Think a Ferrari is fast? Watch one get schooled below.

Electric cars are no joke. Yes, it’s true that many EVs are small, ungainly-looking oddities, but the other end of the spectrum—the realm of high-performance supercars—might surprise you.

After re-discovering a 1972 electric datsun that can accelerate from 0-60 in 3 seconds, we decided that an important question hadn’t really been answered yet:  how do the electric cars we’ve been hearing so much about stack up in terms of performance?

Below, we’ve listed the world’s top 10 fastest electric cars, based on the best available information (and a little creative license). Note that our criteria does not take into account a variety of important factors like charging time, availability, and cost. All cars are simply ranked by the time it takes them to get from 0-60 mph.

Most of the machines shown here are either not available or otherwise out out of the realm of possibility for most, but then again, so are most high-performance gas-powerd cars.  And that doesn’t keep us from admiring them. Please keep in mind that this post is not intended to be the final word on this topic.

Btw, if you’re interested in joining the first mailing list dedicated to bulk purchasing electric cars, check it out (you can also get cheap solar there too).

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Shelby SuperCars (SSC), the company behind the world’s fastest production car, has announced plans to launch an electric supercar that is four times as powerful as the Tesla Roadster later this year.

The Ultimate Aero EV will feature the firms proprietary All-Electric Scalable Powertrain, the AESP, containing twin electric motors capable of an incredible 1,000 HP (735 Kw) and 800 lb-ft (1083.42 NM) of torque. According to SSC, this should enable acceleration from 0-60 mph in a breathtaking 2.5 seconds and a top speed of 208 mph.

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SSC, the producers of the world’s fastest production car, the Ultimate Aero, has announced plans for an all-electric version of the record breaking model. The Ultimate Aero EV (Electric Vehicle) is currently in development, with a 500 bhp version slated for release as early as late 2009 and a 1000 bhp 4WD EV also under consideration.

Sounds impressive huh? However, that’s not all… the press release also states “the drive train under development will feature a revolutionary power source allowing for extended time between charging intervals with the possibility of several years between charging.”

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This week on ZapRoot: KFC Canada tries to do chickens right with their new animal welfare plan. China’s air control results. Check out new Alternative Autos: Chevy Volt, Shelby Supercars, Prius, and more.

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