Earlier this month the new global ultra-premium electric vehicle brand AEHRA revealed the exterior design of its second model at the Milano Monza Motor Show. The sedan follows the brand’s first model, an SUV, shown in December.

The company was co-founded by Chairman & CEO Hazim Nada and COO Sandro Andreotti to deliver a step-change in the design, customer, and ownership experience of ultra-premium electric vehicles (EVs). The self-described Italian-American company, headquartered in Milan, has been substantially self-funded, combining “Italian design, world-class engineering, and American customer service” to leverage the advantages of next-generation EV powertrain packaging and technology.

“The debut of the AEHRA sedan, just eight months after we revealed our first SUV model and the recent announcement of our partnership with Miba Battery Systems, confirms that AEHRA remains firmly on track in its strategic mission to deliver a step-change in the design, customer, and ownership experience of ultra-premium electric vehicles,” said Nada. “The first customer deliveries of the AEHRA sedan and AEHRA SUV will commence by 2026. And when the final production variants take to the road, they will look virtually identical to the models we have revealed, ensuring no compromise on our promise to combine an extraordinary driving and ownership experience with exceptional design and technology.”

AEHRA has a roadmap to deliver a “unique, transformative business model” with a rollout planned for key markets including North America and Europe in 2026, with China and the Gulf States to follow.

 

Design inspired by aeronautics

Based on the same flexible EV platform as the SUV, the sedan was conceived in tandem with its sibling. While it shares a similar design language and body surfacing it features unique graphic signatures at the front and rear. The design team “shunned” numerous edges and instead used reflection to divide the body by light and shadow.

At the front are prominent active aerodynamic and cooling elements. In contrast to the more technical lower section, the top portion of the car has a much cleaner shape that flows from the hood to the windscreen and over the roofline—the crafting of the fluid shape inspired by aeronautics.

The sedan is said to use exceptionally light, highly sustainable composite materials including forged carbon-fiber technologies “to push the boundaries of technical design far beyond anything yet seen in the passenger car sector.” They enable features such as the double-falcon doors on both the SUV and sedan for better ingress and egress.

“With the AEHRA sedan, we have had the boldness to go even further and fully exploit the exceptional design freedom born out of our founder Hazim Nada’s philosophy and vision—and AEHRA’s ground-breaking use of only the most advanced technologies that the global automotive and aeronautic industries have to offer,” explained Filippo Perini, AEHRA Chief Design Officer. “Devoid of unnecessary adornments, yet alive with emotion, the AEHRA sedan represents a new standard of natural beauty for zero-emission ultra-premium mobility.”

A “symbol of Italian automotive design,” Perini was previously Head of Design at Genesis (Team Europe), Italdesign, and Automobili Lamborghini.

 

Batteries by Miba

In May, AEHRA announced a partnership with Austrian battery supplier Miba tailored for integration with the vehicle architecture and body structure of the SUV and sedan to optimize range, efficiency, and weight saving.

“Miba is particularly well suited to provide the type of features we wish to have in our batteries to provide optimum range and efficiency and integration with the body structure of our SUV and sedan,” said Stefano Mazzetti, AEHRA Head of Purchasing and Procurement. “The company’s highly flexible, agile, and open mindset…will enable us to pivot quickly and continuously take advantage of the latest technology, chemistry, and production innovations.”

The company’s “clean sheet” development model prioritizes sustainability and battery repairability to extend both battery unit and vehicle life. Its holistic approach to energy prioritizing efficiency of battery and electric powertrain systems including the electric motors and inverters is said to enable the SUV and sedan to set new standards for aerodynamics and reduced rolling resistance.

“We have no desire to build vehicles with 1-MW or 2-MW powertrains,” said Franco Cimatti, AEHRA Chief Engineering Officer. “While the race car-like acceleration of such cars can be impressive if a customer wishes to wow their friends, within a few seconds the energy reserves of the battery are reduced to half, which offers little customer value for real-world driving. We will offer excellent dynamic performance of course—but we are not setting out to break any speed records. We will take a more measured approach to avoid the need to oversize the battery, which simply leads to increased cost, weight, inefficiency, and complexity.”

