If there’s one thing that the electric car revolution has brought to the world, it’s the democratization of performance. Regular family sedans are now capable of delivering the kinds of speeds previously only reached by seven-figure hypercars. You can daily drive something with 1,000 horsepower and a sub-two-second 0-60 time that doesn’t cost a million dollars or require a firesuit. That’s pretty cool, isn’t it? There are even a few somewhat affordable models that make driving an EV kind of fun. I’m thinking Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally or Hyundai Ioniq 5 N here.
There are a few options, but the world probably needs more. We like choice around here, so if you were in charge of an automaker, which performance-oriented EV would you make happen? Which EV in your lineup would you give a power boost, maybe something fun like a gear shifter, and a track-focused suspension setup?
Personally, I think the current Mini Cooper SE needs a more performance-oriented proper John Cooper Works GP track-ready iteration. The most recent gasoline-powered JCW GP came with all kinds of trick modifications, and I want to see that translate to the EV version of the Mini as well. Making the Cooper SE JCW GP would probably come with scads of carbon fiber, a bunch of downforce-inducing aero, and at least 300 horsepower. In keeping with the JCW GP ethos, my electric version would also be a two-seater with a suspension bar tying together the upper strut mounts. So where would I get the electric motor for such a machine? The current BMW i4 eDrive40 has a 335 horsepower motor that would probably be perfect.
So what’s your call? Do you think Subaru should build a Solterra STi? What about a Dodge Charger EV SRT, or a Tesla Model 3 Plaid?