The most exciting electric sports cars yet to come

The most exciting electric sports cars yet to come will give you goosebumps, and just hearing their names brings a smile to our faces.

The first car to break the 100 km/h barrier had no engine. It was built in 1899, and the La Jamais Contente was a bullet-shaped prototype powered by a pair of electric motors driving the rear wheels. The future of the electric sports car looked bright, but it was quickly eclipsed by models fitted with an internal combustion engine. More than 120 years later, electricity is once again being hailed as the key to unlocking the next level of driving performance.

However, vehicles need more than an astonishing 0-100 km/h time (which is reasonably easy to achieve with an electric powertrain) to qualify for the coveted performance badge. Their ultra-rapid acceleration must be repeatable without sending the powertrain into standby mode, and they must handle well despite carrying a monstrous battery. Manufacturers involved in racing must also ensure that their electric vehicles can withstand the punishment of the track.

Which are the most exciting electric sports cars yet to come?

All in all, building an electric sports car is considerably harder than building one with cylinders. Here are the manufacturers taking on this challenge:

Aspark Owl

This oddly named hypercar was unveiled by a Japanese company in Dubai and is scheduled to enter production in Italy in 2020. Its four motors draw electricity from a 64kWh battery to generate more than 2000 CV, enough for a 1.69-second 0-100 km/h time.

Carbon fibre partially offsets the weight of the battery and helps bring the Owl’s weight down to 1900 kg. Enthusiasts wishing to obtain one of the 50 planned examples must send Aspark a non-refundable deposit of around 50,000 euros, and this significant commitment probably explains why it has yet to sell out.

Audi E-Tron GT

Having planted its flag in the electric SUV segment, Audi is preparing to launch its first battery-powered saloon. It will arrive as a toned-down version of the E-Tron GT concept shown at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show, meaning it will be related to the Porsche Taycan under the skin. Some sources have learned it will be available in S and RS versions, a strategy that mirrors how the company sells petrol cars such as the A6, but its final specifications may not match those of the Porsche.

We will know exactly how much the E-Tron GT shares with the Taycan when it makes its debut at the 2020 edition of the Los Angeles show. Deliveries will begin in early 2021.

Ferrari EV

Technical sketches that recently leaked from a patent office shed light on how Ferrari plans to enter the electric sports car class. While the transmission’s production remains a mystery despite endless rumours and speculation, the drawings suggest the company’s first EV will offer four-wheel drive by assigning an electric motor to each wheel. It will arrive as a two-seater or with a 2+2 layout and is expected to take the form of a low coupé with very fast 812 proportions.

Several obstacles stand in the way of Ferrari’s electric model. Engineers must offset the weight added by the battery pack while ensuring that it nonetheless offers adequate range, even when the car is driven with spirit for hours on end. And they are still working out how to replace the exhaust note so typical of Ferrari. All in all, do not expect the Italian firm to throw its hat into the electric car ring until 2025 at the earliest.

Genesis Essentia

Genesis, owned by Hyundai, has rapidly made its way up the ladder of the automotive industry. In 2018, two years after it launched its first standalone model, it unveiled a magnificent electric GT called the Essentia (pictured) at the New York auto show and hinted that it was considering a production model.

It teased the coupé again in 2019 when it presented the GV80, its first SUV. It did not provide concrete details such as a launch timing or a power figure, but Hyundai’s investment in Rimac could help Genesis combine Croatian and South Korean genes to create a one-of-a-kind performance EV.

Honda Sports EV

Honda has confirmed that the platform it developed for the E city car will underpin a full range of electric models in the 2020s, and one of them will likely be inspired by the 2017 Sports EV concept. Patent images uncovered in 2019 suggest the coupé will reach showrooms with an updated design and a silhouette reminiscent of a mid-engined car.

Executives have not publicly confirmed that the concept will spawn a production model; officially, they are monitoring demand before making a decision.

Hyundai

The spicy mid-engined, Veloster-style compact that Hyundai has been experimenting with for years will run on electricity when it finally makes its debut. Hyundai and Kia made a joint investment of 67 million euros in Rimac in 2019 and announced that the partnership will eventually create “an electric version of the mid-size sports car“.

No further details were provided, so we do not know whether the hatchback will be offered exclusively as an EV or whether Hyundai will also offer a petrol or hybrid version. Interestingly, the company also said it will leverage its burgeoning partnership with Rimac to build a high-performance fuel-cell electric vehicle, which is a truly unique concept. We cannot wait to see it take shape.

