First Epic EV TORQ Delivered to Former Tesla Executive

Epic EV’s TORQ Roadster is currently one of only a handful of electric vehicles on sale which genuinely appeal to keen drivers. It’s partly down to its racy looks, but the main point of attraction is the performance on offer – zero to sixty in under four seconds, and a massive torque figure of 600 lb-ft or 812 Nm, which should come in handy for both the drive to the track, as well as on it.

One of the driving forces of the company that builds this outrageous three-wheeled EV is Aptera co-founder Chris Anthony. His input undoubtedly helped them establish, at a very early stage in the vehicle’s development cycle, that it was going to have this particular layout.

However, he is keen to point out that that aside from that, the TORQ Roadster has no connection to the Aptera EV whatsoever. “In many ways, the TORQ EV was the car I fantasized about while building the Aptera,” Anthony said. He added that his latest creation “puts performance first and harnesses the amazing power delivery of an all-electric driveline mounted to featherweight platform to provide breathtaking acceleration and handling” – it is also very easy to service, repair and modify, which is great if it is intended for track use.

The previous statement was taken during the delivery of the first example of the Roadster to a customer who just happens to be a former Tesla Motors executive, David Vespremi, who used to run the Communications department for the California-based EV manufacturer. Stating that he is very excited to be the first owner of the model, he points out that in the UK there are many people who attend track days, and can legally drive their cars to the track and back.

He adds that in the US, cars intended for track use cannot be registered on the road, and therefore need to be taken to various events by trailer. For him, the main appeal of the car stems from the fact that it is a fun emissions-free vehicle, which he will be able to drive to the track and back, with no extra added costs or complexity.

The TORQ Roadster has an asking price of $65,000 (~ €50,000), and it is available for order both in the US and Europe. However, they only plan to make 50 examples for the 2013 model-year, but production will be ramping up for 2014.

We also found a recently posted video of the TORQ Roadster, which shows a few extra photos, as well as some driving footage.

By Andrei Nedelea

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