Watch Atieva’s 900-hp electric van smoke a BMW i8 and Dodge Viper

By Stephen Edelstein August 8, 2016

Edna, the electric van built by startup Atieva, is back to humiliate more sports cars.

Last month, Edna dusted a Ferrari California T and a Tesla Model S in a drag race. This time, Atieva lined it up against a BMW i8 and a Dodge Viper. The results were the same, with Edna outrunning both cars. Atieva claims the van performed even better this time around, thanks to some tweaks to its powertrain.

Recommended Videos

Edna is a Mercedes-Benz Metris that Atieva uses as a powertrain development vehicle. It’s powered by two electric motors that generate a combined 900 horsepower, and an 87kWh lithium-ion battery pack. Since the first run, Atieva says its engineers have concentrated on tuning the motor-control strategy for higher speeds.

Read more: Watch a Tesla Model X beat an Alfa 4C … while towing an Alfa 4C

At the time of the previous drag race, Atieva said Edna did 0 to 60 mph in 3.08 seconds, but now claims the van can do it in 2.94 seconds. It also ran an 11.3-second quarter mile at 117 mph in the latest race. After multiple runs, the company says its test team even drove Edna more than 90 miles back to its Menlo Park, California, base, “with plenty of charge to spare.”

Atieva is one of a handful of startups looking to repeat Tesla’s success with electric cars. It was founded in 2007 by a former Tesla executive and the head of a networking company, and started out supplying control software for battery packs used in other companies’ electric vehicles. It now plans to launch its own electric car, with backing from Chinese carmaker BAIC.

The company plans to apply lessons learned from its electric van to a production model, but hasn’t offered any details on what that model will be. New car companies have a notoriously low record of success, so if you’re impressed by Edna’s performance, don’t get ready to put down a deposit just yet.

Topics

Stephen Edelstein

Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

Cars

Is DC fast charging really that bad for your EV’s battery? We asked the experts

Charging a Chevy Blazer EV

It's commonplace to hear about best practices for ensuring that your EV's battery remains in top condition for the longest period of time. Chief among those is to only charge your electric vehicle to 80%. Also common, however, is the idea that DC fast charging your EV all the time degrades the battery in a way that can impact range.

That prospect is made even worse by the fact that range is already an issue when it comes to electric vehicles. Range anxiety is one of the biggest downsides of buying an electric vehicle, considering the fact that EVs take longer to refuel and there are far fewer charging stations than there are gas stations. And when you only charge your vehicle to 80%, you'll only get four-fifths of the range that the manufacturer advertised.

Cars

2025 Porsche Macan EV first drive: electrifying a bestseller

2025 Porsche Macan

Porsche is giving EVs a major vote of confidence. While the brand will continue to sell non-EVs for many years, including the emblematic 911, it developed the second generation of the Macan exclusively with electric power in mind. You won’t find a twin-turbocharged V6 or a plug-in hybrid system on the specifications sheet; it’s all electric, all the time. That’s a bold move -- we’re talking about one of Porsche’s bestselling models, not a niche car that has a greater effect on image than on sales. Was it the right move? Join us as we find out.
Subtly electric

There’s no mistaking the new Macan for its predecessor when you walk past it. It’s characterized by styling cues that align it with the Taycan sedan, which was the first series-produced electric Porsche. Up front, rectangular lights are accented by four individual LEDs; in back, there’s a light bar that makes the SUV appear wider than it actually is. Nothing about the design screams “I’m electric!” but there are relatively subtle hints if you know where to look. Here’s a cheat sheet: the front overhang is shorter than the original Macan’s and the wheelbase is nearly 4 inches longer. That’s because engineers had to package a massive battery pack rather than an engine.

Cars

Everything we know about the Tesla Cybercab

Tesla Cybercab at night

After years of rumors and hype, Tesla has finally unveiled its plans for the future of autonomous driving in the form of the new Tesla Cybercab. The Cybercab is the company's end goal for self-driving tech, essentially serving as a vehicle that's completely autonomous to the point that it doesn't even have a steering wheel. The car was finally shown off at Tesla's "We, Robot" event on October 10 and gives a look at what Tesla thinks is the future of transportation.

At the event, Tesla CEO Elon Musk gave us a ton of details about the vehicle itself and what Tesla hopes to achieve with it. There's still plenty we don't know about the Tesla Cybercab, but here's a look at everything that we do know.
Exterior design
The design of the vehicle is perhaps less surprising than you might assume. It looks kind of like a crossover between the Cybertruck and the Model 3, offering long light bars on the front and rear and a futuristic overall look, but in the shape of something that at least kind of resembles a typical car. Like the Model 3 and Model Y, it has a curved roofline along the top, but unlike those cars, it terminates in a flat rear similar to that of the cismCybertruck.