At a drag strip, few things are as humiliating for a traditional supercar owner as lining up against a modern tri-motor electric vehicle (EV). With nothing more than a quiet hum, the EV will consistently dispatch 0-60 mph times in the low two-second—or even sub-two-second—range. Yet, if the strip were extended to a full mile, or if the race occurred on an unrestricted stretch of the Autobahn, the narrative shifts. Past 150 mph, high-performance internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles regularly reel in and pass their battery-powered rivals.
To understand why this happens, we must look at the intersection of electric motor physics, transmission design, and aerodynamics.
The Launch: Why EVs Own the Low End
To launch an ICE vehicle quickly, a complex chain of events must align perfectly. The engine must rev to its powerband, the clutch or torque converter must slip to transfer power without stalling or bogging, and the traction control system must manage mechanical grip.
An EV bypasses these mechanical bottlenecks. Electric motors produce maximum torque at zero RPM. The moment current flows from the battery to the stator, magnetic forces spin the rotor with immediate, peak force. Furthermore, because electric motors can adjust their torque output in microseconds—far faster than an engine can modulate throttle or brakes—EV traction control systems can keep the tires at the absolute limit of adhesion.
Coupled with a single-speed reduction gear (typically around a 9:1 or 10:1 ratio), this instant torque is multiplied massively right off the line. This is why a Tesla Model S Plaid or Lucid Air Sapphire can hit 60 mph in under two seconds.
The High-Speed Wall: Back-EMF and Gearing
If EVs are so dominant at the low end, why do they soften at high speeds? The answer lies in the inherent physics of electric motors and the limitation of single-speed gearboxes.
As an electric motor spins faster, the rotating magnetic fields induce an opposing voltage, known as Back-Electromotive Force (Back-EMF). This Back-EMF acts against the voltage being supplied by the battery. At ultra-high RPMs, the Back-EMF becomes so high that it severely limits the amount of current that can enter the motor, causing torque to fall off precipitously.
To combat this, manufacturers could use taller gears, but because most EVs use a single-speed transmission to save weight, cost, and complexity, they are locked into a single ratio. That ratio must be short enough to provide violent off-the-line acceleration, which pressure-cooks the motor into its inefficient, low-torque RPM ceiling (often exceeding 16,000 RPM) at triple-digit speeds.
The ICE Advantage at High Velocity
This is where the internal combustion engine strikes back. While an ICE has a narrow powerband compared to an EV, it is paired with a multi-speed transmission—typically a 7- to 8-speed dual-clutch gearbox.
As speed increases, the ICE vehicle shifts gears, dropping the engine speed back into its sweet spot where it can continue to produce peak horsepower. At 150 mph, a Porsche 911 Turbo S or Bugatti Chiron is in 5th or 6th gear, still producing maximum power.
This gear-shifting capability is crucial because aerodynamic drag increases exponentially with speed. Specifically, the power required to overcome drag increases cubically. To double your speed, you need eight times the horsepower. While the EV's power curve is declining due to Back-EMF and high RPM limits, the ICE vehicle continues to leverage its transmission to extract maximum power, easily overcoming the air resistance that slows the EV down.
The Takeaway
The EV's dominance in the 0-60 mph sprint is a triumph of instant torque and digital traction management. But above 150 mph, the laws of physics favor the mechanical adaptability of multi-speed gearboxes and the sustained high-RPM power of internal combustion.
Want to see how your favorite EV matches up against gas-powered legends on paper? Head over to our drag-race simulator to run the numbers yourself.