Meet the 1,300-hp Electric Supercar That Could be the Future of Racing

Outside of Formula E and a few smaller series, electric cars have made little headway in road racing, where the drawbacks of battery capacity, weight and charging time leave them gasping. That hasn't stopped several start-up firms from attempting to engineer an all-electric grand tourer that could be at home on the track and the street.

The latest entrant was unveiled today at the Top Marque show in Monaco. Built by Finnish designer Pasi Pennanen, the Toroidion 1MW Concept attempts to answer the question of what an all-electric GT might look like. With a reported 1,341 hp — a.k.a. 1 megawatt — the Toroidion should be plently quick; what makes it unique is the supposed system that would make the batteries hot-swappable during racing.

So far, few details have been released about the machine, but Pennanen has said in the past the goal was to create an electric car that could compete in the GT classes at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Based on what little the company has said so far, it doesn't appear the Toroidion has undergone performance testing yet; whether it meets it promises or not, the Toroidion will measure just how close — or far — electric performance cars have to go.