A traditional sports car is a lot like the barfly at your local pub – it consumes a hell of a lot more, and is a lot louder than pretty much anything within a one kilometre radius.
Unlike a boisterous drunk, those two attributes have traditionally been celebrated in sports cars, being viewed as signs of a hungry, powerful engine that elevates the vehicle above other, lesser cars that are designed to merely get you places in a sensible, measured (also known as dull) fashion.
Although there’s not a whole lot about sports cars that you could call sensible or measured, many are about to become more environmentally friendly by ditching the gas-guzzling engines of old in favour of electric motors and powerful batteries.
Since sports cars are ostensibly ‘performance cars’ – built for speed, excellent handling and maximum thrills, rather than getting you to the shops and back – they require a whole lot of power, and electric battery technology has finally developed to the point where it can rival, and often outperform, internal-combustion engines. Elon Musk and his Tesla brand, in particular, seem to have made it their goal to embarrass ICE sports cars out of existence with their performance times.
While the EV market has a swathe of exciting models set to land in the near future, including the Rivian R1T electric ute, the Faraday Future FF 91 luxury sedan and Tesla’s much-hyped Cybertruck, the sports car segment is also seeing an influx of innovative, boundary-pushing sporty electric cars.
Hydrogen-powered sports cars are also in the works, including Hyundai’s Vision FX, a prototype with battery and electronics systems supplied by Rimac that has a 500kW fuel cell system and the ability to go from zero to100km/h in less than four seconds.
In a sign of the times, Italian sports car giants Ferrari and Lamborghini have also both announced forthcoming electric models, although we’ll be waiting until at least 2025 to see what those high-powered beasts will look like.
Best electric sports cars
Porsche Taycan
Price: From $156,300 plus on-road costs
Introduced in 2019, this EV sedan from Porsche actually outsold the brand’s flagship 911 model in the first three-quarters of 2021, signifying a huge shift for the iconic German car manufacturer. The rear-wheel-drive version can hit 100km/h from a standstill in 5.4 seconds, and has a top speed of 230km/h. The range-topping Turbo S model, at $345,800, can hit 100km/h in an incredible 2.8 seconds.
Audi e-tron GT
Price: TBC
Due in early 2022, this electric sports car from Audi is a low-slung four-door coupe, the base model coming with 350kW of power and 630Nm of torque. The e-tron GT sprints from zero to 100km/h in just 3.3 seconds, making it Audi’s fastest four-door ever.
Lotus Evija
Price: $2.9 million
Dubbed a ‘hypercar’ – essentially a sports car on steroids – the Evija is the first all-electric performance car from British car brand Lotus. Boasting 1470kW of power, 1700Nm of torque, and a lightweight, carbon fibre monocoque chassis, the Evija can reach a top speed of 320km/h, and go from zero to 100km/h in under three seconds.
Aspark Owl
Price: $4.5 million
Although the humble owl isn’t exactly a bird you associate with achieving rapid speeds, the Owl hypercar from Japanese engineering firm Aspark claims to be the world’s fastest accelerating car. With 200Nm of torque, the ability to rocket from zero to 100km/h in 1.9 seconds and a top speed of 400km/h, we see no reason to doubt Aspark’s bold claim.
Rimac Nevera
Price: $3.2 million
Initially revealed by Croatian automotive manufacturer Rimac Automobili as the Rimac C_Two concept car in 2018, the exceptionally fast Nevera hypercar is powered by surface-mounted magnet motors over each wheel, producing a staggering 2360Nm of torque and a top speed of 412km/h.
Tesla Roadster
Price: $66,000 to reserve a spot on the waiting list, full price TBA
Being a man who likes to outdo himself every time he announces a new product, Musk has stated that a second-generation Tesla Roadster will go into production in 2023, setting new standards with a 0-100km/h time of 2.1 seconds, a top speed of 402km/h, 1000km of driving range and 10,000Nm of torque (plus optional rocket boosters, allegedly).
Mazda MX-5 EV
Price: TBC
Although no specific details have been made available, this sports car staple can look forward to an electric future thanks to Mazda’s announcement that it’ll have electrified models of every car in its range by 2030. With EV batteries being particularly heavy, it’ll be interesting to see how Mazda keeps the famous and much beloved MX-5 lithe and light.
Polestar 5
Price: TBC
Based upon the sleek Precept concept car, the Polestar 5 is a four-door electric GT that is set to go head-to-head with the Audi e-tron GT. Expected to be priced in excess of $250,000 and not due until 2024, the Polestar 5 will come with 600km-plus of electric range and will be constructed using sustainable materials, including fishing nets and recycled cork-based vinyl.
Keyword: The top 8 electric sports cars in the world