EV Performance is Not an Oxymoron

Nov. 17 - At the end of September, Chrysler announced their intent to produce a plug-in electric vehicle for the 2010 model year. With the announcement, the company showed three contenders for production. One of these was a two-seat sports car, simply named the Dodge EV.

Powered by a 268 horsepower electric motor, the car is also capable of generating 480 lb-ft of torque instantly. That level of torque output can accelerate the Dodge EV to 60 mph in less than five seconds, with quarter-mile times of 13 seconds.

Last Friday, Chrysler, in conjunction with the Los Angeles Times, put on a little show at the Rose Bowl Stadium, where they pitted the Dodge EV against a HEMI Challenger SRT-8 in a couple of inpromptu drag runs. By comparison, the SRT-8 is rated for 425 horsepower and 420 ft-lb of torque.

While we don't know the weight of the Dodge EV, the Challenger is a little over 4000 pounds and in every run, the little EV blew the doors off its competition, and by several car lengths. The reason for this is how electric motors develop torque, delivering it instantaneously rather than as a function of engine speed.

It may take some changing of perceptions, but there could be some interesting times ahead for those that embrace "green performance."