Intriguing German Electric PG Elektrus Roadster

The German electric bicycle maker is aiming to best the highly niche market of high-end performance electric cars, EV that Tesla Motors and Venturi has had until now with its PG Elektrus Roadster.

What do you get when you cross a Fisker Automotive Karma with a Tesla Motors Roadster? A PG Elektrus Roadster! With its Fisker Karma reminiscent smiling nose and its Lotus Elise size, this high-performance EV is bound to appeal to many with numbers designed to raise our adrenaline.

PG is following a delicate path where if it succeeds, could have its name immortalized in the electric car, EV pantheon. High-end performance EVs are rare, costly and deliver enough to go head to head with the likes of Ferrari and Porsche. But PG is not alone.

The High End EV Market. Tesla Motors has the market cornered when it comes to performance electric cars. But it isn’t alone. On the exotic cost of the South of France, in the Principality of Monaco to be exact is a contender who was already offering a performance electric roadster before Tesla called Venturi. Venturi was known in the mid-80s for its French performance gas cars. It has changed hands, working with EVs only and became Monegasque. Adding to the very narrow market of performance EVs comes PG with its Elektrus Roadster.

Technically Speaking. While PG is known in Germany for its lightweight carbon fiber frames electric bicycles, a high performance electric roadster could soon join its offering. Teaming up with automobile designer Michael Fröhlich to build this EV based on a Lotus Elise chassis offers some remarkable performance. With a range of about 215 miles, it sports a 200-kW electric motor, putting out a healthy 270 hp with 258 lb-ft of torque, on par with the Tesla Roadster. While its electronically limited top speed is 155 mph, the EV achieves 0-60 under 3 seconds. A full charge of a depleted battery pack on a 220V plug should take about 8 hours, 4 with 380V.

The Price. This type of performance, coupled with the fact that only 667 will be built means the Roadster is expected at around $370,000, on par with the Venturi Volage, both technically and financially. This all the sudden, make a Tesla Roadster look very affordable.

And for those who cannot wrap their heads around the intoxicating whiz an electric motor offers, the EV can simulate engine sounds from a classic V8 to a Formula One screamer.