The coolest electric cars at Festival of Speed | GRR
The 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard felt like the year we all properly fell in love with EVs. It’s been a long time coming and there’s been some cool machinery here, but the influx of electric cars for both road and racing has been exponential. There’s a lot of cool stuff to choose from, including no less, our Timed Shootout winner. But you knew that was going to be here, didn’t you?
Mercedes EQXX
You might not expect a research vehicle with a design based solely around efficiency to feel at home during a hillclimb event. There is, however, something of the old school about the Mercedes EQXX, shaped as the old longtails were, to guide air over it as smoothly as possible. Be it for speed or efficiency, long and smooth is the way to go. This incredible machine, when not being absolutely booted up the Goodwood Hill, has been real-world tested to well over 700 miles of range. Mission successful, thanks to the low weight, active aero and high-efficiency motors with Formula E knowhow.
Rimac Nevera
We first reported on the Rimac Nevera, or C Two as it was known back then, over five years ago. Some may have been sceptical but we know Rimac to be a company that delivers on its promises. So here we are with a 2,000PS monster that’ll get to 62mph in under two seconds and torque-vector its way up our Hill in a near-continuous drift. This incredible car is on its way to customers now, while the quality of its execution is proving yet again to partners like the VW Group, that Bugatti is now in safe hands. What a success story – we love Rimac and the Nevera.
Renault 5 prototype
We’re at around the mid-way point between the first reveal of the Renault 5 prototype and when it’s due to go on sale. Yet still, after 18 months or so, it looks as fresh and exciting as ever. It was on display here at the Festival on Electric Avenue, and by the looks of it the new Renault 5 promises to bring the retro desirability factor that made cars like the new Mini and Fiat 500 so popular, to an EV. Even out of everything on this list, if the 5 stays true to this design, it’ll be the coolest-looking EV.
Lotus Evija
Which is a tall order when sat next to something like the Lotus Evija. The halo car to signify Lotus’s rebirth really showed us the design freedoms an all-electric powertrain can afford. With no big lump of noisy metal sat amidships, the opportunities for creative design and air management are exciting, as demonstrated by the Evija’s ‘porosity’, with its cavernous air channels. This thing is truly gorgeous, a car that sells itself on looks alone, never mind the 2,000PS courtesy of four electric motors.
Ford SuperVan
The Ford SuperVan is back for a fourth-generation in 2022, debuting in spectacular style at the 2022 Festival of Speed. Its air-channelling, ground-hugging bodywork is backed up by an incredible 2,000PS all-electric punch. Who best to wrangle that up the Hill? Why, Le Mans legend and Festival of Speed master Romain Dumas of course. Something the shape of a Transit simply shouldn’t move this fast. Definitely one of the coolest vehicles at this year’s event, let alone one of the coolest EVs.
McMurtry Spéirling
We simply had to include the new all-time record-holder at the Festival of Speed, didn’t we? We weren’t quite sure what to make of McMurtry’s pre-event claims that they would be gunning for the Goodwood hillclimb record at this year’s Festival, but when we saw it on the Hill for the first time, we realised this was a serious car. As Max Chilton got his eye in and the wick was wound up, any doubt about the record quickly eroded. Weighing just 1,000kg, with over 1,000PS and a monster 2,000kg of downforce generated by an enormous fan, the rate this thing put the Hill beneath it was almost to the point of comedy, like the world was on fast-forward. What we wouldn’t give to have a go.
Porsche Cayman GT4 ePerformance
Rumour has it Porsche had eyes on the win in the Timed Shootout before the McMurtry showed such an incredible turn of pace. Alas, the Cayman GT4 ePerformance had to settle for second. It’s a mad Frankenstein’s monster of GT4 RS Clubsport, Mission R and 911 RSR, with a 1,100PS EV punch. Richard Leitz drove it to a respectable runner-up position with a 45.5-second run, ahead of an expertly-driven March-BMW Formula 2 car and Justin Law in his Jaguar XJR12D.
Kia EV6 GT
Our final entry is the Kia EV6 GT, because for all the hypercars and bespoke monsters on this list, one of the coolest things EVs can do is put genuinely supercar-rivalling performance into the hands of mums and dads looking for a family car. With 585PS, it really is no joke either, capable of 0-62mph in 3.5 seconds, and in the hands of Jade Paveley, it put in some pretty spectacular runs over the weekend. With the EV6 GT, families can take back the traffic light Grand Prix.
Photography by Joe Harding, Toby Whales and Jordan Butters.