The ever continuing dialogue regarding the future of electric cars has drawn a fine line between the believers and the skeptics. But we've learned this year not to sleep on EVs just yet, especially when you have cars like this 1981 Camaro->ke248 and the Volkswagen Beetle Black Current proving that EVs are the real deal.

The latter has already shown that it can blast off a quarter-mile time of 9.51 seconds, an astounding number for a car, let alone an EV. And recently, this 1981 Chevrolet Camaro by Team Haiyin EV Racing called the "Warp Factor II", managed to pull off a similar feat, clocking in a quarter-mile time of 10.08 seconds at the Lebanon Valley Dragway while hitting a top speed of 127 mph.

It's not as quick as what the Black Current was able to accomplish, but it was impressive nevertheless, which lends to the belief - hollow as it may be for some - that high-powered EV cars like this one have a place in the future of the industry.

Find out more about the 1981 Chevrolet Camaro 'Warp Factor' after the jump

1981 Chevrolet Camaro by Team Haiyin EV Racing

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 1981 Chevrolet Camaro by Team Haiyin EV Racing
  • Horsepower: 4,000 amps
  • Torque: 1,500 to 2,000
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array
Pros
Cons

Exterior Design

The design of this car will not make you stop and take notice because aesthetics isn't what it's all about. If you needed any more proof of that, you need only to look inside the car and you'll notice that there's only one seat in the whole set-up. The entire body, including the one-piece nose, doors, and trunk, is made out of VFN fiberglass while the floors, firewall, wheel wells, and rims come in aluminum.

Performance

Team Haiyin EV Racing currently uses a lithium polymer battery pack to power the Camaro. This pack consists of high-quality Turnigy Nano-Tech Lipo Cells with 14P - 5AH 3.7v cells. Overall, the total pack voltage is 220v at 70AH and a maximum pack amperage of 6300 amps burst and 3150 amps.

The enormity of this pack - there are over 90 individual batteries in series - is not more evident than in the fact that it takes up the entire space of the trunk and rear passenger compartment. All in all, there's over 4,000 amps that can be tapped with the battery pack, enough power to produce a peak torque of anything from 1,500 to 2,000 lb/ft.

Suspension

With an engine capable of that much torque, it was important for Team Haiyin EV Racing to make the car handle as smooth as possible for its on-track excursions. Custom 9" rear differentials and Strange axles were put into the car, as were Strange rear shocks and a 4-link rear, TRZ Performance front control arms and drop spindles, Afco front coil over shocks, and Strange rotors and calipers.

Competition

There's only one car that the Warp Factor II has in its sights: the Volkswagen Beetle "Black Current." Currently, the record-holder of being the fastest production EV in the quarter-mile, the Black Current's 9.51-second time is only a little over five-tenths faster than the Warp Factor II's 10.08-second time.

Team Haiyin EV Racing may not have come close to the Black Current's time and they're very much aware of the challenges they face in dropping its own quarter-mile time to under 10 seconds but, we're pretty confident that we haven't seen the last of this EV Camaro.