Another EV startup is introducing a sports car with over 1,000 horsepower

5 years, 5 months ago - 21 June 2019, Autoblog
Another EV startup is introducing a sports car with over 1,000 horsepower
Here's your first look at the Drako GTE

Perhaps our future is going to be filled with electric sports cars all making over 1,000 horsepower. At least that's what it feels like some days as electric car startups continue to come out of the woodwork. Today we're told that a company called Drako Motors is going to be introducing its first production car this August in Monterey at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering. Our only view of the car is via the teaser video above.

Making your debut at The Quail is no small task, as that exclusive party is typically reserved for the elite of the elite. Drako Motors itself is a Silicon Valley startup that was founded by Dean Drako and Shiv Sikand. Details of the car we're supposed to see are scarce for the time being. The powertrain consists of four electric motors, one at each wheel. We're told to expect 1,200 horsepower and 6,490 pound-feet of "combined wheel torque." Knowing a vehicle's "wheel torque" doesn't particularly mean all that much, though, as Drako is assuredly using gearing multiplication to quote this figure. You can watch this video to get the full breakdown of how this works and how Drako is able to claim such a figure.

The car itself is called the Drako GTE, and it's designed to seat four passengers comfortably, along with their luggage. Interestingly, we're told to expect "iconic Italian design" for the body. This car is said to be the result of nearly a decade of work behind closed doors. Drako first came out to the public in 2015 when it took a prototype around the Nürburgring and set a very fast electric car lap of 7 minutes 49.04 seconds. The GTE is claimed to have a 206 mph top speed along with an upscale, luxury vibe. It'll be limited-production only, but we're not sure when that production will begin. Getting these electric car startups off the ground is the hardest part, and we have no idea as to what Drako's manufacturing plans might be.