Who Says Green Can't Be Mean?

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The Ultimate Aero EV, a new electric car from Shelby SuperCars, aims to be the fasted electric car in the world when released later this year. (Image credit: Shelby SuperCars)

It generates an incredible 1,000 horsepower. Goes zero to 60 mph in a hair-raising 2.5 seconds. Top speed is 208 mph.

Now hold on to your seat for the real news: The Ultimate Aero EV is electric.

Manufacturer Shelby SuperCars aims for it to be the world's fastest electric car upon release by the end of this year. And yes, it was made to prove a point: that green can be mean.

Detroit, are you listening?

Other details, the company claims:

  • Range: 150-200 miles on a single charge.
  • Charge time: As little as 10 minutes.
  • Transmission: 3-speed automatic.

Ultimate Aero EV deliveries will start as early as fourth quarter 2009, the company said in a statement.

The Tesla Roadster, already in production, goes zero to 60 in a not-to-shabby 3.9 seconds. Tesla is the brainchild of Elon Musk, a co-founder of SpaceX, which is developing a new breed of commercial space rockets.

Unlike gas engines, which are comparatively sluggish, electric motors supply 100 percent torque from the get-go, as anyone who ever played with slot cars as a kid can recall.

Tesla's web sit describes the difference this way: "A favorite trick here at Tesla Motors is to invite a passenger along and ask him to turn on the radio. At the precise moment we ask, we accelerate. Our passenger simply can't sit forward enough to reach the dials."

Robert Roy Britt is the Editorial Director of Imaginova. In this column, The Water Cooler, he takes a daily look at what people are talking about in the world of science and beyond.

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Robert Roy Britt
Robert Roy Britt

Robert is an independent health and science journalist and writer based in Phoenix, Arizona. He is a former editor-in-chief of Live Science with over 20 years of experience as a reporter and editor. He has worked on websites such as Space.com and Tom's Guide, and is a contributor on Medium, covering how we age and how to optimize the mind and body through time. He has a journalism degree from Humboldt State University in California.