In 1837, a Scottish engineer by the name of Robert Davidson invented the world's first electric 'car'. It was big, clumsy, and only ran on rails - so it was more of a train.
Still, despite its history (they're almost as old as the internal combustion engine), we've been faffing around with electric cars for the better part of 150 years without getting it right.
Until now.
This is the Porsche Mission E - an all-electric sports concept.
Unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the Mission E is a declaration that even German sports car manufacturers are aware that electric is the future. Two electric motors pump 600 horsepower to all four wheels, propelling this Duracell machine from zero to 62 mph in 3.5 seconds - equivalent to a modern 911 Turbo.
It's not just about the speed though: with a 310-mile battery-only range, it can charge its batteries to 80 per cent capacity in 15 minutes without the need to plug it in (it's got an inductive charging system, so you just have to park over the induction plate in your garage and wait for the juice to flow).
It's yet to be seen if Porsche will enter the all-electric market currently dominated by Tesla - whose P90D Model S has a shorter range 300 miles, but hits 60 in 2.8 seconds.
Either way, Davidson would have been impressed with the concept. He'd just wonder what took them so long.
[Via: Forbes]
