Drako Motors

Drako Motors was founded in 2013 by Dean Drako[5][6] and Shiv Sikand.[3] In August 2015, Drako Motors [7] announced its DriveOS four-wheel torque vectoring, single-VCU drive operating system which applies positive and negative torque to each individual wheel within milliseconds, as a way to deliver additional corner control, performance, and safety compared with conventional drivetrains.[8]

In 2015, Drako Motors worked with Metropolia University[9] to build a four-motor, electric, test race car using the DriveOS with 4 motors, which set a lap time record of 7 minutes 49.04 seconds at Nürburgring Nordschleife.[10][11][12]

In 2019, Drako Motors announced its all-electric, production Drako GTE at The Quail Motorsport.[13][14]

In 2020, the Drako GTE was featured on CNBC’s Jay Leno’s garage.[15]

Drako GTE at The Quail in 2019

The Drako GTE is an all-electric, quad motor, full-size 4 door sports sedan that seats 4 passengers.[16][17] It uses a Fisker Karma chassis, however, other than the doors, the body panels are completely new.[18][19] The carbon-fiber bodywork [20] was designed by Lowie Vermeersch[21] of GranStudio,[22] responsible for the design of multiple Ferrari and Maserati vehicles.[23]

The GTE has a claimed top speed of 206 mph (332 km/h) and a 0-60 mph (97 km/h) time of less than 3 seconds.[24][25][26]

Drako Motors announced a limited production of 25 Drako GTE vehicles in 2020, with a base price of US$1,250,000.[27]

The Drako GTE uses proprietary Drako DriveOS software.[28] The four motors produce a combined output of 1,200 hp (895 kW) and 6490 lb-ft (8,800 Nm) of combined torque through four permanent-magnet hybrid synchronous electric motors (225 kW each) and four direct-drive gearboxes.[29] [30] The car has no differentials.

Each motor is controlled individually[31] by the Drako DriveOS operating system, which computes a new torque value for each wheel every 10 milliseconds, based on steering angle, slip angle, wheel-speed sensors, accelerator, and brakes. [32] [33]

In addition to forward torque, the DriveOS can decelerate the individual wheels. [34]

The GTE's drive control system lets drivers select driving modes for different road surface conditions, including ice, snow, rain, dry, track and race.[35][36]

The GTE has Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes,[37] with regenerative braking and slip control.[38]

Drako GTE inverters under front hood

The battery pack that drives the motors is a 90 kWh, 450-volt unit made up of 10,000 cells.[39] It can output 1,800 continuous and 2,200 peak amps, to supply the four motors with 900 kW of power.[40]

It has an internal parallel cooling architecture which integrates multiple cooling channels that surround each individual battery cell to dissipate heat more quickly.[41]

The battery is mounted in the floor to give it a low center of gravity for greater traction and safety on different road surfaces.[18][42]

The car has a 15-kW on-board charger that is compatible with electric vehicle charging infrastructure,[43] and has a fast charging option through both CHAdeMO or Combined Charging System up to 150 kW.[44][45]

Drako Motors states that the battery delivers an estimated 250 miles of range.[46]