The August 2014 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance->ke2839 has unveiled an exciting, all-new fully electric supercar. The Renovo Coupe concept began life discreetly in 2010, and has been kept under wraps until the engineering nicks and knacks were ironed out, and now the car has been green-lit for limited production. Renovo touts its new Coupe->ke141 as "America's First All-Electric Supercar," and it's about as red, white, and blue as one could get.

EVs are all the hype these days, with Teslas as common here in Los Angeles as sunny, cloudless, 75 degree days. The fact that we now have a legitimate supercar->ke177, with blistering looks, performance -- and a price -- to match is very exciting news.

Details are still somewhat limited, but we have received basic information and are excited to report on this car's capabilities based on what we know so far.

Click past the jump to read more about the Renovo Coupe

Exterior

While the Renovo Coupe is the epitome of futuristic, next-generation technology, it looks rather old and classic -- in a good way. This is because Shelby American provides the body, and this is basically a Shelby Daytona rolling on a modified, modernized CSX9000 chassis with the guts ripped out and replaced with electric motors.

There's not much to say about this design that hasn't already been said; it's a sharp, vintage, all-American look that is still gorgeous today. The long hood gives the car a huge, sporty overhang, and also a stunning side profile. The large air scoop integrated into the hood remains, although it's feeding air to an entirely different monster under the hood.

Curb weight is sports-car tidy, at a mere 3,250 pounds. The Renovo Coupe is shown in this stunning blue paint with the classic white racing stripe, which should make for plenty of stares and jaw drops.

The wheels are racy, HRE custom billet three-piece with Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires. The wheel size hasn't been released, but to us they look like 19 or 20 inchers.

Out back, the classic Shelby styling remains, though the rear hatch is adorned with the Renovo logo. There are no exhaust outlets, obviously, as this is an all-electric vehicle.

Interior

Not much information has been released in the interior department, but we do know it will retain the vintage look enjoyed by the classic Shelbys, with a flat instrument panel that will span the entire dashboard. The gauge display will be updated into a digital cluster, with classic analog gauges -- featuring needles and all -- in he center.

One feature that we do know about is that for the first time ever, the driver will have the ability to customize the regenerative braking on the fly -- a first for a production EV vehicle -- via a "muscular drive selector."

Drivetrain

The Renovo Coupe is powered by twin sequential axial flux motors. The power ratings are stunning -- over 500 horsepower and a cool 1,000 foot pounds of torque. EVs are known for instant response, and Renovo claims that full power is available in 37 milliseconds. To put that into perspective, 37 milliseconds is ten times faster than the blink of an eye. This should enable this monster to go from 0-to-ludicrous speed faster than Spaceball One. Renovo lists the official 0-to-60 time at a blazing 3.4 seconds, considerably faster than even the quickest EV, the Tesla Model S.

Unlike the Tesla, however, range is somewhat limited. Expect to only traverse 100 miles before a recharge is needed. Renovo addresses this by saying that to save weight it used smaller and lighter batteries. This is a track-oriented car, after all.

The short range is somewhat inconvenient, however the Coupe can be recharged completely in just 30 minutes with a Fast Charging System. Standard, wall outlet charging takes five hours. Not the greatest range, but it's no worse than a Nissan Leaf's.

Top speed is also a bit of a sore spot, as it is a rather un-supercar-like 120 mph.

Pricing

Don't expect to acquire one of these without deep, deep pockets. Renovo is currently taking orders at $529,000 a pop. We doubt there will be any way to get behind the wheel of one of these via leases, etc. that other EVs enjoy. So unless you've got a half a million dollars burning a hole in your pocket or a heck of a good credit rating to receive a loan of this magnitude, you're probably out of luck.

Competition

Tesla Roadster

Though discontinued in 2012, the Tesla Roadster is a close competitor. Priced at a considerably less -- though still lofty -- amount, at $109,000, the Tesla Roadster offered blistering performance combined with a longer range than the Renovo Coupe offers.

0-to-60 took 3.7 seconds, and the EV offered an impressive 220-mile range. This is more than double the range of the Renovo Coupe. The Tesla Roadster was also loosely based on the capable and proven Lotus Elise platform. It is worth mentioning that the Telsa Roadster achieved these performance numbers with only 248 horsepower and 200 foot-pounds of torque; considerably less than the Renovo Coupe.

Detroit Electric SP:01

This car has been flying under the radar for some time now, but we have heard inside information that the car may be green-lit for production soon. Like the Tesla Roadster, it is also loosely based on the Lotus Elise platform. In this application it produces a modest 200 horsepower and 165 foot-pounds of torque. Nevertheless, it performs well, with a projected 0-to-60 time of 3.5 seconds, and a top speed of an autobahn-worthy 155 mph, which is significantly faster than the Renovo Coupe's 120-mph top speed.

Conclusion

The Renovo Coupe is a very exciting and ambitious concept. Production will be very limited, and with a $529,000 asking price, don't expect to see one at every stoplight. Initial sales will begin in California, naturally, and will expand nationwide shortly after.

We are salivating at the prospect of being able to take one of these beasts for a spin. Combining classic looks with state-of-the-art technology, driving this thing must be a hoot. It would be somewhat counter-intuitive to not revel in an ear-piercing, classic internal combustion exhaust note, but with the full 1,000 foot-pounds of torque immediately available and an electric zing boosting the driver from 0-to-60 in 3.4 seconds, it's something we can most likely forgive.

Expect more details to come as we receive them.