AEHRA intends to offer customers a range of up to 800 km (497 mi) from a battery pack of 120 kW·h capacity. To ensure optimum efficiency, the company is targeting a system peak of 925 V with charging at up to 350 kW.

“Our technology will help AEHRA achieve its goal of delivering super-efficient vehicles in the premium EV segment,” said Stefan Gaigg, Managing Director at Miba Battery Systems. “In addition to these performance targets, we share a common desire to reduce the carbon footprint and improve the recyclability of the battery system.”

Miba develops and produces its battery solutions at its VOLTfactory #01 in Austria. The company will also supply AEHRA the battery system with the FLEXcooler, which it says is the most lightweight cooling system with outstanding performance now available. Further VOLTfactory sites by Miba will be opened soon to serve the “local-to-local approach” of international OEMs and meet the global demand for customized premium battery solutions.

AEHRA says its battery technology will also provide significant benefits for customers when they are not driving.

“Our battery technology will include provisions to support bi-directional charging, giving customers the ability to return electricity to the grid and power their homes,” said Cimatti.

This will prove particularly useful to customers who power their homes using solar energy harvested from photovoltaic panels, he added: “Most home batteries are rated at 10 to 15 kW·h, which is fine in the summer months but can prove problematic during heavy winter snowfalls when the photovoltaic panels become covered in snow and are temporarily unable to generate energy. But if you have a car sitting in your garage with a 100- to 120-kW·h battery, that energy can be utilized to power a home for up to ten times longer than a conventional house battery.”

 

Innovative HMI

The December reveal of the SUV provided a bit more detail on the upcoming AEHRAs and their platform. The SUV has a long 3-m (9.8-ft) wheelbase for “class-leading” occupant space, with exceptionally short overhangs and a completely flat floor. With five- and four-seat options, the company boasts that the SUV can accommodate four full-size NBA players.

One of its most innovative features is a full-dashboard-width HMI (human-machine interface) screen, which is said to deliver a step-change in entertainment and in-vehicle working. When the SUV is in drive mode, the screen sits in a lower position and displays info such as speed, range, heating and ventilation settings, and navigational instructions. The two outer areas of the screen serve as virtual exterior mirrors, relaying high-definition images from two exterior side cameras. When the vehicle is parked, occupants can extend the screen upward to transform it into a home theater or office environment. AEHRA has filed a patent for the solution, which will also be in the sedan.

“With the screen fully extended, the occupants can relax and enjoy a movie, perhaps when the car is charging or when a parent is waiting to pick up a child from school or a party,” said Perini. “And for those who have work to do, the screen and the spacious interior afford the perfect solution for video conference calls. Instead of staring at your smartphone or laptop, you can sit back and not only see all the participants on the call, in perfect high-definition clarity but also listen to them with crystal-clear, pitch-perfect audio quality.”

A secondary, smaller touchscreen mounted lower in the center of the dashboard enables front-seat occupants to control vehicle functions such as navigation, heating and ventilation, and entertainment. A small digital strip in the upper section of the oblong-shaped yoke-like steering wheel provides the driver with key information.

The steering wheel and other vehicle aspects pay homage to the co-founders’ passion for the aeronautical industry. Prior to launching AEHRA, Nada and Andreotti co-founded Aero Gravity in Milan, Europe’s largest indoor vertical wind tunnel.

“A lot of what we have learned from the aeronautic industry has shaped the AEHRA SUV’s body styling and its class-leading aerodynamic efficiency, and that influence very much extends inside the cabin too,” explained Nada. “The exterior monobody architecture enables us to create a unique dashboard that positions the HMI screen in such a way that a traditional layout does not allow.”

The approach also applies to the SUV’s front and rear seats. Much of the inspiration for their low-weight, high-strength construction, and optimum comfort comes from the aeronautic industry. They are constructed from aluminum, recyclable carbon fiber, composite, and leather.

Thanks to generous legroom, rear passengers can recline their seats. With the SUV’s relaxing ride and ultra-low noise levels, they can catch up on some sleep during a journey.