EVs are slowly becoming more and popular, and with such an increase in general popularity, EV brands are starting to encompass many different car segments. Tesla started with just one sports car, nowadays Tesla sells 4 different models.
Manufacturers like Audi, VW, Mercedes, Jaguar were nowhere near mainstream EVs, but all of these brands offer multiple different EVs as part of their lineup today. Probably the very fastest EV right now is the Rimac C_Two or the Aspark Owl with a claimed 0-60mph time of 1.8/1.7 seconds.
The fastest electric sedan is the brand-new Tesla Model S Plaid edition. This variant of the Model S is supposedly capable of a sub 2 second 0-60mph time which is utterly insane for a 4-seater family car. The Porsche Taycan Turbo S manages a 0-60mph time of around 2.3 seconds at the very best-case scenario.
The fastest electric SUV on the market is the Tesla Model X with a 2.7 second 0-60mph time, and the soon-to-be-released Model X Plaid has a claimed 0-60mph of 2.5 seconds. These figures are unheard of when it comes SUVs, and it only shows the sheer brute force an electric engine possesses.
Fastest supercar/hypercar EVs
Fast, expensive, stylish, and exotic. Electric supercars and hypercars are slowly being rolled into production by many different newcomers and long-standing sports car manufacturers. Brands like Rimac, Aspark, Lotus, Pininfarina, Neo, and Tesla are all going to release their version of the definitive EV supercar.
Starting with Rimac and the now legendary Concept One, Mate Rimac, a Croatian entrepreneur started his EV venture in 2007 when he engine swapped a 1984 BMW 323i for an electric motor which later broke the Guinness world record for the fastest electric car on the planet. After the success of the Concept One, Rimac is now ready to release the C_Two.
The C_Two offers a new level of performance with a 1900horsepower electric powertrain, a 256mph top speed, and 2300 Nm of torque. The Pininfarina Batista also uses the same powertrain, and the Lotus Evija offers similar power, but it weighs in at 100kgs less than the Rimac, and the top speed is rated at above 215mph.
The Aspark Owl has the highest claimed 0-60mph time of 1.69 seconds, a 249mph top speed, and a limited run of 50 vehicles. It’s worth mentioning that Tesla is also planning to release the Tesla Roadster in a few years or so, and the Roadster should also do the 0-60mph sprint in less than 2 seconds.
Fastest electric sedans
Probably the most competitive EV segment at the moment is the electric sedan segment. Brands like Porsche, Audi, Mercedes, and Volvo are trying to compete with Tesla for the best electric sedan on the market.
But the fastest electric sedan out there is most definitely the Tesla Model S Plaid edition. A 1000hp electric sedan with 1.99 seconds claimed 0-60mph time and a top speed of 200mph makes it the fastest electric sedan ever to be produced.
The Porsche Taycan Turbo S can not match these numbers, but the Taycan Turbo S is no slouch. The Taycans peak power is rated at 761hp which is good for a 0-60mph time of 2.3 seconds and a top speed of around 160mph.
Audi has also recently joined the party with its stunningly looking Audi RS E-Tron GT. The E-Tron is based heavily on the Porsche Taycan, but it is not as powerful nor as fast as the Taycan. These three are the fastest and sportiest electric sedans on the market right now.
Fastest electric SUVs
Electric SUVs are probably the most impressive of them all. SUVs were never built to be fast or athletic, but Tesla sure does not think so. Besides the Model X, there are only a handful of other electric SUVs that can come close like the Faraday Future or the Rivian R1T/R1S.
The current Tesla Model X reaches 60mph from a standstill in under 3 seconds, 2.7 seconds is the highest legitimate 0-60mph time the Model X ever got. But the new Plaid Model X is set to push the electric SUV boundary even further with a ridiculous claimed 0-60mph time of 2.5 seconds. Not too shabby for something that looks like a blob.
The top-spec Faraday Future should produce around 1000hp, and Faraday says that the 0-60mph time might even drop to 2.2 seconds. These figures are still nowhere near confirmation, but with such power on tap, the Faraday is likely to end up in the 2-3 second region.
The Rivian R1T/R1S is also a really fast electric SUV. Rivian claims that this SUV is good for around 753 horsepower, which should, in theory, make the Rivian a 3 second 0-60mph car. All of these figures are amazing for an SUV, and if this is the future, we might need special driving licenses for such cars.
FAQ Section
What is the quickest accelerating internal combustion car?
ICE cars are not as capable as some electric cars are, and they probably never will be. Combustion engines are designed to offer peak power at a certain RPM range, which means that combustion engines need to spoil up for maximum power.
This means that ICE cars can not provide the initial punch an electric engine does, which means that we have more or less reached the peak 0-60mph times of internal combustion cars. And the fastest accelerating ICE cars on sale now are the Porsche 911 Turbo S and the Bugatti Chiron. Both of these reach 60mph in around 2.4-2.5 seconds.
How fast can electric cars get?
We are only at the beginning of the EV era, but the top speeds we are eventually going to achieve might not be good enough to match an ICE car. Even though ICE cars are not comparable when it comes to acceleration, but when it comes to top speed, EVs can’t match a good old dirty fossil fuel engine.
Electric engines still do not offer the top end like the Bugatti Chiron does for example. The Chiron reached 300mph a few years ago, and an EV is hardly ever going to match or surpass such speeds.
Are we ready for EVs?
Not really. EVs are getting better and better, and so does the infrastructure. But the levels of sophistication and ease of use are nowhere near an ICE car, especially so if you live in a country that is at the tail end of the EV revolution.
But for a few years, this might change. Until then we can enjoy ICE cars, and even though the 0-60mhp times are way slower, a 0-60mph time of under 3 seconds is not considered slow by any means.
