The Apex AP-0 Will Be A Surprisingly Lightweight EV Sports Car

Right now, there’s a near-endless stream of electric hypercars from all sorts of companies promising several thousand horsepower apiece. To say we’re bored of them would be putting it a bit harshly, but only a handful ever get made and all have price tags with too many zeroes at the end. We’re bringing you news on this Apex AP-0, though, because it’s a little bit different.

Most of these cars end up weighing nearly as much as a small town, primarily thanks to the use of massive battery packs. But the AP-0 will have a kerb weight of just 1200kg - about the same as a Ford Fiesta. It’s quite the achievement to build an electric car that weighs so little, as even the dinky Skoda Citigo e iV weighs a little bit more than that. You can put that skinny figure down to extensive use of carbon fibre in the chassis.

The AP-0 is honed for the racetrack but, like a KTM X-Bow or a BAC Mono, it appears it’ll be road-legal too. Last month Apex announced that the AP-0 would have LiDAR and advanced driver assistance features, including pedestrian and cyclist detection. Don’t think you’ll be able to mirror your phone and stream Justin Bieber in the car, though; Apex’s idea of connectivity is an engaging driving experience.

There’s not much in the way of power or performance details yet, but it should be able to get close to the Apex AP-1 model revealed last year. That car used a 2.3-litre Ford EcoBoost engine out of the Focus ST and Mustang, and pushed out almost 400bhp for a 0-62mph time of just 2.5 seconds. With all the electric motor’s torque available instantly, we’d think that the electric AP-0 could match this figure. Apex says it has “rapid acceleration, but also superior agility, outstanding handling and exceptional cornering ability.”

The AP-0 will look very aggressive, and the teaser image above shows a heavily sculpted, swooping bonnet that’s not dissimilar to the Apollo IE. A previous teaser suggested it’d have a central shark-fin spoiler (presumably also made out of carbon fibre), like what you’d find on an prototype racer. It was penned by UK designer Guy Colborne, who’s said to have drawn inspiration from oriental art and culture.

Originally set to appear at the Geneva Motor Show (before the coronavirus outbreak cancelled the show), the Apex AP-0 will now be revealed this Friday (13 March) at an event at the The Bike Shed in Shoreditch, London, it’s been announced today.