How EVs are supercharging sports cars

Electric motors are defining the world of sports cars, with acceleration speeds that rival the likes of Formula One.

Porsche Taycan Turbo S Sport Turismo.

The car industry has found the performance limit for electric cars – the human body.

Acceleration has become one of the defining characteristics of modern electric cars, with the near-instant torque offered by electric motors unlocking a new wave of battery-powered sports cars.

The likes of the Audi RS E-Tron GT, Porsche Taycan Turbo and Rimac Nevera have demonstrated that the future of EVs isn’t just about using less petrol at the expense of driving enjoyment.

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It was arguably Tesla that started this trend, in 2015, releasing its so-called “Insane” acceleration mode, which unleashed the full potential of the electric motors in its Model S P85D. The result was a 0-60mph (96km/h) time of just 2.5 seconds, which made the five-seat sedan as fast as a supercar.

Audi RS E-Tron GT.

Since then, Tesla has introduced “Ludicrous” mode, and its latest, tri-motor powertrain, known as Plaid (a reference to Mel Brooks’ 1987 film, Spaceballs), has lowered that figure to just 1.9 seconds.

Elon Musk, Tesla’s headline-grabbing boss, has even claimed that the planned Tesla Roadster will be capable of launching from 0-60mph in just 1.1 seconds thanks to “SpaceX rocket thrusters” – although it’s worth noting that the Roadster concept was revealed in December 2017 and has not yet made any public progress towards production. While the Roadster remains a theoretical exercise, there are several real-life production electric performance cars that are rewriting people’s expectations of acceleration.

Rimac Nevera.

Croatian specialist Rimac has produced its alternative to the Tesla Roadster, the Nevera, and claims it launches from 0-100km/h in just 2.1 seconds, and manages 0-60mph in 1.9 seconds.

But all this performance may be pointless, because the cars are getting too fast for owners to enjoy them. For context, a Formula One racing car takes 2.6 seconds to run 0-100km/h, so these modern EV sports cars will out-run Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.

According to famed Italian supercar maker, Lamborghini, this quest for faster acceleration may have reached its end game. Lamborghini recently introduced its first series-production hybrid supercar, the Revuelto, which combines a V12 petrol engine with three electric motors for a 2.5-second 0-100km/h time.

Lamborghini The Revuelto.

According to Tim Bravo, director of communications for Lamborghini, this is the limit buyers will accept for one simple reason – anything faster will make them sick.

“Today, with the change in technology, zero to 100km/h times are just not as important as they were,” Bravo says.

“It’s more about the handling and the feel and involvement that a car can give you, and also very much about being able to repeat performance.

“An electric car might be fast for one lap on a track, but after that the performance falls away, and that’s not good enough for a Lamborghini, so by going to hybrid we are making sure that the performance we offer is repeatable, and consistent.

“In terms of zero to 100km/h, with the new Revuelto, it will do it in 2.5 seconds, and we think that is fast enough.

“If you have cars that accelerate to 100km/h in under two seconds, it will genuinely make people feel sick. It’s not a good idea.”

So it’s likely the next wave of electric sports cars will put more onus on handling rather than pure acceleration. This new generation will include familiar names, with Ferrari and Lamborghini committed to building EVs before 2030.

Given Bravo’s comments, don’t expect the electric Lamborghini to run sub-2.0 second 0-100km/h times and be a darling of the drag strip.

Instead it will try to recreate the driving excitement of the brand’s petrol-powered supercars.

Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray.

Another famous nameplate going electric is the Chevrolet Corvette. The American brand has already launched the E-Ray hybrid version, but a fully electric version is on the way.

And more will follow. As the car industry continues its gradual transition towards an electric future, quick 0-100km/h times will become commonplace and cease to have the same marketing impact. Instead, car makers will need to rely on the other attributes that define their brands in order to give customers the sports car experience they currently enjoy.

Or, they could try and accelerate even faster but offer carsick bags as standard equipment.