It's no secret that the Lotus Evija is astonishingly fast. Thanks to a 2,000 kW battery and four electric motors producing a combined output of 1,972 horsepower and 1,253 lb-ft of torque, Lotus' first electric hypercar will hit 0-62 mph in less than three seconds, 0-186 mph in under nine seconds, and max out at over 200 mph.

This setup makes the Lotus Evija the most powerful production car in the world right now. While some of the Evija's electric hypercar rivals like the Rimac C_Two and Pininfarina Battista are quicker off the line in the sprint to 62 mph, Lotus chief test driver, Gavan Kershaw, explained to Top Gear how the Evija's rolling acceleration will blow the competition away.

"When you're cruising at 70-80 mph and hit the throttle, it's got more performance than it has from a standstill. The straights at Hethel become quite short," said Kershaw, referring to the company's test track in Hethel, UK. "We're a single-speed car, and we put the performance in the envelope we wanted. So we're not challenging the laws of physics, going below two seconds to 62mph, and then having a low top speed. We positioned the bandwidth of the motor to where we want the performance."

Kershaw went on to reveal the Evija can do 0-124 mph in less than six seconds. As impressive as this is, the Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport can do this even faster in 5.9 seconds. But beyond 124 mph, the Lotus Evija is in a league of its own.

The Chiron takes 6.5 seconds to reach 186 mph from 124 mph, but the Evija can achieve this in three seconds flat - that's less than half the time it takes for the Chiron. Taming the Lotus Evija is going to be a feast for the senses. "I've driven some of the Formula One cars - even the T125 with 1,000 horsepower-per-tonne - and they're quite brutal," Kershaw said. "This has got such strength and growth - it's a bit like going up the runway where you're pushed back in your seat and held there."

Despite being the company's first fully electric car, the Evija will handle like a true Lotus. At 3,703 pounds, the Evija is lighter than other electric hypercars thanks to its smaller battery. As for range, Kershaw revealed that Lotus is targeting a minimum of 150 miles on a single charge. Production will be limited to just 130 units, with first deliveries starting by the end of the year.