototype will be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show. Interestingly, the marque has also partnered with GOATi Entertainment to release DS E-TENSE PERFORMANCE NFTs that will be available — and more importantly, driveable — on the Pavillion platform.
