Detroit Electric reveals the SP:01 sports EV with stick shifting, traces of Tesla

Anyone who wanted a Tesla Roadster but showed up too late to the party (or too early) is about to get a second chance as soon as this year, if not quite in the way they expected. The Detroit Electric badge has been restored once more for the SP:01, a high-speed EV that shares Tesla's early use of a Lotus design -- albeit an Exige coupe this time, not an Elise. Its 201HP equivalent motor can also approximate the Roadster Sport's brisk 0-60MPH time of 3.7 seconds. That's roughly where the major similarities stop, however. The SP:01 should have a shorter range (around 180 miles on a European cycle) and will take a longer 4.3 hours to charge up from a 240V source, but it will cater to enthusiasts with a lighter carbon fiber body, a higher 155MPH top speed and even the choice of a manual transmission. Detroit Electric goes so far as to include a clutch, although stick shifters won't have to use it when starting or stopping. Just be ready to pony up in short order if you like the SP:01's notion of electric revivalism: only 999 examples of the $135,000 car will roll off the line after production starts in August.

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Via: Autoblog

Source: Detroit Electric