Despite being perceived as a late 20th century invention, electric vehicles actually predate the moving picture by four years. Thomas Parker invented the first commercially practical electric car in 1884 in Wolverhampton while Louis Le Prince showed Roundhay Garden, the first motion picture, to a Leeds audience in 1888.
The British quickly shovelled both successes out of the country so that Americans could become wealthy, of course, but curiously the two inventions took a while to meet. Indeed, the first big mainstream flicks to convince us that we might one day give up our addiction to burning the fossilised remains of ancient plants were released by the likes of Steve Spielberg, Ridley Scott and James Cameron in the later 1900s.
But how realistic was their portrayal of electric-powered cars? And more importantly, which ones were the coolest? Read on for our Hollywood EV Top Trumps, which should settle the matter once and for all...
Spinners â Blade Runner 2049
An LAPD electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) flying car used by Ryan Gosling’s officer K in his long hunt for Harrison Ford’s paranoid Deckard.
Range anxiety: 0/10. Powered by ‘quantum batteries’, it can fly seemingly for hours over cities and through the derelict halls of an abandoned Las Vegas.
Cool factor: 8/10 Deliberately boxy 1980s design compensated for by flying ability, interior display and Gosling/Harrison piloting past.
Features we want: Flying. Obvs.
Resemblance to reality: Some â eVTOL taxis are in trials at Heathrow right now.
M577 APC – Aliens
This United States Colonial Marine Corps lightweight armoured vehicle is ideal for troop transport and capable of being deployed by a dropship.
Range anxiety: 2. The M577 doesn’t have to worry about running out of power, thanks to its own multi-fuel gas turbine that can generate electricity when the batteries are low. Sadly the vehicle is hampered by its vulnerability to acidic blood pumped from Xenomorph aliens in high-velocity collisions.
Cool factor: 7. At 3.38m wide, it takes up a lot of motorway and is terrible in built up areas but useful for making things explode.
Features we want: There’s plenty of space if you ditch the three-days worth of ammunition, plus a rotary observation turret and autopilot.
Resemblance to reality: Unlikely to inspire creators of your everyday commuter vehicle.
Light Cycle – Tron: Legacy
Light vehicle resembling a motorcycle with protective canopy and driver-specific colour scheme.
Range anxiety: 0, in gameworld where liquid electricity is on tap. (10 in the real world as it has no energy storage system.)
Cool factor: 5. Can only move in straight lines, corner at 90-degree angles and irritates other road users by leaving a trail of blinding light in its wake.
Features we want: Ability to dissolve when no longer needed (saves on parking), all the glowing lights, outrageous acceleration.
Resemblance to reality: Has been available from Parker Brothers as the Neutron Electric Motorcycle in a very limited-edition of 25 bikes per year. Starting price $55,000 (£46,000).
Audi RSQ – I, Robot
Back when Will Smith was battling robots rather than stand-up comedians, the Chicago Police Department issued him with this sporty little coupe.
Range anxiety: 2. It never seems to need charging although Audi hasn’t released actual battery specs.
Cool factor: 9. Any car strong enough to survive repeated attacks by violent robots, huge explosions and back flips, then scream down a motorway tunnel for a mile, smash into a wall and still have the driver walk out unscathed is ideal for any urban family.
Features we want: Rear-hinged scissor doors, spheres instead of wheels, voice control operating system, ability to handbrake turn without use of handbrake.
Resemblance to reality: Bore a spooky similarity in design to the Audi R8 launched in 2006, two years after I, Robot was released â the EV version has been with us since 2015, albeit without all the futuristic gadgets.
SAPD Cruiser – Demolition Man
Silvester Stallone’s risk-taking Nineties cop John Spartan is cryogenically frozen along with bad guy Wesley Snipes until he’s thawed in 2032 by jovial LAPD cops with slow-moving, autonomous cars.
Range anxiety: 1. Hybrid with a range of more than 120mpg meant Sly never had to refuel while pootling after Wesley Snipes.
Cool factor: 4. Dorky future cop Sandra Bullock loving the greatest ad jingles of the Nineties doesn’t add to the low-rider vibe.
Features we want: The "Securo-O-Foam" safety foam that protects the crew from serious injuries in the event of a crash, or could be the basis for a great foam party.
Resemblance to reality: Astonishingly, this was a General Motors concept car created in 1992 to demonstrate the light carbon fibre composite, hybrid/two stroke engine combo and low-drag coefficient.
Lexus 2054 – Minority Report
While Minority Report’s deeply researched future tech leans into mag-lev transport pods, when Tom Cruise’s cop goes on the run his nifty Lexus sports coupe runs on fuel cells.
Range anxiety: 0. Everything is electric everywhere in Spielberg’s fantasy future world.
Cool factor: 10. Low rider, fat wheels, basically a bullet.
Features we want: The slick curves, fuel cells, crashproof structure and biometric security.
Resemblance to reality: Spielberg assembled MIT professors to help construct his future world and so far their predictions of facial recognition, predictive policing, voice-controlled homes and personalised ads are all right, so maybe it’s just a matter of time.
Biofuel-powered DeLorean DMC-12 â Back to the Future, Part II
In Back to the Future Part II, Doc Brown uses food scraps, banana peels and leftover beer to fuel his legendary DeLorean with a version of cold fusion.
Range anxiety: 1. Assuming you don’t run out of leftovers.
Cool factor: 4 Without the time travel it’s a bit of a mess, Doc. Really sorry.
Features we want: Time travel, obvs, and cold fusion.
Resemblance to reality: Launched this year, the four-seater DeLorean Alpha5 by Italy’s famous Italdesign is basically an EV version of the car in the movies. Just without the time travel or flying. And don’t try to fill it with banana peel.
Audi R8 e-tron – Iron Man III
Given that the movie version of Tony Stark is based on Elon Musk, it seems a little unfair that when Iron Man goes full electric in his third outing, he should prefer the Audi R8 to the Tesla.
Range anxiety: 0 No need to worry of guess with this one. Its range is 300mph. How can we be so precise? It’s product placement, my friend (see Resemblance to reality, below).
Cool factor: 8 I mean, look at it. Oh yes, and Iron Man drives it.
Features we want: The tire squeal, coming from the car’s 612 pound-feet of torque, plus the whirring ‘e-tron sports sound’ created by dual amplifiers in the luggage compartment, the virtual cockpit, heads up display, and sound system. Basically everything.
Resemblance to reality: The advantage with product placement is that this one is available right now.Just pop into any Audi retailer near you and pickone up for a cool £82,150. Oh well, maybe next year...
