The Obsession with Performance: What's Next—Teleportation?

With the advent of the electric motor, common sense would finally prevail in the auto industry—or so it was once widely reported. That was a persistent misconception; in fact, the exact opposite has happened: Electric propulsion opens up possibilities for automakers that they never even dared to dream of before. While a massive increase in drive power still requires more expensive parts—such as high-quality and complex chassis components—it’s no longer a challenge to reliably achieve high horsepower with an electric motor.

Instead of developing electric cars that are as environmentally friendly as possible, carmakers are currently outdoing one another with ever-larger batteries, ever-higher power ratings, and acceleration figures that are breathtaking even on paper. The industry’s old horsepower arms race has been reignited by electrification and is reaching proportions that were unimaginable just a few years ago.

On the Drag Strip in a Family SUV

A good example of this new obsession with performance is the new Tesla Model X Plaid, a seven-seat family SUV with up to 2,614 liters of trunk space. But the moment you press the accelerator, all hell breaks loose: This five-meter-long American behemoth, weighing just under 2.6 metric tons when empty, surges forward with such ferocity—thanks to its system output of 750 kW/1,020 PS—that it pushes your insides right up against your spine. Zero to 100 in 2.6 seconds—just a few years ago, even the world’s most expensive hypercars could barely achieve such figures.

Numerous other models, too, are now pushing the boundaries of what was considered feasible just a few years ago. In Overboost mode, the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT delivers a system output of 815 kW/1,108 PS and a maximum torque of 1,340 Nm. This allows the four-door, two-seater to accelerate to 100 in 2.3 seconds, leaving the new Porsche 911 Turbo S far behind. Even faster is the Lucid Air Sapphire from the U.S.—with over 1,200 PS, this luxurious sports sedan breaks the 2-second barrier to reach 100 km/h. Absolutely insane.

Hardly bearable anymore

But there’s more: The Croatian hypercar Rimac Nevera, which generates a system output of 1,407 kW/1,914 PS with four electric motors, accelerates from a standstill to 100 in 1.85 seconds. The experimental McMurtry Spéirling Pure shows just how far this technology can go, accelerating to 100 in under 1.5 seconds. What’s next—teleportation?

Meanwhile, the Yangwang U9 X is rolling out of China; with its four electric motors, it generates a system output of 2,167 kW—that’s nearly 3,000 PS! But this model from the BYD subsidiary isn’t just impressively powerful—it’s also incredibly fast: On the high-speed oval in Papenburg, northern Germany, the model reached a top speed of 496.22 km/h, shattering the previous record for production vehicles held by the French Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ with its internal combustion engine.

Performance is nothing without control

Of course, it’s fascinating to see the possibilities offered by electric drivetrains. Insane power controlled by software, mind-blowing acceleration with just a few lines of code—it’s easy to see why this is so appealing to automakers. However, this requires large batteries and a high on-board voltage, as these are crucial to the performance of electric motors. These massive batteries are very heavy, which in turn requires more power to achieve good driving performance despite the high weight. It’s a vicious cycle.

Since these heavy batteries are mounted flat in the vehicle floor, the center of gravity of electric vehicles is very low. This allows even these heavyweights to move with agility—partly because the driving force of electric cars, which often have multiple motors, can be distributed continuously from axle to axle and from wheel to wheel. But the large batteries aren’t just very heavy—they’re also very expensive. Together with the more expensive chassis components needed to safely transfer that enormous power to the road and keep it under control, they continue to drive up the prices of electric cars. So much for sustainable and affordable! And as sales figures show, customers are currently willing to pay a premium for more power. And that’s why the electric power spiral will continue to spin.