London show: Lightning GT

This is the new Lightning GT concept, which was unveiled at the British motor show.

The sports car is powered by four 120Kw electric motors, with new 36Kw ‘NanoSafe’ batteries providing the energy. The combination is said to give the GT more than 700bhp.

Lightning’s own figures show that the £120,000 GT should rival the Porsche 911 Turbo for acceleration; it’s capable of reaching 60mph in just 4.0sec, though top speed is limited to 130mph.

Ian Sanderson, Chairman of the Lightning Car Company, said that the car is designed to “create a paradigm shift in people’s thinking”. “We want to prove that electric cars can be aspirational products that offer an ownership experience equal to any normal supercar,” he said.

The technology powering the Lightning GT promises to be state of the art, even when the car goes on sale at the end of 2009.

Nanotechnology is used to create the batteries, which use nanotitanate instead of graphite to make them thermally stable. They have a life expectancy of more than 12 years, high durability and quick charging times (just 10 minutes for a full recharge).

The Lightning GT also has regenerative braking at each wheel, traction control, electronic door entry and even a “programmable external engine sound generator” that allows you to have the noise of a V8 in your zero-emissions car.

Though the electric Lighting GT is still in its concept form, successful tests have been completed and the company is confident enough that it is already accepting deposits.

Vicky Parrott