Following its introduction at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show, the Dendrobium D-1 electric vehicle has been confirmed for development and production in the UK, in the form of a newly established company, Dendrobium Automotive Limited.
Originally an electric hypercar design concept created in the mid 1990s by Singaporean company Vanda Electrics, the Dendrobium was presented to Williams Advanced Engineering in 2016 for the development of a working show car. A team has now been recruited to take the D-1 into the next stage of development.
“Dendrobium Automotive is one of the most exciting businesses I’ve ever been involved with,” commented Nigel Gordon-Stewart, chairman and CEO of Dendrobium Automotive Limited.
“Using the very latest technology, we are developing what will be the most impressive all-electric hypercar. We are designing our own in-house all-electric powertrain and we plan to use our own power storage cells, moving to solid state as and when the technology is reliable and financially viable.
“We are developing unique cabling and connector systems as well as our own complete vehicle integration and ADAS hardware and software. From a technical perspective, the D-1 will be a British engineering tour-de-force.”
The Dendrobium team is targeting performance figures of 1,825ps and 2,000Nm of torque from a vehicle weighing in at 1,750kg.
“The car is all carbon fiber, advanced composites and alloys which are superlight and super strong,” stated Jens Sverdrup, member of the board of Dendrobium Automotive Limited. Sverdrup has worked with Lamborghini, Ferrari, Pagani and Koenigsegg, and has recently been working on raising Rimac Automobili’s global profile.
“The construction of the D-1 is based on a unique Protocell carbon tub which possesses future adaptability for further generations of Dendrobium e-performance cars. Apart from advanced vehicle technology, the D-1 has enormous drama and presence thanks to our unique Bio-Aerial Locomotion door and roof opening system which was inspired by the Dendrobium name.
“A lot more details will be revealed over the coming months, not the least of which will be the D-1’s impressive range and rapid charge time. You can be assured that the Dendrobium brand will become synonymous with the most exciting and technically sophisticated e-hypercars on the market and available globally.”
“Although all the Dendrobium team has automotive blood running in their veins, we are essentially a technology company developing ultra-performance EV and PHEV cars, systems and components,” added Gordon-Stewart.
“We want to be part of Britain’s resurgence of technology development and best quality manufacturing because the very high standard of British engineering and manufacturing is still highly respected worldwide.
“It’s one of the things that sets the UK apart and nowhere more so than in performance automotive engineering, technology and motorsport. We see very exciting times ahead with Dendrobium Automotive.”
