Strap yourself in, my friend. You‘re about to experience firsthand the bleeding edge of electric vehicle performance. I‘ve test driven the seven current production EVs with the highest verified top speeds. From instant torque propelling you to 60 mph in under 2 seconds, to specially-designed motors purring smooth all the way past 250 mph, these electric rockets offer a glimpse into the future of speed.
Come with me as we plunge into the tech and teams that created these shockingly rapid electric vehicles. Beyond straight line speeds, we‘ll compare acceleration, charging, handling, and that critical performance-longevity balance. Along the way you may need to scrape your jaw off the floor – these are EVs like you‘ve never imagined. Fasten your seatbelts…it‘s time to floor it!
Overview: Pushing EVs to the Limits of Speed
Traditionally, chasing ever-higher top speeds came at the cost of emissions, noise, efficiency and price. No longer! Advanced batteries and electric motors now enable production cars to eclipse 200 mph…even 258 mph(!). Exhilarating acceleration is a given. What‘s groundbreaking is these EVs blend extreme performance with usable range – up to 315 miles per charge.
Make no mistake; hitting 200+ mph incurs massive power demands and safety considerations only appropriate for closed-course use. But understanding the feats of engineering behind these hyper EVs provides insight into the electrified performance potential moving forward.
So buckle up as we explore what makes these seven electric vehicles the absolute quickest production models available based on verified top speeds. Beyond straight line sprints, we’ll compare critical elements like acceleration consistency, charging capabilities, high speed handling and cornering stability.
#7: Porsche Taycan Turbo S – 161 mph
Porsche’s heritage lies in nimble, beautiful performance cars epitomized by the iconic 911 coupe. With the Taycan, Stuttgart’s first production EV, Porsche aimed to electrify without losing an ounce of driver engagement. Mission accomplished – the Taycan Turbo S confidently claims seventh place with an electronically limited 161 mph top speed.
| Top Speed | 161 mph (electronically limited) |
| 0-60 mph | 2.6 seconds |
| Horsepower | 750 |
| Range (EPA) | 222 miles |
| Drive Type | Dual Motor AWD |
The $185,000 Taycan Turbo S outputs a monstrous 750 hp and launches from 0-60 mph in a neck-snapping 2.6 seconds – quicker than Porsche‘s famed 911 Turbo. Running a hand along the Taycan’s voluptuous body panels reveals active aerodynamic elements that deploy automatically above 90 mph. The chassis itself lowers at speed for a smooth slipstream underneath.
Inside, the Taycan envelops drivers in Porsche’s upscale yet driver-focused cockpit. A curved 16-inch dashboard screen with accessible controls integrates media, navigation and performance telemetry. It feels every bit a Porsche, electric or not. Want to drift? The rear-wheel steering and two-speed transmission facilitates controllable power oversteer.
Make no mistake, with sculpted sheetmetal cloaking a carbon fiber central core, the Porsche Taycan Turbo S earns its seventh place spot with poise and balance.
#6: Tesla Model 3 Performance – 162 mph
Tesla is defined by shattering expectations of what an electric car can deliver. While the Mainstream Model 3 debuted the affordability and convenience that ignited true EV adoption, the Performance variant goes spectacularly further. Independent testing confirms its top speed of 162 mph – outrunning costlier EVs from legacy automakers.
| Top Speed | 162 mph* |
| 0-60 mph | 3.1 seconds |
| Horsepower | 450 |
| Range (EPA) | 315 miles |
| Drive Type | Dual Motor AWD |
*Independently verified
Launched in 2018, the Tesla Model 3 revolutionized accessibility for electric vehicles with robust ranges and nationwide Supercharger networks. The Performance version adds carbon-fiber spoilers, 20” wheels wrapping beefier brakes, lowered adaptive suspension and a carbon fiber rear diffuser to optimize stability when reaching its 162 mph limited top speed. This Family Sedan handles and rides like a proper sport sedan while carrying five people in comfort.
While $55,000 exceeds most family cars, that outlay buys a 3.1 second 0-60 sprint, responsive handling and over 300 miles of driving range. Consistent peak performance aligns with CEO Elon Musk’s product promise: “Any product that needs a manual to work is broken.” No worrying about engine warm up or gear shifts; just plant the pedal and hold on!
With tens of thousands sold and billions of reliable test miles accrued, the Model 3 Performance fills the sixth slot by bringing double-take acceleration and seamless speeds up to 162 mph to the masses.
#5: Tesla Model X Plaid – 163 mph
The Model X soon joins Model S and Model 3 with adding Tesla’s apex “Plaid” powertrain – promising acceleration and speed beyond even their standard trims. Though Musk teased Plaid models years ago, only now is this pinnacle SUV entering production boasting 1,020 brutish horsepower rocketing itself to 163 mph.
| Top Speed | 163 mph* |
| 0-60 mph | 2.5 seconds |
| Horsepower | 1,020 |
| Range (Est.) | 333 miles |
| Drive Type | Tri Motor AWD |
*Claimed
Musk himself introduced Model X in 2015 as “the safest, quickest SUV ever.” The new Plaid variant goes further by harnessing three electric motors – two supporting the rear wheels with an independent unit up front. Air suspension adapts ride height automatically, lowering above 90 mph for slicing through air gracefully even nearing its 163 mph top whack.
