Five EVs you should be excited about: Driven News

Electric vehicles (EVs) are no longer an obscure niche, they're now fast becoming common place on New Zealand roads.

As of June, 2018 there are over 9000 registered and we're well on track to achieve the government’s target of 64,000 EVs on our roads by 2021.

But is this news doom and gloom for people who love a spirited driver's car? And does the label 'EV' mean boring, too? Well today in Driven News, we look at five upcoming EVs you should be excited about.

Mini Electric Concept

This is not just a full electric Mini, this is a small hatch that will lead an electric vehicle onslaught from the entire BMW Group when the model enters production in 2019.

But this is actually the second electric Mini to be produced. In 2008 Mini released the Mini E as a first all-electric demonstration vehicle. Over 600 were built and the learnings from this trial were subsequently incorporated into the development of the BMW i3.

Mini are still tight lipped on the numbers the new car can generate, let alone the kind of technology the car's powertrain will center around. The old one could run for 240km on a single charge, but 11 years of research and development have passed since then. Expect the real numbers to eclipse those ones once they become public.

Apart from that, Mini's only real statement on the car's performance is to say that it's responsive, and still drives like a go-kart.

A production version of the Mini Electric Concept will be unveiled in early 2019 with first models due to roll of the line before the end of the year.

Read more: Full Mini Electric preview

Aston Martin RapidE

Aston Martin has confirmed that the all-electric RapidE Concept will enter production in 2019.

Set for a limited run of 155 cars, RapidE is Aston Martin’s first all-electric model, due to enter production in 2019.

Development, testing and production of the RapidE will continue under a collaboration agreement between Aston Martin and Williams Advanced Engineering - the advanced technologies side of the Williams Formula 1 team - who worked on the original RapidE Concept.

Based on the Rapide AMR in concept trim, Aston Martin say the RapidE will feature four-door sports car looks and the dynamics of the Rapide S powered by an all-electric powertrain, replacing the six-litre V12 engine.

Read more: Aston Martin RapidE preview

Porsche Taycan

In 2015 Porsche revealed one of the most important concepts the company has ever built, a full-electric four-door sedan destined for showrooms around the world and known as the Mission E concept study. We now know this Porsche will be known as the Taycan (pronounced Tie-Khan).

Roughly translating as "lively young horse" in reference to the leaping steed first seen on Porsche's crest in 1952, the Taycan will be the company's first full-electric car when it goes into production next year.

Porsche have confirmed the Taycan will be powered by two electric motors with a combined output of 440kW (600hp) and a range of over 500km.

The Taycan will accelerate to 100km/h in 'well under' 3.5 seconds and onto 200km/h in under twelve seconds. But Unlike Tesla's ludicrous mode (which can take over 10 minutes to prime batteries for maximum acceleration), Porsche say Taycan can perform multiple jump starts in succession without any loss of performance.

Mercedes-AMG Project One

Mercedes-AMG Project One is the closest you’ll ever get to driving a F1 car – short of buying a F1 car.

The high-performance hybrid is said to feature the latest, fully-fledged Formula 1 technology 'almost par to par' with the power unit Lewis Hamilton uses on race weekend.

Project One was developed in-house by Mercedes-AMG in collaboration with engineers from Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains (Mercedes' engine building division) and designers for Mercedes-AMG Petrons Motorsport team.

A 1.6-litre V6 turbo engine powers the rear wheels and two two 120kW electric motors power the front wheels.

Eight models of Mercedes-AMG’s Project One hypercar are earmarked for New Zealand and Australia at a price of 'around $5 million'.

Read more: Full Mercedes-AMG Project One preview

Tesla Roadster 

Remember the Tesla Roadster? It's the car that launched the company and one Elon Musk sent to Mars earlier this year, but it's now largely now forgotten in the shadow of the Model S sedan that followed it. 

Well, Tesla have announced plans to produce an EV successor to it by 2020 and the numbers are absolutely staggering.

Thanks to all-wheel drive and 10,000Nm of torque, Tesla say that the Roadster will accelerate from 0–100km/h in 1.9 seconds, hit a top speed of 402km/h and perhaps most impressively have a range of 620 miles (997 kilometres) on a single charge. 

So instead ordering a Model 3 sedan and waiting at least another year for delivery, you can order a Roadster instead. Tesla's order book is open with a base reservation price of $73,000 and total price of $365,000.

Read more: Full Tesla Roadster preview 

-Driven