Drako's $1.2 million EV supercar goes drifting on an ice lake
The torque-vectoring allows for better control and even "tank turns."
Supercars, being high-powered, low to the ground and fat of tire, usually aren't the best vehicles on ice and snow. However, Drako Motors has just showed that its GTE supercar EV might be an exception to that rule, thanks to the independent motors at each wheel and something called torque-vectoring. It released videos showing the GTE drifting around a snow-covered track and high-elevation ice lake, with what looks like a high degree of control.
Drako first took its car to Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and flogged it around a purpose-built driving circuit covered with a fairly deep and uneven snow surface. It then went to Georgetown Lake at 8,500 feet above sea level, doing some pretty radical drifting maneuvers, donuts, an incredibly long sideways slide and spinning in place (tank turns). The latter is something you can only do with a true torque-vectoring system, as the left and right wheels rotate in opposite directions. The altitude would also be a challenge for any naturally-aspirated ICE vehicle.
The $1.25 million Drako GTE uses its own carbon fiber body design (laid over the Fisker Karma's chassis) on top of its own EV platform. Each wheel is powered by its own motor, allowing it to steer in part by varying the torque on each wheel — all controlled by Drako's DriveOS software. The company claims that the GTE can produce 1,200 horsepower and a ridiculous 6,500 feet-pound of torque, delivering a top speed of 206 MPH. It has a 90 kWh battery, but Drako has yet to provide the range.
Drako was founded by Silicon Valley entrepreneurs Dean Drako and Shiv Sikand, who created the GTE because they couldn't find an EV they liked. It's now in production with just 25 EVs set to be delivered at a price of $1.25 million each.
Update 3/26/2021 1PM ET: The post originally stated that the Drako GTE used the Fisker Karma's body on top of Karma's Revero OEM EV platform, which is not the case. The sub-headline also said that the car used "torque steering" rather than torque-vectoring, which is not accurate. The post has been updated with the correct information.
