Electric vehicles have one serious advantage over internal-combustion engines: instant torque, all of it, at the drop of a hat. It’s why putting a Tesla P90D into “Ludicrous Mode” turns passengers into a rapid-fire expletive creator while the driver giggles like an idiot, over and over. It’s a neat trick and Tesla has sure made a name for themselves with it, but does it really work for other vehicles? Meet Edna. She started out as a Mercedes-Benz Vito, but has been upgraded with a 900 horsepower electric drive system that powers all four wheels. The system uses an 87 kWh battery, two power units, two gearboxes, and all of the black boxes that keep everything functioning together as one happy little refrigerator-white street sweeper. Edna is simply a powertrain mule while the company that built her, Atieva, prepares a sedan that will use the powertrain. And if the early numbers from this test mean anything, we can’t wait to see what they bring out. Edna is, right now, turning a 2.94 0-60 MPH, and a quarter-mile time of 11.3@117 MPH. But numbers only tell one story, so let’s bring out two patsies other cars to show just how fast this breadbox is. In blue is the BMW i8, one of Lohnes’ top picks for loaner cars, and a very cool eco-ride. On the other hand is the All-American Automotive Middle Finger itself, the Dodge Viper, complete with pissed-off V-10 and six-speed manual. If you’re squeamish, close your eyes…this is gonna get ugly quick.
Those are not starters flags, you dichhead!