It's certainly an interesting time to be a car enthusiast. It seems like every other day, automakers announce that they'll be ditching their internal combustion engines and investing several millions of dollars (or more) in electrification. While some enthusiasts have accepted the EV tidal wave, plenty of them still hasn't. That won't stop EVs from taking over the world, however.
Electric cars may lack the excitement and the rawness of a gasoline engine, but they have proven to be very compelling cars. More and more cool ones are being pushed out, and in some cases, it gives the automakers an excuse to bring back some of their heritage models. In 2021, quite a few newcomers will be joining the EV space, and it's looking pretty good.
10 Alpha Ace
A newcomer to the EV scene, Alpha Motor Inc is a California startup company that, as well as manufacturing EVs, will also invest and research sustainable energy, which is quite important if we still want to live on this planet in the coming decades. The first EV that they revealed is the Ace, and it's fantastic.
It looks like every great classic compact car from the 60s and 70s crammed together into a modernized, electric package. The Ace rides on a skateboard platform and uses a single rear-mounted electric motor, though Alpha hasn't confirmed the size of the battery pack yet. The estimated range is around 250 miles, with a 6 second 0-60 time. The Performance Edition (pictured) adds some body upgrades, those glorious LeMans car wheels, and AWD, and nudges the 0-60 time down to just 4.6 seconds.
9 GMC Hummer EV (Pickup)
Thanks to the recession that kicked off in the late 2000s, General Motors was forced to kill off some of their subsidiaries, including Pontiac, Saab, and, to the huge dismay of platinum hit rappers all over the country, the Hummer. But now, Hummer is back, and it's taking an entirely new approach.
This time, Hummer is a sub-brand of GMC, so this "super-truck" is the GMC Hummer EV, and it's insane. It will be offered as a pickup truck initially, with an SUV model soon to follow. "Soon" in this case meaning in a couple of years' time. It rides on an all-new dedicated platform and uses GM's intriguing Ultium battery tech. The range is estimated at around 350 miles, and the Edition 1 cars, which are set to arrive in late 2021, will have 1,000 hp. Other insane features include the Crabwalk diagonal driving system, up to 18 different camera views for off-roading, and removable roof panels.
8 Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo
Aside from (inevitably) Tesla, no other electric car has caused a media stir quite like the Porsche Taycan, especially when it was revealed back in 2019. It's gorgeous, it's really, properly fast, the range is good, and it still feels like a Porsche to drive.
The record-breaking Taycan is already a pretty cool car, but Porsche decided to make it even cooler. They turned it into a lifted, slightly off-roading prepped station wagon. Is this the coolest EV of all time? Maybe. Other than the new body style and off-road equipment, the Taycan Cross Turismo is basically the same; up to 751 hp, insane acceleration, and a very high price.
7 Zeekr 001/Lynk & Co Zero
For those that don't know, Geely is a Chinese automotive holding group that has several different automotive subsidiaries, including Volvo, Lotus, and Lynk & Co. Lynk & Co is a rather interesting automotive brand looking to change the textbook definition of car ownership.
Not too long ago, Lynk & Co showed off a concept car called the Zero, and it was aimed squarely at the Tesla Model 3, while bearing a slight resemblance to the Jaguar I-Pace. The production version of the Zero concept now uses an all-new brand, despite having an identical design. The Zeekr 001 is built on the Sustainable Experience Architecture developed by Geely, and with the largest 110 kWh battery pack, the claimed range is around 434 miles, which is seriously impressive.
6 Tesla Model S (Facelift)
Obviously, you can't talk about the most exciting electric cars of the year without at least mentioning Tesla. Indeed, Tesla did give us something to be excited about this year; the facelifted Model S. This is the car's second facelift since its arrival in 2012, but this time, there are some pretty major changes.
You can't easily see the changes on the outside, aside from the new alloy wheel design and the black-accented door handles. We're still not entirely sure about the yoke steering wheel and the new center screen that you can use to play Cyberpunk 2077 on, but the biggest news about the new Model S is the new Plaid lineup. 1,020 hp, 0-60 in around 2 seconds, 200 mph top speed, and over 390 miles of range.
5 Audi e-tron GT
After a couple of years of hype and excitement, Audi is finally releasing their take on the Porsche Taycan this year; the e-tron GT. The car really is beautiful, and some would even argue that it's even better than the Porsche Taycan, although it is a little busier at the front and rear.
At launch, there will be two versions of the e-tron GT. The regular car has a 93.4 kWh battery pack (of which 84 are usable), as well as dual motors on either axle, for a total of 469 hp which can be temporarily boosted to 523. The RS model boosts that to a maximum of 637 hp, allowing for a 0-60 time of around 3.3 seconds. Both cars will do a claimed 264 miles of range.
4 Kia EV6
Although they're a bit late to the party, Kia has finally squared up and made a dedicated EV platform, as well as their first dedicated EV model; the EV6. It's a compact crossover (would you believe?) and it debuts a new design language for the brand.
Under the skin, the EV6 is available with either a 58 kWh battery pack, or a 77.4 kWh unit. The most powerful "GT" version of the EV6 has 585 peak hp from its dual motors. That gives it a 0-60 time of 3.5 seconds. Brave new world when a Kia is faster to 60 mph than a Porsche Carrera GT. The claimed range of the EV6 is around 316 miles, and it's coming straight for the Tesla Model Y and the Ford Mustang Mach E.
3 The Rivian Family
First announced in 2018, the Rivian family of models, the R1S and R1T, are definitely very exciting, a sentiment that quite a few major automakers seem to share. We're counting them as one as they have the same platform, basic exterior design (apart from the rear ends), same motors, and same battery, as well as the same tech inside.
Both the R1S and R1T have a quad motor setup, with a motor responsible for moving each wheel, allowing for impressive off-road capabilities as demonstrated many times by Rivian themselves. Three battery packs will be offered initially; 100 kWh, 135 kWh, and 180 kWh, with the most powerful version of both trucks brandishing 759 hp and a 0-60 time of around 3.0 seconds. They also both get air suspension as standard, which can alter the height of the vehicle by around 14" inches.
2 Pininfarina Battista
One of the first products to come out of a lot of automakers' cash investments into Rimac is the Pininfarina Battista. It's important to note that this Pininfarina is not the same one that designed basically every Ferrari model up until the early 2010s. This Pininfarina is based in Germany, though it does have its roots in the Pininfarina we all know and love.
That's why it stands to reason that this car is named after the founder of the amazing Italian design studio, Battista Farina. Underneath the gorgeous body is a quad electric motor setup borrowed from Rivian, with a 120 kWh battery pack. Peak power in the Battista is an Earth-shattering 1,877 hp, allowing for a 0-60 time of less than 2 seconds. Production will be limited to just 150 units worldwide.
1 Audi Q4 e-tron
Along with the e-tron GT, the other most hyped electric model in Audi's lineup is the Q4 e-tron. We've known about it for years now, but they've been steadily teasing details about the production car, and then revealing a bizarrely decorated prototype, sporting white, black and bright orange details.
The Q4 will slot between the Q3 and Q5 in Audi's lineup, but ICE powertrains will not be offered. The Q4 will be the first Audi model based on the VW Group's MEB platform, which also underpins the VW ID.3 and ID.4. It will also be available as a coupe-like Sportback version, and it's planned to be Audi's EV volume sales darling; it will be similarly priced as Audi's best-selling Q5.