Beautiful, top-performing electric vehicles are here and more are on the horizon.
The Porche Mission-E electric vehicle will go into production in 2019 with a top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph) and an expected range of over 500 km (310 mi)…and looks extremely cool.
The quickest car in the world today is already an electric car – the Tesla Model S, with a 0-60 mph time of 2.5 seconds. The only other two cars that equalled this performance previously were the “LaFerrari and the Porsche 918 Spyder. However, it’s worth noting that the LaFerrari and the Porsche 918 Spyder were limited run, million dollar vehicles. While those cars are small two seaters with very little luggage space, the pure electric, all-wheel drive Model S P100D has four doors, seats up to 5 adults plus 2 children and has exceptional cargo capacity.” – Tesla press release.
The Tesla Roadster will be relaunched in 2020, with a top speed of 400 km/h (248 mph) and a total range of 1,000 kilometers (621 miles). When it launches, the Tesla Roadster will almost certainly be the quickest production vehicle on the planet with 0-60 acceleration time of 2.1 seconds.
Of course, the cars listed above are high priced, top-performance vehicles. The entry level Model S is $74,500 before federal and state tax credits. The 2020 Roadster will cost $200,000. The Porche Mission E will cost approximately $75,000 according to pre-launch information available.
E-Vehicles Version 3.0
However, looking ahead at the next class of electric vehicles, we see that the long-term trend of higher-quality, lower cost vehicles will emerge. The Tesla Model 3 has already gone into production in 2018 and deliveries have begun. The cost of this vehicle after federal tax credits is $27,500, with 15 states offering additional incentives ranging from $1,000 to $5,000.
There are safety features inherent to well-designed electric cars, such as Teslas, primarily their structural integrity originating in their compact engine structure and low center of gravity caused by the placement of batteries at the bottom of the car. Elon Musk claimed during production that the Model 3 will be the safest car in the class – overtaking the Volvo S60 – and shared this video on Twitter showing a side-impact crash test. Judge for yourself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prantu6RNgI
Electric cars have already achieved the milestones of better performance, safer crash performance and reduced fuel costs.
The only remaining hurdle which is soon to fall is the cost of the vehicle itself. With the Model 3, a purchaser in Colorado with state incentives would pay $22,500. Are electric cars a thing of the future or have they already arrived?
Graham Majorhart is the co-founder of Carby Box, the first way to become carbon neutral through Amazon.com.