Electric cars are not all boxy grocery carts. Thanks to the well publicized Tesla much of the public no longer think of only golf carts and kid's sidewalk toys when electric cars are mentioned. The heart of the electric car, the motor is lighter and much more energy efficient than the equivalent internal combustion engine. The electric motor's uniquely flat torque curve provides great "off the line" performance accounts for these vehicles low zero to sixty times, the motor's wide power curve allows some vehicles, like the second generation Tesla to have no transmission.

Companion hub: surveying home brewed electric car conversions.

Here's the quick performance rundown for vehicles mentioned here, ranging from production & prototypes to one-off of race cars.

The first high performance electric car to make it big in the media. Unlike some alternate vehicle designs that attempt to reinvent the car from the ground up. The Tesla is built from a slightly enlarged Lotus Elise platform and assembles it at the Lotus factory in Hethel, England, The California based Tesla engineers are able to focus their innovative energies on the electric drive technology.

The early roaster 2 speed transmission was quickly replaced by a less troublesome single gear design, made possible by additional electronics tuning. Single gear cars allow their speedometer and tachometer to be integrated into a single gauge.

For 2010 the Roadster Sport version gets a gain in HP going from 248 to 288 HP, the 0-60 time has also improved to 3.7 seconds over last year's best 3.9 seconds. Top speed is still electronically limited to 125 mph (14,000 rpm) The Roadster Sport starts at $125,500, that's $19,500 over the standard Roadster price.

(The record holding electric motorcycle dragster driver Scotty Pollacheck drove the Roaster Sport to a 12.643 seconds 1/4 mile, a record for it's class.)

Brabus, the well know German sports car tuner has created a customized version to the Tesla, in this case there has been no tinkering under the hood, instead they have done a styling remake that replacing the softened Miata styling with more Lotus like race car looks, using customized wheels & tires, carbon fiber front and real spoilers, added rear air scoops, interior rework and decorative lights. One novelty is the pedestrian warning engine sound effects that respond to the accelerator, one can choose either a V8 or a space-Rod sound .

Tesla's second product, using the electric drive technology developed for the roaster, The Tesla Model S Sedan can carry five adults and two children, and do 0-60 mph in 5.6 seconds (without the whole family aboard) and a planned sport version should do 0-60 < 5 secs, it has a top speed of 120 mph. The sedan has a range up to 300 miles, You can charge it from any outlet, there's also a 45-minute Quick Charge system being developed. Tesla is taking reservations now (October 2009), delivery starts in 2011, with a base price of $49,900 (after federal rebate).

The electric car design affords more cargo space than most sedans, include space under the hood. Tesla says: "Rear seats fold flat, and the hatch gives way to a roomy opening, so you can stow a mountain bike, 50-inch flat-screen TV, full drum set or futon frame"

Looking like it should be delivering bread on the narrow streets of some Italian village, this tiny vehicle may be the ultimate traffic signal sleeper, called "The world's fastest urban car" by the designer, it has beaten a Ford Cobra and the better known Tesla, doing the quarter mile in 12.5 seconds and 0-60 in 4 seconds. Being equipped with two motors delivering 1,000 ft-lbs of torque helps achieve this scary performance.

Conceived first as a traffic congestion solution, the 39" wide, 5" narrower than some motorcycles like the Honda Goldstar, the Tango may be driven two to a "split" lane in a few states, like California and in most of Europe effectively doubling the capacity for solo drivers. There's actually room for 2 tall people, with the passenger straddling behind the driver toboggan style.

Though the skinny vehicle looks like it would blow over in a strong wind, the designer explains that it's 2000 lbs. of batteries under the floor gives it a center of gravity 12 1/2 inches above the ground, gives the Tango a rollover threshold similar to a Porscha 911. It must feel like riding on the roof of a race car.

