More and more automakers are slowly but surely beginning to electrify their ranges from the casual everyday runabouts all the way through to their sports cars, and in many cases, even their supercars. Vehicles like the Toyota Prius may have led an arguably half-baked revolution toward the hybridization of cars, but it could be accredited with the arrival of many other eco-friendly cars including supercars such as the BMW i8 – a legendary standout and icon in the horde of coupe sports cars. It’s been more than two decades since the Prius’s debut, but hybridization hasn’t yet quite become mainstream. Today, however, we see a clear direction being embraced throughout the automotive industry, and that’s toward pure electrification.
The Advent of Electric Sports Cars
Sports cars have come a really long way over the many years of automotive racing. While we won’t go back in time to discuss what sports cars used to be, below are some brief descriptions of where we’ve come:
Hypercars
There are many car and driving enthusiasts that are convinced electric cars would ruin everything good about classic, gasoline-burning sports cars. But over the short time that automakers have been dipping their toes into the EV realm, it’s already been proven that electrifying supercars and hypercars alike, actually turns out to be otherwise. In fact, it seems as though every new sports car to hit the market is an EV of sorts – there’s the Rimac Nevera, an EV hypercar that accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in a face melting 1.85 seconds and up to a 258 mph terminal velocity.
Supercars
On the more mainstream front, there’s vehicles like the Audi RS e-tron GT – Most know that when it comes to Audi, an RS badge means business but what makes the RS e-tron GT different is that it’s the first fully-electric RS from Audi Sport, and it’s insane. Its aesthetic is very contemporary and undoubtedly Audi-esque with its classic sedan front end and coupe-styled rear. Under the hood are two electric motors that generate 590 horsepower (637 hp in overboost mode) and 612 lb-ft of torque – put the pedal to the metal and 60 mph is seen in just 3.1 seconds from off-the-line. Despite those performance capabilities, the e-tron GT can also travel up to 232 miles on a single charge of its battery.
Performance Cars
Of course mention needs to be made of Tesla – the USA-based EV company that arguably pioneered the EV revolution. Though not quite a performance-focused brand, Tesla is known for creating ridiculously fast luxury cars. There’s the Tesla Model S Performance, for example, a premium midsize sedan capable of launching from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.4 seconds but what’s even more impressive is that it will drive non stop for up to 350 miles on a single charge making it the best-in-class. On top of all that crazy capability, the Model S is a pretty decent family car, too, offering occupants a super modern, high-tech, and commodious cabin stocked with features and plenty of cargo space. Cars are slowly becoming jacks-of-all-trades and masters of all.
The Mainstream EV Ascent
More and more EV’s are coming into the mainstream market every year and each year they just keep getting better all round. There are new automakers focused on producing just EV’s such as Bollinger, Rivian, and Lucid Air just to name a few and existing brands are slowly converting their ranges as each year goes by. The world’s desire for eco-friendly and practical cars is finally catching up. Today, we have more options than ever – there’s the multitude of Tesla models, the Nissan Leaf, Hyundai Kona Electric and Nexo, Volkswagen ID.4, Ford Mustang Mach-E, and the Chevrolet Bolt just to name a few.
While many enthusiasts may miss the roar of a big combustion engine and the raw, mechanical feel of a manual gearbox, not all is lost in the advent of electric sports cars. Super silent powertrains and imperceptible automatic transmissions may be downers for some, but EV’s are without a doubt more competitive and capable in comparison to any other mainstream gas-powered sports cars could ever dream to be and they offer plenty of joy in the adrenaline-inducing acceleration they deliver and corner roasting antics they permit. This is a revolution that shouldn’t be feared, but one to be excited about.