This new two-seater from Detroit Electric not only revives an historic brand name but it also claims to be the fastest pure-electric production car on the US market.
Likely to fill the void left by the departed Tesla Roadster, the Detroit Electric SP:01 is based on the Lotus Exige. Its lightweight carbon fibre bodywork and aluminium chassis keep its weight to the bare minimum.
This allows it to screech from 0-100km/h in just 3.7 seconds and reach a top speed of 249km/h despite its rather measly-sounding outputs of 150kW and 225Nm.
INSTANT TWISTING FORCE
To churn out instantaneous torque, the SP:01's powertrain creates an electromagnetic field around the rotor shaft, which then spins at varying speeds to drive the wheels. Given these typically electric characteristics, there is little need to change gears regularly but this car does allow drivers to choose between four ratios when ballsy acceleration is desired.
The SP:01 is said to take just four-and-a-half hours to charge and its maker claims a range of 306km between charges, although this was tested on the unrealistic NECD cycle.
Detroit Electric plans to build just 999 of the two-seaters at its factory in Detroit, with production kicking off in August this year.
The cars will be sold worldwide through a network of specialist retail partners. In the US, it will carry a price tag of $135 000, which equates to R1.24-million.
The Detroit Electric revival is far more than a flash in the pan; the company promises that a diverse family of high-performance electric vehicles is on the horizon.