THE OTHER ELECTRIC HYPERCARS THE LOTUS MUST BEAT (IF THEY ARE MADE)

RIMAC C_TWO

Production of the Concept Two is scheduled to start next year and Rimac, the Croatian company now into its second model, says its build slots are all sold. The C_two is an 1888bhp car with a 120kwh battery and four electric motors.

Rimac says it will make 150, at £1 .5m each. The car maker made eight Concept Ones, the 1200bhp four-wheel-drive hypercar which is part-owned by Porsche. It is also a supplier of electrical and hybrid systems to other firms (including Pininfarina).

PININFARINA BATTISTA

When we say that Rimac is a supplier to other car makers, enter Pininfarina, for which Rimac is both a supplier and a rival. ‘Frenemies’, as they put it. The Battista shares 40-50% of “pure technical components” with the Concept Two, but Pininfarina says the tuning “all comes from us and is very different”. The Battista is set to have the same 1888bhp as the Concept Two, and Pininfarina is also targeting 150 sales, with 30 deposits already received.

The Mahindra-owned company plans three more EVS over the next three years, with the ultimate ambition of making 8000-10,000 cars.

ARIEL HIPERCAR

Ariel’s upcoming Hipercar is still in development and takes a slightly different route. It’ll have a smaller battery, of 50-60kwh, which will be good for 100-plus miles of electric range, but also features a turbine range extender, which will produce enough power to keep the batteries alive in fast road driving. Driving on a circuit will deplete them, after which it will need a charge. Ariel is aiming for lightness and a lower top speed, reckoning you can’t do more than 160mph on most tracks anyway, and a lower price – perhaps a tenth of the other cars mentioned here.