There must be something electric in the air, or at least on the streets of Hong Kong, after last weekend’s Formula-E race and the unveiling of Detroit Electric’s very first production vehicle, the SP:01.
Electric, and we assume regular, car enthusiasts enjoyed catching a glimpse of the two-seater pure-electric sports car, which was designed and built in England, as it zipped around the 10-turn two-kilometre course on Saturday ahead of the opening of the 2016/17 FIA Formula E Championship.
The SP:01 can accelerate from 0-60mph in 3.7 seconds and boasts a top speed of 155mph.
The SP:01 is reportedly the lightest high-performance electric vehicle in the world and has a high-energy density battery.
The interior of the SP:01 features the first Android based Smartphone Application Managed Infotainment System [SAMI] with a touchscreen that sits at the heart of the centre console, which sounds like another thing to keep a driver’s eyes off the road.
The SAMI works as a music player and satellite navigation to the car to check its status for battery temperature, charge-level and range to recharge.
Three-time Macau Grand Prix champion Darryl O’Young set a lap time of 1:24:713 in the SP:01.
Photos: Brian Ching and Thomas Lam