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For much of the automobile’s existence, speed was the statistics that sold. But the move to electric vehicles is emphasizing range over performance—ironic given the EV’s inherent performance advantage here. While range remains a barrier to EV adoption, it takes second place to charging logistics. For about two-thirds of US drivers, the answer is simply to charge at home, parked in a garage or carport. But for the remaining third, that’s not possible, and that’s a problem.
From the post-war decades, a win at the racetrack or a new speed record translated to showroom success, both in the US and Europe. In turn, horsepower wars between automakers erupted every few years, steadily making our cars quicker and quicker. That trend is arguably accelerating—the near-instant torque of an electric motor means even SUVs that aren’t supposed to be that sporty are capable of 0-to-60