Using older technology lead-acid batteries gives a 60 mile range, adequate for the majority of commuters. More expensive lithium ion batteries yield a 150 mile range. Being equipped with 4 wheels doesn't allow the Tango to avoid federal safety standards as some of the 3 wheel (motorcycle class) alternate energy vehicles do, for now it is sold as a kit car, federal safety certification will require some modifications, including airbags and about $50 million in cost. The designer suggests to his safety cage and 4 point safety harness design is tested every weekend by similarly equipped stock car racers.

One of the first customers, George Clooney probably keeps his $100,000 Tango at his Italian Villa. Like the Tesla, the Tango's world class performance attracts the press attention essential for a successful product, sufficient sales or investment will allow a larger volume, basic transportation, single motor version to be offered at a reasonable price.

Another electric sports car design, like the Tesla, built on a Lotus platform, the Europa. Boasting a 268 Hp motor yielding a 4.7 second 0-60 time with a 13 sec quarter mile. The Circuit will have an estimated 150 mile range. Targeted for 2011 a delivery, with an estimated price of $85,000.

UPDATE: Part of the new owner Fiat's model line revision is a scaling back of the Chrysler electric car program. Once promising the government 500,000 electric cars on the street by 2013, the Circuit EV as well as the rest of the electric program has been canned as of Nov 2010. Citing immature car battery technology, Fiat anticipates 60,000 electrics in 2013. Looks like Fiat may be fulfilling the emission quota with semi zero emission Fiat imports.

The Car & Driver test hilites some of the drive-ability advantages of pure electrics over hybrids.

Called "The first production electric super car", the Venturi Fetish is the most expensive offering of the group, going for 297,000 Euros. Giving 0 to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds with a top speed of 105 mph performance. The made in Monoco vehicle uses race car technology including carbon fiber on Aluminum Monocoque construction. Specs include a 180kw, 220Nm torque motor, powered by 248 kg of LIV-7 batteries giving a 200 mile range.

The Fetish is built to order, with a 4 month waiting period, it comes with a 2 yr guarantee.

Another announced but not as yet delivered electric sports car. The Lightning (From Lighting Company uk) does 0-60 in "sub 5.0" Secs, using 500+ bhp motor power, with speed electronically limited to 130 mph. Using the Hi-Pa Drive™ from Protean Electric Ltd., consisting of pancake electric motors inside the wheels, separate wheel motors allow more precise traction control and degenerative braking.

The maker's hilites include the use of NanoSafe™ batteries that use nano titanate materials instead of graphite which makes them far more thermally stable - in contrast to the old lead acid battery,  there are no toxics or heavy metals used in these  batteries.

Orders for 2010 delivery of the hand crafted car are being taken, sale price is expected to be about $200,000.

A prototype - concept car, and a test platform the X1 is not designed for production.

The 1536 lb vehicle based on an Ariel Atom sports car, does 0-60 in 3 seconds and is computed to be capable of 170 mph (chickens) it uses a 3-phase AC induction motor and inverter delivering 236hp & 182 ft lbs torque at the motor shaft, flat from 0 rpm to 6,000 rpm, there's a 13,300 rpm rev limit

Energy consumption 200 WHr/mile in urban use, equivalent to 170 mpg (33,705 WHr/gallon)

Some other performance specs:

• 0-60 mph: 3.07 sec in 117 ft
• 0-100 mph: 6.87 sec
• 0-100-0 mph 11.2 sec
• Lateral g: 1.3
• Braking g: 1.2
• Range >100 miles in urban use

The design of this 17 ft, 5,300 lb, 8 wheel monstrosity looks like something from a school kid's doodle book, but it does deliver. The designer Professor Hiroshi Shimizu of Keio University in Tokyo choose 8 wheel probably because of the propulsion system employing, a separate motor at each wheel, in this case 80 HP at each wheel, for a total of 640 HP.

With a design goal speed of 250 mph, which would make it the record fastest street legal car, the Eliica's best speed achieved (in 2004) was 230 mph. While the acceleration optimized platform does 0 to 60 in 4 seconds. The vehicle has a 180 mile range.

