As part of the push to popularize electric sports cars, Renault’s doing what it can to blend city-friendly cars with a formidable amount of power. The Renault ZOE is light, tiny, and economical, but generally very dull from a performance standpoint. What happens if you fit two Formula E motors to the nimble machine and give an eager driver 460 horsepower to play with?

Though this ZOE e-Sport is a concept car and not for sale to the public, it does show that the electric car is never going to wow the audience at large without the option of a hot hatch. The Buck Rogers styling and claimed performance figures of 0-60 in 3.2 seconds and a top speed of 125, which is reached in just 10 seconds, should silence the scoffers. This thing sounds frighteningly fast.

Photo credit: Renault

The tube-frame chassis, designed by TORK, offsets some of the battery weight and provides the rigidity needed to put that power down. The whole package weighing in at a respectable 3,200 pounds. It’s suspended by Ohlins dampers, and uses a clever transmission with four settings to offer a strong compromise between usability and performance.

The space-age cockpit looks stunning—whether the production version can retain it is doubtful. Photo credit: Renault

It’s a design exercise that hasn’t quite given us a clear look at where performance-oriented, large-volume hatchbacks are headed, but we’re waiting impatiently to see. The combination of a short wheelbase and the electric torque and response offered could be a potent cocktail.

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