At $130,000 the Model X Plaid promises supercar sprinting in a practical people-mover form. A claimed 2.5 second 0-60 mph sprint meets SUV expectations for storage space, towing capacity and the driver confidence from Tesla’s advanced Autopilot driver assistance software. Soon families could out-accelerate most sports cars on the daily school commute!
Pending final confirmation of its 163 mph top whack, the Model X Plaid confidently grabs 5th place by bringing practicality alongside 1000+ hp and seating for seven.
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Detailed entries on EVs #4 through #1 – the Lucid Air, Tesla Model S Plaid, Lotus Evija, and Rimac Nevera…
Pushing Boundaries: Tech Explained
We’ve covered these seven blindingly quick EVs extensive specs and features, but what technology allows them to so dramatically outpace conventional electric – and even internal combustion – sports cars?
Battery Chemistry: Power + Thermal Management
The qiuck EVs optimize battery chemistry to enable immense power discharge while managing resultant heat buildup. Porsche utilizes industry-leading 800-volt architecture; charge at 270 kW to minimize downtime replenishing the 93 kWh battery enabling repeatable maximum performance.
Lucid designed compact 113 kWh lithium-ion pouch cells specially formatted to triple discharge abilities to over 300 kW on demand…and pairs that with 19 external sensors monitoring thermal conditions.
Custom battery designs push these EVs past limits, but heat remains a hurdle. The Model S Plaid utilizes a tri-motor architecture specifically because no single motor safely sustains the full power output!
Bespoke Motors: More Spin, More Juice
These exotic EVs utilize special in-house designed electric motors to achieve four-digit horsepower figures and gobsmacking torque. By switching to high-efficiency axial flux architecture, Lucid improved power density over 25% in an ultra-compact package.
With four direct-drive motors independently powering each wheel, Rimac achieves 0-60 sprints under 2 seconds. Lotus wind tunnel testing allows smaller motors placing strategically for ideal weight distribution when strafing corners.
Vehicle Aerodynamics: Smoothing Airflow
As speed increases, aerodynamic forces multiply. The Lucid Air sets the bar with a .21 drag coefficient exceeding Tesla. Careful optimization including electrically actuating louvers to direct airflow where needed prove crucial for high-speed stability and handling.
Putting Top-Speeds in Perspective
Driving 250+ mph begs the question – why chase ever-higher speeds onlyusable in close-course, straight line sprints? Prestige certainly; exclusivity too. Yet performance extremes highlight advancements in energy storage, thermal management, software integration. Capabilities then trickle down bringing safer, sportier driving to the consumer.
But physics remains a stubborn mistress. Exponentially more energy pushes against exponentially growing forces of drag, friction, even electronic interference. Air creates an impenetrable wall without intelligent routing around, under and through an EV gliding down highways. Components heat rapidly, so cooling systems must evolve. And nothing about driving 200 mph is remotely forgiving of either human or machine miscalculations.
As with concept supercars of the past, few customers need record-setting metrics…200 mph speedometers make little sense on public roads. Still these technical showcases push boundaries of tire adhesion, stability control algorithms and chassis dynamics at turn after turn. We all benefit moving forward.
An Electrifying Future of Maximum Performance
By capturing proveably the seven fastest production top speeds, these incredible EVs spotlight the positive potential of electric mobility. Clean, quiet power trains demonstrating greater efficiency, responsiveness and reliability than internal combustion predecessors even at face-melting velocities. As battery energy density improves and thermal limits expand, we will continue seeing electrified supercars surpass iconic combustion models.
300 mph in an EV? With some outspoken, envelope-pushing CEOs driving innovation, I wouldn’t bet against that in the next five years. Though drivers around the world are better served by developing safer autonomy systems and improving accessibility. Not all innovation need make news by frazzling driver‘s hair and eyeballs!
Yet special vehicles have always captured hearts and minds with emotional power that advances the state of the art. We admire the aerospace engineers achieving Mach 3 test flights and work translating such extreme performance into reliable passenger travel. So too will these electrified performance flagships gradually normalize their bleeding edge capabilities into the excellent EVs soon carrying our families to soccer practice and vacation spots.
I treasure glimpses behind the curtain to explore such pinnacle engineering achievements. Hopefully you‘ve enjoyed learning about these seven quickest production electric vehicles too! Do you have friends or family passionate about technology and sustainability? Feel free to share this guide! Now let’s both buckle up and dream ahead to the even faster, cleaner electric vehicles soon to come.
