Electric sports cars really don’t need 1,000 horsepower

Auto enthusiasm has become a numbers game and we have no one to blame but ourselves. We’ve been doomed to this fate since the first cars were given an objective comparison of statistics. The 0-60 test, the quarter mile run, the Nürburgring tour; each of them contributed to the downfall of fun cars. Everything is fast, but it is also heavy, laborious and boring. We are entering a new era of automotive technology as the transition to electric propulsion continues. We have the opportunity to leave behind the traps of fast-over-fun with gasoline.

It seems that every new electric sports coupe and sedan launched in recent years has been imbued with a high-powered engine. The things that made old-school minimalist sports cars great – relatively light weight, good steering, nimble corners, and level of driver-car communication – can still be delivered in the electric age. You might think I lost the plot with that last line, but listen to me. With a less powerful motor and a smaller battery, the car can be designed around smaller, lighter components.

For decades, sports car fanatics have prioritized weight loss, which is why this idea may seem incongruous. Design an electric vehicle around a set of 16-inch wheels instead of 21, however, and you start to see what I’m talking about. Less battery means you can use smaller brakes, smaller wheels, smaller tires, which means suspension components don’t have to be so tough. This philosophy, starting from scratch, can mean that a given car weighs hundreds of pounds less. This also means more efficient use of battery power and capacity.

I really like Porsche’s new Mission R concept, and I think the electric GT racing will be really cool in a few years once the technology sets in and everyone understands charging and batteries for a very intensive sport like racing, but I’m disappointed that Porsche felt the need to give the car 1070 horsepower. It will still drive great, because it’s Porsche, but a a small, lightweight EV would be infinitely better. I’ve driven all varieties of Taycan, and the rear-wheel drive with the smallest battery and lowest power output is by far my favorite, not least because the steering feels nicer without a motor powering the front wheels, and that is hundreds of pounds lighter than its big AWD battery brothers and sisters.

Porsche is not alone here. Tesla didn’t need to power the Plaid 1000, Lucid didn’t need to power the Air 1000, Lotus certainly didn’t need to power the Evija 2000. If we are just in an electric power war, what good is it? Anyone can throw thousands of pounds of battery and motor at this problem. The best solution is to use rare earths sparingly, go back to basics and create the MGB of the future, not the Porsche 917 of the future. There is room for both, but just one of them will be really fun to use on the street.

I drive a Nissan Leaf with a 24 kWh battery. It’s hardly a performance model as a five-seat, five-door hatchback that weighs in at 3,500 pounds, but it’s not exactly slow with 161 horsepower on board. I’m constantly thinking about what this drivetrain could do in a compact two-seater sports car with the mid-boat mounted engine powering the rear wheels like a Toyota MR2 or something. Cut another 500 pounds from the car into the bodywork and gubbins, set the engine to around 210 horsepower, and you have a potential winner in your hands. It’s basically the spec that Porsche built for the first Boxster (which I also own) and it’s crap fun. Wouldn’t it be even better with a lower center of gravity?

Using modern battery chemistry and the smaller, lighter engines that Nissan has already developed, I imagine something with around 100 miles of range and modern fast charging. The above-mentioned 89kWh battery in a Taycan can use the 800V architecture to charge from 5% to 80% in about 20 minutes. Now think about the additional charge advantages of a battery about 1/3 the size.

I don’t want a sports car to commute every day, although 100 miles of range will definitely do the trick for most Americans, I want it for a fun race on the right driving roads, this that I can easily accomplish with 100 miles of range. Even still, a nice walk on a Saturday would be great to hike 100 miles to a lunch spot, recharge during lunch, and bring your ass home. That’s what sports cars are for. They don’t need to develop 1,000 horsepower and sprint up to 60 horsepower in 2 seconds because where the hell are you going to use it?