The jury is still out on whether electric power is going to take over motorsport, but some people think it's more a matter of "when" rather than "if." However, unless the authorities ban burning gas for fun, battery-powered cars would have to become competitive against ICE-powered ones before that happens.
Performance-wise, that shouldn't be a problem. The Tesla Roadster II prototype is only a reminder of what electric motors can deliver, with other vehicles such as the Rimac Concept_One or the NIO EP9 having already made the headlines, only with slightly less fanfare (that's despite the latter setting a new EV record on the Nordschleife).
In the meantime, we have an ongoing electric championship, the FIA Formula E, which has already reached its fifth season and is guaranteed to go on for at least two more, and now a new one is set to debut. The Electric GT Championship has been announced almost two years ago and should have made its debut this year, but it seems preparations took a little more than predicted.
The series' highlight for most is that it's going to use only Tesla Model S electric sedans, fulfilling a lot of people's dream of seeing the fast-accelerating EV on a race track. The cars, however, have received extensive modifications to help them cope with the requirements of a race and also enhance the safety of the driver.
They were supposed to use the old 85+ version, the most powerful rear-wheel-drive model available at the time. The organizers later decided to switch to the more powerful P100D, which was probably what caused the delay. The Electric GT Model S (or EGT Tesla 2.0, as they call it) would put a standard P100D to shame.
It can accelerate to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 2.1 seconds thanks to some drops in weight, but also the Pirelli P Zero slick tires. The car's range drops to 90 miles (around 145 km) under race conditions, which is enough to complete a race without having to recharge (or swap cars as they do in Formula E).
The video below shows the EGT Tesla 2.0 lapping the Pau Arnos circuit in France, with a standard P100D joining it later on. Eight races throughout Europe have already been confirmed for the next season which should (really) debut next year. Keep an eye out for the world's first Tesla-powered racing championship.
"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie) Full profile
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