Lotus Evija

Lotus defies the light of its founder, Colin Chapman, is the right motto in developing a 1900 CV, 1680 kg hypercar called the Evija, built around a 70kWh battery. It will not be as nimble to drive around the company’s Hethel test track as an Elise, but the bulky battery will improve handling by lowering the centre of gravity. Williams Advanced Engineering is helping Lotus, owned by Geely, develop the model.

130 units will be produced from mid-2020. Design director Russell Carr said that future additions to the Lotus range will be influenced by the style of the Evija. It is not too far-fetched to speculate that its electric technology will also trickle down to smaller, more attainable models.

Maserati GranTurismo, GranCabrio

Maserati has confirmed that its first electric model will fill the void created by the recently retired GranTurismo (pictured) when it enters production in 2021. Its powertrain is being developed in-house and is nearly ready to enter the testing phase. The next GranTurismo, a nameplate that may not return, will arrive as a 2+2 coupé and will be joined by a convertible replacement for the GranCabrio in 2022.

Looking further ahead, electric technology will spread across Maserati’s line-up. The Italian company has promised that every model in its range (including a sub-Levante SUV due soon) will offer an electrified powertrain option, although some cars will settle for hybrid technology rather than being fully electric.

Pagani EV

Around 40 cars leave Pagani’s workshop each year, but exclusivity and a small footprint will not stop the Italian firm from planning an electric future. In 2019, founder Horacio Pagani confirmed that the Huayra’s replacement will debut in 2022 with a powerful V12 homologated until 2026. The multi-energy platform found under the as-yet unnamed model will underpin the company’s first EV.

Pagani plans to sell V12 and battery-powered cars simultaneously for most of the 2020s. It has not revealed when the electric variant will arrive or what it will be capable of in terms of performance and range.

Pininfarina Battista

Pininfarina is moving from a design house and contract manufacturer to a fully fledged carmaker. It is putting the finishing touches on a hypercar called the Battista developed with technology supplied by Rimac. The spec sheet lists 1900bhp, the same output as Rimac’s C_Two, but Pininfarina has stressed that the two cars will not be identical because its engineers are tuning the powertrain. “We will probably share 40-50% of the pure technical components,” said CEO Michael Perschke.

Battista production is limited to 150 units worldwide, and deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2020. Pininfarina plans to expand into more mainstream segments by launching three SUVs by 2025.

Rimac C_Two

Aptly named the C_Two, the second production car launched by Croatia-based Rimac is a coupé with nearly 2,000 CV capable of reaching around 500 km/h thanks to four electric motors. It should run from 0-100 km/h in under 2.0 seconds, a figure that, if achieved, will make it one of the fastest production cars in the world, but it will ultimately be available with Level Four autonomous technology that allows the car to drive itself in a variety of conditions.

Rimac will unveil the production version of the C_Two at the 2020 Geneva Motor Show and plans to deliver the first of 150 units by year-end. It is already sold out.

What about Lamborghini?

Lamborghini has its eye on the electric segment, but its main priority in 2020 is bringing its first hybrid models to market. It is working on electrifying the Urus, its best-selling model, and has confirmed that the Aventador S’s replacement will receive an electric V12 powertrain similar to the one found in the limited-edition 808 CV Sian FKP 37. All three models will enter production in early 2020.

The extraordinarily futuristic Terzo Millennio concept unveiled in 2017 sheds light on how Lamborghini plans to integrate electric technology into its range. Developed jointly with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), it featured in-wheel motors, a supercapacitor and structural components capable of storing electricity. This setup is relatively far from production, but engineers at Lamborghini are working hand in hand with MIT researchers to make it a reality.

And what about McLaren and Aston Martin?

McLaren explained that the electric technology it began testing in 2017 is not yet ready for production. Its models must be capable of driving entirely on a track for at least 30 minutes, and building an electric model that meets these requirements would require a gigantic battery that would in turn add too much weight. It warned not to expect a piston-free model before 2025.

Meanwhile, McLaren is investing a substantial amount of money in developing hybrid technology. It is committed to electrifying its entire model range by 2023.

As for Aston Martin, in its recent corporate statements accompanying its refinancing effort, it now says fully electric models will not arrive before 2025, three years later than originally planned. Building the future is not always easy or quick.

Haven’t we been here before?

Some carmakers began preparing for the exponential growth of the electric sports car segment many years ago. In 2010, Audi presented a battery-powered R8 called the E-Tron, equipped with a four-motor drivetrain producing 309 CV. The project, time and again, produced a production car shown at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show and built in very limited numbers.

Across Germany, the SLS Electric Drive that Mercedes-Benz presented at the 2012 Paris Motor Show also used four electric motors, but they delivered 740 CV; it was the fastest EV in the world at the time.