Photos of the New Piëch Mark Zero

Unlike most current electric cars, which typically place their batteries under the floor, the Piëch Mark Zero has its batteries in the central tunnel and atop the rear axle. It's an approach not entirely dissimilar to that of the Porsche Taycan, which has "tunnels" for the rear passengers to place their feet.

his way, the Mark Zero allows for an extremely low seating position. The target weight is 3968 pounds, and the company claims a weight distribution similar to that of a conventionally powered sports car. We'll have to see, as the placement of the rear batteries above the axle raises questions as to the center of gravity.

Even more questions arise around the type of batteries: Piëch is guarding information closely at this point, claiming the Mark Zero will feature an entirely new battery type developed by Hong Kong–based Desten Group. The carmaker claims that this "special type of cell hardly heats up during charging or discharging phase."

This technology has two benefits. First, air cooling will suffice, which Piëch says helps to shave off 441 pounds. Second, and even better, the charging time is reduced sharply. As it's fed by a charging infrastructure developed by Qingdao Tgood, charging the Mark Zero to 80 percent will take a mere four minutes and 40 seconds.

Count us among the skeptics until we learn more about those new battery cells, which would constitute a real breakthrough. Meanwhile, enjoy the sporty if slightly generic look of the Piëch Mark Zero. And know that if electrics don’t take off, the platform is designed to accommodate a fuel-cell electric or a plug-in hybrid powertrain as well—or even a good old-fashioned internal-combustion engine.