Jim Dowle has got one particular meal ticket on which he could dine for the rest of his life; for Jim was one of the Gordon Murray Massive that collectively created the McLaren F1 - a car considered by many as the zenith of four-wheeled engineering.

This little sketch, if Jim is to be believed, could feasibly allow him to take that dog-eared ticket and rip it up - because the P1-E could very well be ground zero for electric supercars. Tesla? What Tesla?

The twin electric-engined, lithium-ion battery powered JJAD P1-E will, claims Dowle, hit 60mph from rest in 2.9 seconds, have a range of 230-miles and cost 'around £55,000'. Yes, we had to check those figures twice too.

But let's look at things objectively here, as we should. At the moment it's only a sketch, and there isn't even a working prototype yet, nor does it seem to have quite enough funding in place right now, because JJAD is asking for interested investors to come forward.

Still, a working model is promised this year, and the project seems to be at an advanced stage. We already know it will be gullwing-doored, four-wheel drive and engineered with handling integrity in mind - which explains its projected 1,055kg kerb weight (around 200kg less than the Tesla Roadster) and promised low centre of gravity.

This is what Dowle himself has to say about his frankly amazing new car: "All the electric cars produced to date have been compromised in one way or another and most have been of little attraction to the enthusiast driver.

"We decided it was time to create an affordable electric sports car that combined the advantages of conventionally-engined machines with those of electric ones, without the disadvantages of either - in short, a drivers' car for the 21st century."

We'll maintain a healthy cynicism for now, all the while hoping that this thing really sees the light of day. But if the Tesla can, why not?

Mark Nichol - 23 Jan 2009