Super rich Richard Branson has used his Virgin brand on trains, planes, spacecraft, and now there are strong rumours he will be challenging Elon Musk with an electric car. Last week Branson was in Miami, where his Virgin Racing team competed in the all-electric Formula E race, which is a Formula 1 spin-off that features battery-powered race cars capable of going from zero to 60 miles per hour in three seconds.
Formula E is the world’s first international, all-electric racing event. Its purpose is to push the edges of electric-cars technology in races from Beijing to Monte Carlo. The cars are virtually silent, at least when compared to the roar of Formula 1. But while they’re fast off the start, right now they max out at 160 miles per hour.
Branson isn’t the only one flirting with electric cars. Apple is rumoured to be working secretly on an electric vehicle, which may be ready for production as early as 2020. Google is building one that drives itself. And nearly every major carmaker either has an electric vehicle in production or is working on one. More to come in weeks.
