Bulgarian startup Alieno has communicated its second product with a series of renderings of a “robotic electric hypercar” called Unum claiming some frankly outlandish and even comical specs that would even make SP Automotive’s Chaos blush. The model that currently exists only in the minds of the Bulgarian company is said to utilize up to 24 electric motors and multiple air thrusters to reach a vapor-y top speed of 584 km/h.
At first glance, the Unum looks like a
Lamborghini-inspired hypercar from an unlicensed video game. The body is full
of creases, intakes, and weird-looking aero components, with the absence of
basic features (for example A-pillars) making it look like an early CAD
modelling exercise from a design student. Encho Enchev, chief design officer of
Alieno, says he took inspiration from the Alien sci-fi movie’s Xenomorph queen
as well as Batmobiles, insects and crustaceans.
You may get a kick out of some of the
specs and features listed in the lengthy press release. First of all, there are two different
powertrain variants: the THF, which stands for ‘The Heavenly Founder’ that is
“driven and controlled with electricity” and the TRS (The Rocket Successor)
which is “driven and controlled with electricity and air”. In Alieno’s colorful
imaginary world, the fully electric THF is available in four different power
outputs: the RP2 with 2,610 hp, the RP3 with 3,481 hp, the RP4 with 4,351 hp,
and the RP5 with 5,221 hp and 8,880 Nm of torque. Note that the
entry-level RP2 has 12 electric motors (three per wheel), while the flagship
RP5 has 24 electric motors (six per wheel). This is probably the most we have
ever heard to be fitted in a single vehicle.
Moving to the flagship TRS variant, it
retains the 24 electric motors of the THF but adds the “Alieno octopus
synergistic system” featuring variable geometry “rocket cold air thrusters” 3D
printed from titanium, steel and Inconel. The Bulgarian company says that the
thrusters are located under the different grilles on the exterior so they don’t
ruin the clean design of the hypercar, and use nothing more than ordinary hot
air. There’s also the “Alieno save me” package which uses the thrusters to
restore grip, stabilize, and brake the hypercar, or even blow away any dirt, snow,
ice or rainwater from the road surface in front of the tires. It seems that the
guys in Alieno did a lot of late night binging sessions as they even considered
the event of falling into deep waters, where compressed air will maintain the
pressure inside the cabin and allow the hypercar to float.
Both the THF and the TRS variants of the
Unum are said to be equipped with an 800V battery pack made of Graphene LiPo
cells and Supercapacitors in three different capacities: 60 kWh (Race Battery
Pack), 120 kWh (Track Battery Pack), or 180 kWh (Street Battery Pack). Using
the special 2,700 DC charger that Alieno will build “upon customer order”, a
full charge of the larger battery will be allegedly completed in four minutes.
If you are in a hurry, you can charge it from 0-80% in 3.2 minutes, because
apparently saving 0.8 minutes sometimes makes a difference.
According to Alieno’s boss, the design of
the Unum is complete, as are the permits for their new production line in
Tuhovishta, Bulgaria. The company says it expects to see their first hypercars
on the road “no earlier than 2024-2027” but promises that it will be “worth the
wait”. On the official website, the company is inviting investors, calling
interested parties to pay a minimum of € 900 (US$ 911) for a 0.001% stake in
Alieno. The goal is to attract a € 9 million (US$ 9.1 million) foreign investment
which would make for a 10% equity stake in the company. Alieno says it’s
already accepting pre-orders with delivery times from 18 to 30 months depending
on the variant. Pricing for the electric-only Alieno Unum THF ranges from
€ 1,800,000 (US$ 1,823,517) to € 2,700,000 (US$ 2,735,275), while the thruster-equipped
Alieno Unum TRS costs between € 3,000,000 (US$ 3,039,915) and € 4,500,000
(US$ 4,559,872).
