Jim Dowle, designer of the McLaren F1, has announced plans to power his upcoming P1 project (first announced back in February ‘08) through an electric drivetrain, renaming it the P1-E project. No doubt you can figure out what the E stands for. At an expected price point of about £55,000 (AU$115,834) and aiming for a 0-100kmh sprint in 2.9 seconds, the gullwing-doored P1-E would prove to be more than a match for the Tesla Roadster.  Throw in a 370km range per charge and a 1055kg reading on the scales, and Dowle’s little hardtop sports car is suddenly all the more appealing – and its stunning looks sure don’t hurt its case. Motivated by twin electric motors and powered by lithium-ion batteries – positioned for optimum weight distribution – the P1-E will utilise four-wheel-drive, long wishbone suspension front and rear, and regenerative braking technology for topping up the charge in the batteries.

Said Dowle, “All the electric cars produced to date have been compromised in one way or another and most have been of little attraction to the enthusiast driver. We decided it was time to create an affordable electric sports car that combined the advantages of conventionally-engined machines with those of electric ones, without the disadvantages of either – in short, a drivers’ car for the 21st century. “Since February we’ve been busy finalising the specification, fine-tuning the styling and seeking appropriate funding, and plan to have our first prototype up and running during 2009. Most of the programme’s key partnerships are now in place, though we’d still welcome approaches from any companies interested in investing in our mould-breaking performance car. Another remaining task is to gree its final name, P1-E being the project’s code.”

The future is looking brighter for those concerned that a worldwide switch to electric vehicles would see the sports car left behind. But perhaps not so bright for folks that live for a good V8 rumble.