Dodge Circuit EV

THE lithium-ion batteries and motor are expensive but Dodge is hoping to be able to offer them cheaper than rivals such as Tesla because of the quantities it’ll be buying for other Chrysler products. As a first go at an electric sportscar, the Circuit is a good effort offering great performance and excellent handling. And remember the Europa isn’t currently imported to the US, so in Chrysler’s homeland this Dodge will be an all-new model.

DODGE might be fighting for survival at the moment but if it does pull through it’s got an electrifying return to form planned. It hopes to shock rivals with a plug-in battery-powered sportscar, the Dodge Circuit, and we’re first to drive it.

You don’t need more than a casual knowledge of cars to spot the resemblance between the Circuit and an existing model. That’s because it’s based on the Lotus Europa. In fact, badges, grille and remodelled rear end aside, it’s an unchanged Europa. But where the British motor employs a turbo-charged two-litre petrol unit, the Circuit has a 200kW electric engine giving it a range between plug-ins of 150-200 miles. Situated over the rear axle, this engine is powered by lithium-ion batteries which lie along the floor in the space behind the seats.

As for the interior, apart from changing the badges and replacing the regular gear lever with three buttons marked ‘drive’, ‘neutral’ and ‘reverse’, it’s identical to the Europa. That means you have to be as nimble as a gymnast to slide over the wide sill and into the tight cockpit with any grace. Once inside, it’s hardly the most lavish environment. But as with other Lotuses the driving experience goes some way to helping you ignore that.

Twist the key and rather than an engine turning over you’re greeted with an unobtrusive whirr. Push the accelerator and it’s as if an invisible hand is propelling you along. As electric engines deliver all their torque in one lump wherever you are in the power band, you get a sizeable shove from behind at any legal speed. What little engine noise there is can’t compete as the velocity and therefore wind and road noise increase. But then as the motor reaches 3500rpm it moves into the second of its two phases to be accompanied by a whistle akin to a turbocharger.

It lends a slightly surreal edge to the whole experience, because the near silence of the power source is accompanied by serious speed. The electric engine and its batteries weigh 45kg more than the petrol unit they replace. But where that pumps out 222bhp, the electric version has the equivalent output to 268bhp. It makes the Dodge slightly quicker than a Europa and according to the US firm, a match in acceleration for any of its products other than the mighty SRT-10 Viper.

Dodge has left the Lotus’s suspension and steering alone. Dynamically the only change is to the weight distribution which is now 67 rather than 62 per cent towards the rear. But as this weight is mainly in batteries that are at floor level, the Europa’s handling remains finely honed.

Rival: Tesla Roadster
THE Tesla uses the Lotus Elise for its base and offers a choice of 185 and 212kW electric engines which give it Dodge Circuit-breaking performance. The downside is it’s very pricey.