Brusa Spyder electric car news - Swiss you were here? - 2009

With the exception of Rinspeed's bizarre creations, Switzerland doesn't contribute much to the world of cars.

But Brusa, the entertainingly named Swiss electronics company, has just unveiled this all-electric roadster which, they say, might put Switzerland on the map. Obviously it's technically on the map already, but...

Anyhow. This is the Spyder, a battery-powered, rear-drive two-seater that, says Brusa, will hit 60mph in just under five seconds. That's good pace - not far off the Tesla Roadster - and, unlike most of the all-electric brigade, the Spyder's a nice looking thing too, with more than a hint of Porsche 550 Spyder about its retro-inspired lines.

The Spyder is driven by a pair of 127bhp electric motors - one driving each rear wheel - drawing power from a lithium polymer battery pack. Though the speed is good, the range isn't: at an average speed of 50mph, the Spyder will manage just 77 miles on a single charge, which takes around four hours.

The other bad news? At this stage, the Spyder is only a prototype, with no guarantee that it'll enter production. Here's hoping it does: a few more good looking electric cars on the market can't be a bad thing, right?

Talking of the Tesla, here's a clip of Clarkson driving the plug-in roadster: