EV prototype from the 1990s almost matched a brand new Tesla Model S for range
Published on Aug 31, 2025 at 5:27 PM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Aug 28, 2025 at 3:05 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
A mid-1990s EV prototype called the Solectria Sunrise had an impressive range that almost matched a 2025 Tesla Model S.
Massachusetts-based Solectria Corporation was founded in 1989.
In 1994, it unveiled its EV prototype known as the Sunrise at the World Electric Vehicle Association meeting.
Despite being created two decades ago, the Solectria Sunrise had an incredible EV range, just a little under what you’d find on a modern-day Model S.
DISCOVER SBX CARS – The global premium auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie
How much range did the Solectria Sunrise EV prototype offer?
While EVs have surged in popularity in recent years, thanks to the likes of Tesla and BYD, electric vehicles actually go back a long way.
The Waverley Pope Electric, for example, was released in America way back in 1906, whereas brands like Dodge were playing around with the technology in the 1980s.
And in 1994, during the 12th annual World Electric Vehicle Association meeting, Solectria unveiled its EV prototype, the Sunrise.
The car was designed to be as energy efficient as possible so it could offer an impressive amount of range.
At the 1996 American Tour de Sol competition, it managed to achieve 375 miles (604km) on a single charge.
It also performed well under normal driving conditions.
A Solectria Sunrise traveled 217 miles (349km) from Boston to New York City ‘on a single battery charge, negotiating everyday traffic and highway speeds up to 65mph (104km/h)’.
A pretty incredible feat for a car built more than 20 years ago, right?
The car was powered by a nickel-metal hybrid battery, and could reportedly do up to 400 miles (643km) per charge if kept to speeds of 30mph (48km/h).
Range aside, the Solectria Sunrise didn’t exactly set the world on fire with its performance stats.
The carmaker said it could do 0-30mph (0-48km/h) in six seconds, while 0-60mph (0-96km/h) took around 17 seconds.
What became of the Sunrise?
Following the launch of the EV prototype, Solectria announced plans to build 20,000 in 1997 and sell them for $20,000 apiece.
However, scaling up proved difficult for the small automaker, and it also began to face tougher competition with other, more well-known carmakers entering the EV and hybrid market.
Ultimately, Solectria only built a handful of prototypes of the Sunrise, as well as around 400 other EVs, before the company decided to drop the production model idea altogether.
DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie
Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Claire covers a wide variety of topics, with a special focus on cars, technology, planes, cryptocurrency, and luxury.
