The past ten years have been crazy for the automotive industry. Electric cars - which used to be seen only in science fiction movies - are now the hottest topic in the industry, with many experts claiming that they're the future. There are many reasons to love electric cars. They're eco-friendly, easy to maintain, and come with a certain "coolness" factor that many young people love.
However, one thing that has really sold electric cars - particularly to the purists who were once against them - is their raw power and face-bending acceleration. Since electric cars have no power lag, they're extremely quick off the line, making them a perfect weapon in a drag race. The following are ten electric cars that would obliterate any muscle car on a drag strip.
10 Tesla Model 3 Performance
Being the leading electric car manufacturer, it's no surprise that this list kicks off with a Tesla. Over the last few years, Tesla has single-handedly transformed the EV space, building electric cars that look great and perform exceptionally well.
The Tesla Model 3 has been one of the best-selling electric cars since its introduction in 2017, and one of the reasons behind its success is its speed. This four-door sedan goes from 0 to 60 mph in a McLaren-F1-matching 3.1 seconds and goes on to hit a top speed of 160 mph.
9 Lotus Evija
Lotus has been quiet over the last decade or so, but that's because they've been working hard on their flagship electric supercar - the Evija. Unveiled in 2019, the Evija has been developed purely for speed.
According to Lotus, the Evija will come with a 70 kWh battery pack powering four individual electric motors placed at each wheel. The motors combine to produce a whopping 1,970 horsepower and 1,254 pound-feet of torque, allowing the Evija to hit 60 mph in under 3 seconds. Lotus plans to make just 130 examples, with production set to begin in the next few months.
8 Nio EP9
Nio is one of the new EV manufacturers looking to steal a share of the rapidly-growing EV market, and it's easy to see why. Nio's flagship car - the EP9 - is not only a thing of beauty but also a really fast car - so fast that it earned the title of 'fastest production EV' in 2017 when it lapped the iconic Nürburgring in 6:45:09.
Like the Evija, the EP9 comes with four electric motors that collectively produce 1,341 horsepower. Though EP stands for 'Experimental Prototype,' Nio has already sold 16 examples of this beauty.
7 Tesla Model X Performance
No one expects a seven-seat, leather-lined, 2.5-tonne SUV to smash through to 60 mph in 2.6 seconds, but that's exactly what the Tesla Model X Performance can do. This incredible SUV can take on supercars less than half its weight and still win without breaking a sweat.
At the heart of the Model X Performance lives a 100 kWh battery pack sending power to two motors - one in the front and the other in the back. The icing on the cake is the car's gorgeous design that features unique falcon doors.
6 Lucid Air
Lucid Motors is best-known for supplying electric batteries to Formula E race cars, but now the company is building the vehicle that's expected to take on Tesla and its impressive lineup of EVs - the Air. The main thing attracting consumers to the Lucid Air is its aerodynamic shape and glassy canopy that makes it look more luxurious than a Tesla Model S.
On top of that, the air will be superfast, particularly in the Dream Edition that's expected to have 1080 horsepower. According to Lucid, the Dream Edition will be able to complete the quarter-mile in just 9.9 seconds.
5 Porsche Taycan Turbo S
Porsche is no stranger to making incredible cars, having dominated the automotive market for the last century with cars like the iconic 911. With the Taycan Turbo S, the German automaker shows that it's just as good at making EVs as it has been at making gas-powered cars.
The Taycan Turbo S cranks out 751 horsepower, allowing it to fly past the 60 mph mark in just 2.6 seconds before reaching a limited top speed of 162 mph. What makes the Turbo S an easy sell is that it has the same depth of engineering and engaging handling that other Porsche cars have.
4 Tesla Model S Performance
The Tesla Model S is one of the most luxurious electric cars on sale today, but that hasn't stopped it from being one of the fastest. This full-size four-door sedan weighs more than two tonnes but still needs just 2.3 seconds to hit 60 mph from a standstill.
All this is made possible by a 100 kWh battery sending power to two motors. In 2020, Tesla announced that it's launching a Plaid version of the Model S that will be much faster. The Plaid version will have three electric motors producing 1,100 horsepower, giving it a sub-two-second 0-60 mph time.
3 Faraday Future FF91
Not many have heard of the Chinese startup Faraday Future, but pictures of its upcoming FF91 crossover have been widely shared thanks to its gorgeous futuristic design. When Faraday announced the FF91 crossover at the 2017 CES in Las Vegas, they received 64,124 reservations within 36 hours despite having a flawed demonstration.
Other than its design, the thing that drew so many to the FF91 is its promised 0-60 mph time of around 2.2 seconds thanks to its trio of motors producing 1,035 horsepower.
2 Pininfarina Battista
If the name Pininfarina sounds familiar, that's because it belongs to the same renowned Italian coach builder that penned icons like the Ferrari F40. The founder of Pininfarina - Battista Farina - passed on more than five decades ago, but his legacy still lives on with the upcoming Pininfarina Battista electric hypercar.
Developed by Germany-based Automobili Pininfarina, the Battista will take just 2 seconds to reach 60 mph, thanks to four motors that combine to produce a shocking 1,877 horsepower. Pininfarina plans to make only 150 Battistas, each costing upwards of $2 million.
1 Rimac C_Two
Croatia-based EV manufacturer Rimac made history in 2013 when its first car - the Concept One - became the world's fastest accelerating EV. In 2018, the automaker announced that it would be making a successor to the Concept One that would be much faster.
Dubbed the C_Two, Rimac's new car will be powered by four electric motors producing a total of 1,888 horsepower. Rimac claims the C_Two will be the fastest accelerating car ever made, taking just 1.85 seconds to hit 60 mph. Rimac announced that it would be making 150 examples, all of which were sold out less than a month after its launch.