Next electric cars burn rubber, not just save gas

LOS ANGELES — Automakers focused on selling electric cars to the environmentally minded are now also setting their sights on new potential buyers: performance addicts.

They are rolling out new plug-in models that put the premium on breakneck acceleration and fun behind the wheel, not just relieving pain at the pump. At the same time, the new sleek models are certain to glamorize electric cars, which often come across as stodgy, utilitarian subcompacts meant for solo commuting or grocery runs.

At auto shows here and in Tokyo last month, Audi showed a new A3 that will come in a plug-in version; BMW and Porsche displayed production versions of their sexy electric sports cars; and Nissan offered a futuristic electric concept. All are following the path blazed by Tesla Motors, first with a plug-in sports car and lately with its performance electric sedan.

"Tesla proved to a lot of automakers that there is a market at the upper end for electric-drive vehicles" — with "exhilarating" driving characteristics, says John O'Dell, senior editor for "green" cars for Edmunds.com, a major auto-buying research site. "They can get almost scary. It's like driving a very fast car."

New performance plug-ins are coming from:

• BMW. The 2014 i8 plug-in hybrid sports car combines electric motors with the output of a 1.5-liter, three-cylinder turbocharged gas engine. It was just priced at $135,700 plus delivery fees and arrives in the spring.

• Audi. A plug-in hybrid version of the A3 Sportback, which has a 100-horsepower electric motor plus a gas engine, arrives in early 2015. No price yet.

• Porsche. The true supercar of the bunch, the plug-in hybrid 918 Spyder will come with a staggering 887 horsepower to rocket from zero to 60 miles per hour i! n less than 2.8 seconds, according to the automaker. When deliveries begin early next year, it will also come with a supercar price: $845,000.

• Nissan. The automaker that brought the plug-in all-electric Leaf to the U.S. showed off an unusual concept in Tokyo called the BladeGlider that's narrow in the front and wide in the rear. Nissan says it "embodies a fearless vision of the EV future," although it has not committed to producing it in its current form.

The hot-rod aspects of electric cars aren't lost on Detroit's Big Three.

General Motors customized an all-electric Chevrolet Spark EV for the big SEMA aftermarket parts industry trade show last month to include a performance mode. It sacrificed a little battery range to gain even quicker acceleration to demonstrate how enthusiasts can retune their own electrics for even more rubber-burning acceleration.

"It shows there is huge potential out there for electric vehicles," says Carl Smith, engineering group manager for Chevrolet performance parts. "It was a fun little vehicle to put on the track."