Detroit Electric SP:01 - the world's fastest electric car

When we talk about fast electric cars, the only thing that come to mind are concepts by various car manufacturers. But if you look closely many of these supercars are in fact hybrids and not out-and-out electric cars. Of course no one will forget the Telsa roadster, which is currently the fastest one out there but now there is one more and it’s not from Telsa. Detroit Electric's SP:01 is touted to be the world’s fastest pure bred electric sports car. The company, Detroit Electric, has been around for a long time but the company had been dormant since 1939. It was only in 2007, after a joint venture China’s Youngman Automotive Group, that we saw Detroit Electric’s revival. One look at it and you realise that the SP:01 borrows heavily from the Lotus Elise and why not. Versions of the Elise have been used by many other manufacturers too. Each model gets a mid-mounted 201bhp churning electric motor. Detroit Electric claims that the 37kWh lithium-polymer battery gives a range of nearly 305 kms. It can go from a standstill to 100km/h in 3.7 seconds (similar to the Telsa Roadster) It takes close to four hours for a quick charge, while a charge from a household plug takes up to ten hours. The SP:01 will be offered with a four-speed gearbox as standard, and the company will also give customers the option of a five-speed manual or two-speed automatic. Detroit Electric has big plans for the future as the SP:01 is just the first of three high-performance electric cars that have been planned for launch by the end of 2014. Production of this car will be limited to 999 units and all will be built in Detroit at a new plant that will be capable of producing 2500 cars per year. Priced at Rs. 73 Lakhs (approximately), the Detroit Electric SP:01, truly is the future.