Evisoll Thorr news - Electric light - April 2008

Until the Tesla arrives, the number of electric cars you might actually want to drive remains at about, erm, zero. Th!nk city car? No thanks. G-Wiz? Pass the bargepole.

But the Evisol Thorr could, in theory at least, change all that. Beyond the excellent Viking-style name and even-more-excellent lurid orange paintjob, it's a fairly simple formula: a Siemens-sourced electric motor and set of lithium-polymer batteries wedged into a Lotus Seven chassis.

Sounds effective, though: the Dutch-built Thorr has a continuous output of 91bhp, but can deliver up to 272bhp and 332lb ft of torque for short periods... and all from zero revs. In a car weighing just 755kg, that should be good for a 0-60mph time around three seconds. Good.

There is, however, one little problem. Have a look at - or rather take a listen to - Evisol's promotional video, and see if you can spot what it is:

Spookily quiet, eh? How long until someone produces a rev-sensitive V8 soundtrack to be piped out through the stereo?