Is the RG Nathalie’s Methanol-Electric Powertrain the New Future of EV?

March 17, 2020 – Roland Gumpert has come out with a new brainchild that presents yet another alternative power source. Branded as a “super sports car”, the new Roland Gumpert Nathalie is electrically powered by a battery and the interesting and innovative methanol fuel cell. With the use of methanol as a secondary source, the Nathalie has the ability to actively recharge its battery, giving it a 500+ mile range. This also solves the recharging time issue experienced by a lot electric vehicle issues. Refilling the methanol cell only takes 3 minutes, and after that you can hit the road right away.

Here’s a video by RG that explains their technology:

Those with reservations about electric vehicles due to accessibility issues will not be changing their minds with this new innovation, however, as methanol is even harder to find than ev charging stations nowadays. But regardless, this innovation provides enough power to the Nathalie to produce some pretty impressive numbers.

The RG Nathalie is driven by 4 electric motors each taking responsibility for 1 wheel. Yep, thats right – its got 4 wheel drive. The motors produce about 536hp and can push its lightweight (GT-R lookin’) body from 0-60 in less than 2.5 seconds. With a top speed of 190mph, this won’t be breaking any speed records like the Jesko Absolut, but it’s definitely quick.

Though we won’t really know how well it performs on the track, we can speculate that it will be a strong contender and a fun drive. The methanol-electric powertrain is an interesting answer to the woes experienced by current EVs, but due to the limited availability of the fuel source the long term viability is questionable. Only 500 examples of the RG Nathalie will be produced and will have a price tag of $447,699.

More on the RG Nathalie: