Meet Dendrobium, The Electric Hypercar Of The Future
The electric car market is beginning to get more and more crowded, despite representing a relatively small and new segment of the automotive market. New electric vehicles face stiff competition not only from big-name electric car makers such as Tesla Motos and Faraday Futures but also from established manufacturers such as Ford and GM. Nevertheless, several hopeful startups have thrown their names into the electric car ring ahead of this year’s upcoming car shows. Of all the electric car makers receiving publicity for their electric car concepts, none is generating as much of buzz in the automotive news world as Vanda Electrics.
If you’ve never heard of electric vehicle manufacturer Vanda Electrics, you’re not alone. The Singapore-based company has only produced a handful of vehicles so far, including the suitcase-sized “Motochimp” electric scooter. As far as full-sized automobiles go, Vanda also sells the “Ant” electric van, which due to its small size has a maximum range of only 62 miles/100 kilometers and a top speed of just 24 mph/38.62 kph. Despite Vanda Electrics’ relatively short resume, the company is making substantial waves in the auto world with their announcement of a new electric car set to debut at the 87th Geneva International Motor Show in March 2017.
The yet-to-be-seen car is called the Dendrobium, named after a species of orchid native to the tiny island city-state of Singapore. The name was chosen due to the fact that the car is said to resemble a flower when its gullwing doors and convertible roof are opened to allow passengers to enter and exit. Proof-of-concept pictures of the futuristic “electric hypercar” show the Dendrobium to be extremely stylized, featuring sharp angles and F1-style aerodynamics. The company’s website claims the car “deliberately challenges the visual aesthetics and draws intrigue, wonder, and awe from its beholders.”
To design this science-fiction-inspired electric car, Vanda Electrics teamed up with British automotive engineering firm Williams Advanced Engineering. Williams is the same team that helped create many of Jaguar’s high-concept cars and is known as one of the most cutting-edge research firms in battery-powered drivetrain and aerodynamic technologies.
Vanda Electrics plans to have the Dendrobium ready for production by 2018. Vanda Electrics CEO Larissa Tan claims that the Dendrobium represents not only the future of the company but also the future of automobiles as we know them:
“The future is electric. Vanda Electrics is an exciting company that is established in innovation and design, while collaborating with leading engineering partners to produce ground-breaking electric vehicles.”
Just how much ground the Dendrobium will break is yet to be seen. Many automotive journalists are taking the company’s announcements with skepticism, given that this is their first foray into a fully-featured electric car. Still, if the Dendrobium performs half has well as its looks imply, it could be one electrifying ride.