FAST AND FURIOUS

We preview the next generation of luxury EVs

Say the words “Aspark Owl.” Just about as fast as you can. In the time it took, you went from zero to 60 in 1.69 seconds in an Aspark Owl, the fastest-accelerating car in the world.

It’s all-electric, costs $3.5 million, and packs 1,985 horsepower with 1,475 pounds

of torque.

The rare 2023 Owl is just one of the hot EVs (as electric vehicles are known) avail-

able today, as more and more automakers, from plain vanilla to super luxury, are put-

ting out emission-free, lithium-ion-battery offerings.

Ferrari, Bentley, and Lamborghini EVs are not on the market yet, but those elite

automakers promise that in the next few years they’ll be joining this green, quite ex-

pensive, and very fast trend.

How fast? The Owl, for example, made by the Japanese engineering firm Aspark,

hustles up to 186 mph in 10 seconds, with a motor for each wheel. To ensure equally

fast stops, the Owl has a carbon-ceramic braking system with ten-piston front calipers

and four-piston rear calipers,

the equal of most racing cars.

Today, most EV buyers are

concerned with range on a full

charge. The Owl takes 80 mi-

nutes to ramp up with a high-ve-

locity charger.

Still, in that range category the Owl is only middling: you’ll get 280 miles at most be-

fore you find yourself immobile and stuck by the side of the road. And you will need a

home charging station, which costs about $5,000 with installation. But when you’re

spending $3.5 million for your ride, why quibble?

Equally short on range, but the Owl’s opposite in every other respect (including

price), is the Chevrolet Bolt hatchback, which gets 247 miles on a charge. The Bolt

costs $28,035, has front-wheel-only drive, and pumps out a relatively puny 200

horsepower. It cannot be called luxurious, but here again, at $28K and change,

why quibble?

The Aspark Owl

The The Lucid Air is the champion in the range department, at 516

miles on a full charge if you don’t stomp on it. And when you buy any

Lucid model, you get three years of complimentary charging on the

Electrify America charging network.

As for cost, the Air is the mean between the extremes. The Sap-

phire model, at $250,000, jumps to 60 mph in 2.6 seconds if you do

push that pedal to the metal. Like other high-end EVs, the Lucid has

several big touch screens, including one that folds into the dashboard.

It also has an array of safety features, like blind-spot alert, forward-

collision warning, automated emergency braking, lane-keeping assist,

cruise control, and a rear camera.

Mercedes Benz also offers a high standard of luxury in

its three EVs: two sedan models, the ESQ 580 and ESQ

450, and a SUV with a third row for three, where some-

one who’s 5’11’’ will feel comfortable without bending

over. Pretty unusual for a third row.

For any of the Benz models, 30 minutes plugged in

provides a boost from 10 percent of charge to 80 per-

cent, and about a 350-mile range for all three.

The SUV has enough off-road gears to plow through

sand. Fold down the seats in the second and third rows

and you have 31 cubic feet of space.

Not to be outdone is the rear-wheel-drive Lyriq, Cadillac’s first

EV ever, at a base price of $59,990. It has fast charging in 70 mi-

nutes, and a zero to 100 mph time of 14.4 seconds—hardly the

cumbersome King Turtle among cars.

The Lyriq takes infotainment seriously, with a curved screen

up front that measures two feet, six inches wide. No speedster,

the Lyriq has a top end of 118 mph, but comfort and quiet are the

premium here. Just like those Cadillacs of 70 years ago.

Meanwhile, perhaps the most unusual EV on the market is a truck.

Yup. It’s the Rivian R1T, with all-wheel drive, 835 horsepower, and

strong enough to tow 11,000 pounds. The very base price is $79,000,

but cough up $150,000 for the Adventure model and you’ll get a Merid-

ian sound system, a cabin with leather and wood panels, and big trunks

in the front and back where you can lock up 12 cubic feet of storage.

It also has three 110-volt outlets.

The R1T’s safety features include automated braking and lane-departure warning.

And even though it’s a truck, it can jet to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds with the

optional large battery pack. The 2023 model with that “Max” battery will

provide more than 400 miles with a full charge, according to Rivian, an

American company that sells its EVs directly to buyers.

But what would the American field look like without a Ford Mustang

EV? Well, it’s here already ¬-— the Mach E, with several models to

choose from, starting at $44,995. Power up to more than $66,000 for

the Premium model, with a panoramic sunroof, Bang & Olufsen

sound system, and a power liftgate — because the Mach E is

really sort of a crossover. You can order a Ford charging sta-

tion, available online and connected to certified electricians for

installation. It can charge fully overnight with household cur-

rent, and the GT and GT Performance models with 480 horse-

power both hit 60 in 3.7 seconds.

That US favorite aside, there are several foreign big-name lux-

ury EVs out there, such as the BMW i4M50, crossing 60 mph in

3.3 seconds and costing $76,760. Like other EVs, it has optional

one-pedal driving, called regenerative braking: when you take

your foot off the accelerator, the BMW slows down nicely, not

abruptly. You still have a standard brake, though.

The Jaguar IPace SUV has a modest-for-a-Jaguar base price of

$71,300. For that you get a vehicle with all-wheel drive and a reason-

ably robust 394 of horsepower to take you from zip to 60 in 4.5 sec-

onds. Leather seating is standard, as are heated and ventilated front

seats and ventilated rear seats. Also standard is traffic-sign rec-

ognition, so you’ll never hear that “Didn’t you see that stop sign?”

shout from the passenger side again.

But the big advantage for the Jag, and for all SUVs, is the charging cost: not

$4.60 a gallon for premium, but rather with batteries, at an annual charging cost of

$850 based on an average of 15,000 miles driving per year, which is typical of Ameri-

can drivers.

Numerous other overseas-manufactured EVs are also available, including

offerings from Kia, Audi, Hyundai, and others. The lithium-ion future is here and

now. Jump in.

From the top: Mercedes Benz ESQ, BMW i4M50, Rivian R1T

Perhaps the most unusual EV on the market is a truck. Yup. It’s the Rivian R1T, with all-wheel drive, 835 horsepower, and strong enough to tow 11,000 pounds.