The whole point of the Tesla roadster is that it does not suffer from veggie burger syndrome; it’s designed for true driving enthusiasts.
As Sue Zesiger Callaway of Fortune points out though, the Tesla did not go far enough for Ian Wright, founder of Wrightspeed:
Wright, 51, an electrical engineer, was the first person hired at Tesla Motors. (The company’s $98,000 electric sports car, based on a Lotus and considerably slower than Wright’s X1 with a 0 to 60 of about four seconds, is due next spring.) For a year he oversaw engineering and vehicle development, but ultimately his vision of an electric performance car and Tesla’s were too different.“What Tesla has done so far is great — they’re selling energy efficiency,” Wright says. “What we’re doing is the next step: We’re selling performance and hoping to displace ten-mile-per-gallon vehicles — supercars first and eventually pickup trucks.”
Here’s how Wrightspeed describes its X1:
The X1 prototype is a concept car, and a test platform. It is not a production car, and never will be. It’s a proof-of-concept vehicle that will lead to a production car in the future.To build it as a prototype, we looked for the best of the best, in today’s technology. We chose the AC Propulsion 3-phase AC induction motor and inverter – the highest power/weight ratio system available; brilliantly engineered, and with about a decade of durability testing to date. For the chassis, we turned to Ariel, in Somerset. Simon Saunders, the designer of the Atom and the founder and CEO of Ariel, has created in our view one of the world’s most beautiful cars, as well as the quickest, lightest chassis on the road. To drive it is a revelation. Simon’s background is in automotive design, notably for Aston Martin and Porsche. The Atom chassis was substantially modified for the electric drivetrain, but retains the original styling.
The X1 prototype is just the beginning. It meets its design specs of 0-60 in 3 seconds, 170 mpg equivalent; and at 1536 lbs, is only 36 lbs over the design target of 1500. It really does raise the performance driving experience to a new level, even for racing drivers. No clutch, no shifting, precise and immediate control of torque in drive and braking, perfect traction control…first gear takes you to 112mph…
In recent track testing, on street tires, it achieved the following performance:
0-30 mph: 1.35 sec
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: 1.2The X1 production car will be better… much better.