American tuning extraordinaire Hennessey->ke1863 has the habit of pushing the boundaries of supercar performance. The 1,451-horsepower Hennessey Venom GT is living proof of that. Soon enough, the Venom F5 will join the fray, which according to John Hennessey, will be capable of a top speed of 290 mph. But, neither the Venom GT->ke4149 nor the Venom F5 is the reason why the Texas-based company is making the headlines. Turns out, Hennessey is also working on another car, or to be more specific, a 1,000-horsepower all-electric->ke1030 supercar.->ke177

Hennessy bared those plans in a conversation with TopGear.com at the SEMA Auto Show.->ke216 According to John H., the company has looked into the possibility of building such a car. The only concern at this point is how the company would be able to fit electric technology into a car while retaining the car’s lightweight characteristics. Hennessey himself made that point, saying that he’s only waiting for “batteries to become lighter and have more capacity” before his company dives straight into building the car.

One thing you can count on Hennessey to steer clear from are hybrids. That point was made pretty clear when he unequivocally voiced his lack of interest in building a hybrid supercar, despite the fact that Ferrari,->ke252 Porsche,->ke1 and McLaren->ke284 have all been hugely successful with the release of their own hybrid supercars. Hennessey admitted that what those companies did proved that it was possible to fit hybrid tech into a supercar. But, just because they did it, doesn’t mean he’s going to. In his own words, he’s sticking to a “Venom with an engine or as a straight electric.”

There’s still no specific timetable on when we can expect to see this all-electric supercar. But, if there’s one thing we’ve come to know about John Hennessey, he doesn’t speak out of turn for the sake of making headlines. When he says something, he means it.

Continue reading for the full story.

Why it matters

If you had asked me a few years ago if we’d be talking about 1,000-horsepower electric supercars without snickering by 2015, I would’ve probably laughed at you then and there. And yet, here we are.

It goes without saying that the technological advancements the auto industry has made in the development of its engines have been downright staggering. Gone are the days when skepticism ruled the roost anytime there was any discussion on the viability of electric cars. Now, the all-electric Tesla Model S is one of the fastest-selling models in the US and just as important, it can sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 2.8 seconds, faster than most gas-powered supercars in the world.

All this leads us to Hennessey and it’s supposed interest in building a 1,000-horsepower, all-electric supercar. It’s completely out of this world to think that we’ve come to a point wherein such a car is actually possible to build. Sure, there still needs to be some advancements to be made in the technology itself, but at this point, it wouldn’t surprise me if progress is made sooner than later.

Here’s what I know: once somebody figures out how to make an all-electric powertrain lighter, Hennessey will jump all over that technology and begin the prepping stage towards the development of its 1,000-horsepower, all-electric beast. I don’t know when that’s going to be, but at this point, I’m done shrugging my shoulders anytime John Hennessey says he wants to build something. The Venom GT proved as much and if its successor, the Venom F5, ends up being as good as it’s been hyped to be, he’d be proving it again.

Here’s to hoping he makes it a perfect three-out-of-three in the near future.

2016 Hennessey Venom GT

Read more about the 2016 Hennessey Venom GT here.