For every Ford->ke31, Chevrolet->ke199, and Chrysler->ke21 that made an appearance at SEMA, there were other less-heralded American automakers in attendance, most of who were there to attract some much-needed publicity.

Li-Ion Motors is one of them. A lot of you might not be familiar with the North Carolina-based company, but thanks to events like SEMA, the electric automaker was able to build on its attendance and the car that it brought to the event, the Inizio all-electric supercar.

So you’re probably asking yourself, “Wait a second, an all-electric supercar?” Well, if you go past the skepticism, you might discover that there really is such a thing.

UPDATE 01/12/11: The Li-Ion Inizio is the world's first all-electric supercar, making it a pioneer of sorts despite not being a recognizable brand. Well, everyone needs to get ready to be introduced to the Inizio because the car is now slated for production. On top of that, it's going to come with a pretty steep price tag of $139,000. For a brand that you probably couldn't pick out of a line-up of auto brands, forking over that much money might be a stab in the dark. But hey, it's a world's first, so at least it has a distinction all its own.

Details after the jump.

2012 Li-Ion Inizio

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2012 Li-Ion Inizio
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array
Pros
Cons

Exterior and Interior

The exterior of the car looks like a mesh between the front of a Dodge Viper->ke1404 with the backside of a Ferrari->ke252. A couple of striking features of the Inizio include rotational doors that rise on a 90-degree angle and a hydraulic lift system that allows the car to rise about three inches for easier and more comfortable access. Then there’s the set of what looks to be 20-inch rims that add a final touch to the car’s supercar appeal.

Since the car runs on electric batteries, the interior was built to accommodate having to remove the lithium-ion batteries without breaking so much as a sweat. The two-seater electric supercar comes with adjustable Recaro seats – leather or suede, depending on customer preference – that also come with heating and cooling features. In addition to that, the interior was also given some pretty nice entertainment digs, including a DVD player, a built-in 12-inch subwoofer, digital surround sound system, and an integrated navigation satellite system.

Performance

The Inizio electric supercar comes with lithium-ion batteries that produces more than 40kW with an electric motor that bumps up the figure to about 145kW. That kind of power allows the electric car to reach a range of 250 miles with a 0-60 mph time of 3.4 seconds and a top speed of somewhere around 170 mph. For comparison’s sake, the established Tesla Roadster->ke1843 can reach top speeds of only 125 mph, pedestrian figures when lined up against the Inizio.

Pricing

The good news for the boys over at Li-Ion Motors is that the Inizio already has DOT approval, which means that should all things fall into place, we could see America’s very first electric supercar out on the market by 2012.

The bad news is that Li-Ion is looking to build about 2,500 units a year with a price tag of $139,000 a pop. Definitely not chump change.

Competition

The easy thing to say is that the closest competitor of the Li-Ion Inizio is the Tesla Roadster. But given the huge discrepancy in numbers – and price tag – it’s more likely that the two cars fall on two different market segments, and as far as affordability is concerned, two different client markets.