Just like cars powered by conventional, internal combustion engines (ICE), electric vehicles or EVs have their pros and cons.

While most people wouldn’t consider speed as a strong point of electric cars, truth is, under certain circumstances and depending, of course, on the setup and several other factors, EVs can better their ICE counterparts, one reason being that electric motors produce all of their torque instantly.

The people at Automobile magazine wanted to see what one of the fastest production EVs today, the Tesla Models S, could do against one of Germany’s finest gasoline engine-powered sports saloons, the 2013 BMW M5, in a 0-100mph (160km/h) run on the drag strip.

The battery-operated Tesla Model S Signature Performance edition makes do with a rear-mounted electric motor rated for 416hp and 443 lb-ft (600Nm) of torque, while the BMW M5 is fitted with a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 engine delivering 560-horses and 500 lb-ft (677Nm) of torque

The magazine says the M5 used in the test carried a sticker price of $106,695 (after destination) and tipped the scales at 4,387 lbs (1,989kg), while the Model S was priced at $102,270 and weighed in at 4,640 lbs (2,105 kg).

Watch the run in the video that follows right past the break.

Story References: Auomobile via Autoblog.com

VIDEO