The times when one was amazed by the thousand horsepower of the Bugatti Veyron (it was the year 2005) seem to belong to the Jurassic period because today, the chivalry, size and performance of the latest generation electric cars are increasingly supported by “monstrous” numbers never recorded first in a hundred and more years of evolution.
The reasons for the quantum leap are many and primarily concern the need to “move” the monumental masses resulting from the energy source since, as highlighted by sector studies, a powertrain with a 35.8 kWh battery pack and a 100kW electric motor will weigh in averages 125 percent more than a similarly powered internal combustion engine. The data is generic and variable depending on many factors but it is sufficient to review cars of the same manufacturer from the same segment (the Mini Cooper SE weighs 1360kg against the 1200 of the Cooper S, the EQA Mercedes exceeds two tons while the GLA is stops at 1540kg and so on) to realize a more or less wide but always evident gap. Consequently, if in the sphere of emotional or sporty models or focused on the pleasure of a silent Grand Touring with electrodes you want to guarantee performance aligned with status and prices (also bombastic), exaggerating is not only legitimate but practically necessary.
In this sense, the most striking demonstration of strength belongs to the 1914 horsepower and 1741nm of torque delivered by the four Nevera engines; full-electric hypercar built by Rimac (a Croatian company that recently took over shares of Bugatti) produced in 150 units offered at 1.7 million euros, and capable of breaking a time of less than 1.8 seconds in 0-100 and then reaching 412km / h of maximum speed. Equally extraordinary – especially since it is a luxurious sedan – are the numbers of the Tesla Model S Plaid which, through its 1020 horsepower and 1050nm of torque, projects the 2162kg of the model from zero to one hundred per hour in 1.9 seconds. The maximum speed (once the limiter software has been removed) is declared at 322 per hour and from the analysis of Massimo Ceraolo, Professor of electric and hybrid vehicles at the University of Pisa, it emerged that Elon Musk’s car has a performance output higher than the Formula 1 single-seater.
From the Model S Plaid rear-view mirrors – version capable of liquidating the quarter mile in 9.33 seconds – the 761 horses of the Porsche Taycan Turbo S and the 646 supplied by the Audi RS e-tron GT (with an additional 830nm of torque sent to all-wheel drive for a time of 3.3 seconds in 0-100) appear even moderate when, on the other hand, both German GTs show off powers comparable to the specialist super sports cars of Ferrari, McLaren and Lamborghini.
To update the universe of superlatives, the Lucid Air Dream Edition will soon contribute with its 1080 horsepower connected to all-wheel drive for 2 seconds flat expected in 0-100. Another imminent arrival from the over the top planet is the Lotus Evija; hi-tech jewel of 130 units and prices of 2.5 million euros with 2,000 horsepower and 1640 kg of weight to make it the lightest electrode supercar on the market. Japanese Aspar Owl built by Manifattura Automobili Torino which, albeit with 1900kg on the scale, promises a time of 1.7 seconds in 0-100 and optimized performance through aerodynamic principles taken from F1. The specimens are just 50 and the asking price for each, reaches 3 million euros.
Returning to earth, it is important to underline that most of the electric series cars belonging to the premium segment (therefore Tesla Model 3, X and S; Audi e-tron GT in RS version and not; all Porsche Taycan but also the Ford Mustang Mach -E) record times from zero to one hundred hours from 4 seconds down while the imposing four-ton physiognomy emerges from the opposite spectrum of the construction philosophy – and perhaps even more indicative of the excesses and numerical extremes linked to the development of EV vehicles – (4000kg!) Of the GMC Hummer EV which is scheduled to be marketed in 2023.
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