A predecessor of the Eliica, the 6556 lb, 22 foot long KAZ limousine, a product of a $4 million, 5 year program achieved a record top speed of 193 miles per hour. The vehicle batteries had a 180 mile range.

The developers had intended to bring the car to the market, at a price of about $255,000, if commercial funding could be secured. The latest project for the team is an electric shuttle bus fleet for japan, the flat floor design used in the Eliica's is ideal for adaptation to public transportation, the bus designs, using a 120kW lithium ion battery, are projected by the developers to provide a 93-mile range, sufficient for the average 75 mile Tokyo route.

At the time of development (about 2004) , the Eliica's 320 large prototype Li Ion batteries cost 20 million yen / $171,000. The battery demands of hybrid and electric cars going into mass productions will drive down Lithium Ion battery cost, though industry estimate the initial cost of the 16kW Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid batteries at $16,000 - $20,000.

As a demonstration of the capabilities of the Hi-Pa Drive™ from Protean Electric Ltd., this monster electric Mini was created. Using four 160 horsepower electric motors; one for each wheel, the motors also provide all the braking force (the motors combined weight is 1/2 of the original 100HP gas engine's), this 640 HP Mini does 0 to 60 in reported 3.7 to 4.5 seconds and has a top speed of 150 mph. It's all-electric range of 200-250 miles qualifies it as an electric performance car, though the design does include a 33 lb. 250cc 2 cylinder 4 stroke gasoline 15kW at 7000rpm generator that kicks in for extended distance.

Again the Hi-Pa Drives are flat printed armature motors integrated with the wheel that provide individual wheel traction control as well as regenerative braking. The Hi-Pa Drive is also used in the The Lightning GT described above. The Elica and KAZ used their own motor per wheel design.

Hopefullly the Mission One team won't mind the Tesla reference, since a former Tesla engineer is part of the Mission team.

After breaking the Bonneville speed record for it's class, averaging 150.059-mph over two 2 mile runs, reaching top speeds of 161-mph, the Mission One is now officially "The Fastest Street Legal Electric Motorcycle" Advance order deposits are being taken for 2010 production run of 50 bikes, at a price of $68,995.

Sharing some Tesla like design elements including a Lithium-Ion battery driven 3-phase AC Induction motor driving a transmission-less single speed drive train and regenerative braking,. The motor's 100 lb-ft torque over 0 to 6,500 rpm allows it to pull a power wheelie at 70mph, .

The Mission One also came in fourth behind purpose built racers in the all electric bike Isle of Man race.

The remarkable quick performance of this home brew conversion called White Zombie merritts it's mention in this list.

Another candidate for ultimate sleeper (sans stickers), this beat up looking import can blow away nearly everything on the street. It has accomplished on the track a 11.96 sec 110 MPH 1/4 mile using lead-acid batteries. Using borrowed lithium Ion batteries shaved off 700 lbs of weight and dropped the best 1/4 mile to 11.466 sec, 114.08 mph.

Scotty Pollacheck's (Bill Dubé owner) Record Electric Motorcycle 1/4 mile run.

It's 500 hp motor drives from 0 to 60 mph in under 1 second!

• Motor: Two DC series motors @ 87 lbs (40 kg) each.
  
• Batteries: 200 lbs (90 kg),  374 Volts, 9.1 kWh capacity. The lithium iron nano-phosphate™ cells powering the bike can also be found in DeWalt cordless hand tools.
• Electricity consumption: 0.6 kWh, worth $0.07 for each run (equiv. 2 oz gasoline)
  
• Total weight of the bike: 653 lbs (296 kg)

Scott's comment, in part regarding the crash in the parking lot:

First off, I'm just a bit scraped up. Embarrassed of course. I had not intended the bike to move in the soapy water, just spin the tire. Yes, I am an idiot for not wearing a helmet.