There’s no escaping the walk toward electrification, and on the off chance that any sector serves to feature the permanent shift towards everything battery-powered, it’s the sports vehicle class.
Traditionally the preserve of petrol-soaked, adrenaline-siphoning machines, this rarefied corner of the market has seen ever-increasing numbers of contenders that favor lithium-particle over super unleaded.
In addition to the fact that this is a new source of power delivering the kind of power and performance that internally combusted alternatives could only dream about, on the other hand, it’s broadening the definition of what an elite performance vehicle can be. That is why our rundown runs the range from conventional low-thrown sportsters through to curvaceous roadsters, continent-squashing GTs, and even (whisper it) the odd SUV. There are vehicles from established players of a driver’s vehicle workmanship, as well as those from makers more normally associated with humbler offerings. In the case of nothing else, the EV revolution has helped level the playing field. Yet while these machines look disparate on paper and in the metal, they all share a comparative objective of keeping the driver amused.
Top 7 best electric sports vehicles
1. Lotus Evija
All the recent Lotus headlines have been about the Emira, the English brand’s Porsche 718 Cayman-pursuing sports vehicle. Yet this machine is likewise being heralded as the company’s last to feature a petrol engine, with future models leaning toward super rapid charging over unleaded. The principal clue of what we can expect has already been given by the Evija, an electric hypercar being produced in a limited run of 130.
The bare measurements are somewhat mind-desensitizing. Lotus itself was recently surprised to find that the vehicle’s four engines together deliver 2011bhp, rather than the 1973bhp it had previously quoted. That demonstration against 1680kg, which is relatively light in EV terms, so performance will feel like freefall, we imagine. Real performance figures are meager on the ground, yet Lotus expects a sub-two second for the 0-62mph run and a maximum velocity on the naughty side of 200mph. Gracious, and there’s likewise discuss an attempt on the Nürburgring EV lap record, which given the Evija’s low(ish) weight and incredible power ought to be a foregone end.
2. Pininfarina Battista
Similar as the relationship between the Taycan and RS E-Tron GT, the Pininfarina Battista shares a lot of hardware (and software) with the Rimac Nevera, yet for differentiation, it’s being presented as the more outwardly sumptuous, more GT-oriented machine of the pair.
Even thus, this is no delicate centered cruiser, as the crude insights reveal. With 1900bhp and 1696 lb-ft on offer from its four engines, it’s perhaps no surprise to find it can do 0-186mph in under 12sec and 217mph hard and fast – albeit even these numbers pale into insignificance alongside the £2 million asking price.
3. Rimac Nevera
Few vehicle makers have made such a major impression in such a short space of time as Rimac. In little more than a decade, the Croatian firm has developed from the garage of Mate Rimac into a company that is presently partly owned by Porsche and arranging the future of Bugatti. That is quite a meteoric rise.
The amazing achievement of the young Rimac empire is the Nevera, which is the development to the Concept One and C_Two show vehicles, the former having arguably launched the electric hypercar trend with its 1073bhp result and £670,000 asking price when it debuted in 2017. Only 150 examples of the Nevera will be made, practically which are all spoken for. Its appeal has only been enhanced by many by its recent record-breaking EV maximum velocity run when it topped 256mph.
4. Maserati Granturismo Folgore
Over the decades, there have been many false sunrises for Maserati, however, somehow the notorious Italian brand has failed to move out of the shadows of its early-1950s heyday, when its vehicles were bringing home Equation 1 big showdowns on the track and the hearts of enthusiasts out and about. Yet again yet while this recent attempt to reset and go again could ultimately flatter to deceive, there are reasons to be hopeful that this time the Modenese maker is finally on the way to success.
5. BMW i4
BMW is no stranger to electrified sports vehicles, its disastrous i8 consolidating trying supercar looks with a powerful, cutting edge, module hybrid powertrain, and a genuinely entertaining driving experience. However, the i4 is the company’s most memorable cut at a proper high-performance electric machine – and it’s anything but a terrible effort.
Unlike the i3 and iX, the i4 isn’t built on a bespoke EV stage, yet instead uses a version of BMW’s CLAR architecture (in essence, this is an electrified 4 Series Gran Car). There’s an entry-level rear-drive eDrive40 model that is energetic enough, however, for a true saloon boasting freedoms, you need the M50, which features a twin-engine set-up that sneaks up all of a sudden for an M4-bedeviling 0-62mph time of 3.9sec.
6. Tesla Roadster
Of course we could never have a rundown of electric vehicles without including Tesla. In fairness, in terms of performance, a large portion of its current line-up could secure a place in this overview, however for sports vehicle appeal the Roadster needs to get the gesture, even on the off chance that it seems like the 2+2 drop-top may very well never arrive. Already close to four years behind schedule, it’s meant to go into creation in July 2023, however, given that we’ve been here a few times before, taking this case with a spot of salt may be wise.
7. Aspark Owl
You know the drill. The Aspark Owl costs £2.5 million, accelerates to 60mph in 1.7sec, and generates just shy of 2000bhp from four electric engines. Accepting that you don’t request that level of performance on the exit of every corner, range is likewise said to be around 280 miles.
Read also: Top 7 Most Popular Electric Cars