Posted by FTShop Team on 1/11/2017 to
For the cars lover, Forget fossil fuels – the coolest cars are all running purely on mains power. Each one is guaranteed to get you ready to say goodbye to the petrol station forever – and some are closer to reality than you think.
The Best New Electric Cars to get Excited about in 2017
FARADAY FUTURE FF91
If this sultry SUV actually makes it into production, we might just have a new entry for the list of fastest production cars.
Faraday reckons there FF91 can hit 0-60 in an eye-watering 2.37 seconds – soundly beating Tesla’s Ludicrous Model S (and pretty much everything else on four wheels).
It’s jam-packed with autonomous tech inside, too, so it’ll self park, stay in lane, cruise on motorways and even open its doors by recognising your face.
Faraday is in pre-production right now, with US$5000 deposits able to secure your place in line, but the company isn’t in the best of health, with board members jumping ship at an alarming pace. Hopefully it gets its act together long enough for us to get behind the wheel.
VOLKSWAGON I.D.
The car the Stuff team are most likely to be able to afford, but that’s not the only reason to get excited about the VW I.D.
Instead of taking the Golf and sticking a boot-load of batteries in the back, the I.D. is a completely new platform, designed from the ground up to use an electric motor – and to have autonomous driving built-in as standard.
Even better, you can test-drive one right now – before a single car has even left the factory. VW has created a virtual reality experience showing off what to expect when the ID eventually goes into production in 2019.
TESLA MODEL 3
As if we could have written this list and not included a Tesla on it.
The Model S is still setting speed records, thanks to a slew of software updates and an Insane Mode that can propel you to 60mph in a mere 2.4 seconds, and the Model X is a frickin’ SUV with gull-wing doors!
We’re not talking about either of those today, though. We’re far more excited about the Model 3. It’s supposed to be the “affordable” Tesla, and while it’ll still put quite the dent in your wallet, it won’t do anywhere near as much damage as a £75,000 Model S.
The Model 3 should start at roughly half that price, and it won’t boast the same ludicrous acceleration, either. It’ll still pack in Tesla’s incredible battery tech, though – meaning you’ll be able to go for hundreds of miles between charges. Nothing else comes close right now, and we reckon Tesla will still have better range than its rivals when the Model 3 eventually arrives in early 2018.
NEXTEV NIO EP9
The NIO is all about insane numbers. Let’s throw a few out there, shall we? One megawatt of power – or 1341bhp. 194mph top speed.
Forget 0-60 times – the EP9 will go from a standstill to 124mph in 7.1 seconds. Your average four seater saloon will have barely reached half that speed in the same time. That needs four inboard motors, one to power each wheel, each with their own individual gearbox.
It holds the all-electric lap record at the Nurburgring, with an incredible 7:05.120. It is, quite simply, a beast – a sign of things to come for motor racing, perhaps, and potential for road cars in 20 years.
Oh, and one more eye-watering number for you: $1.2 million. That’s how much each of the six cars will cost when they roll off the production line. Expect to see Grand Tour and Top Gear presenters fawning over one in the next year or two.
The Best New Electric Cars to get Excited about in 2017 // Florida Tobacco shop
