It's an odd reality we exist in. Not so long ago a Mercedes-badged electric car would have cost a couple of hundred quid and been the sole preserve of spoilt children.

Pretty soon the same thing is going to cost a couple of hundred thousand quid and be the sole preserve of spoilt adults. It's been in the rumour mill for a few days now, but finally Mercedes has confirmed the existence of the electric SLS supercar.

Developed by Mercedes-Benz and in-house tuner AMG, the 'swing wing' SLS AMG is powered by four electric motors with a combined output of 526bhp and a whopping 649lb.ft of torque, all of which is available from absolute standstill. Compare that to its only tangible rival to date, the 250bhp and 280lb.ft Tesla Roadster - which we gave a full five stars for performance after our drive - and it gives an indication as to what the SLS will do.

An electric motor at each wheel means the SLS is propelled via a very specific type of four-wheel drive, ensuring maximum traction at all times and nowhere near the level of power loss expected from engine to wheel with a conventional powertrain. The 0-62mph sprint is quoted as 'around four seconds'. But as AMG boss Volker Mornhinweg says, "with electric drive, we wanted to redefine the super sports car. For us, it is not just about responsibility. We attach just as much importance to excitement and classic AMG performance."

So, the maker has done its utmost to ensure that the well-documented weight penalties of an electric drivetrain are kept to a minimum. The four electric motors are placed near the wheels rather than in the wheel hubs, which reduces unsprung mass and improves handling. Plus, the engines and the lithium-ion battery are placed as low as possible in the chassis. The SLS's standard aluminium spaceframe body is unchanged for the electric version.

Mercedes doesn't go as far as to confirm the on-sale date for the electric SLS, though the maker claims it's currently in 'its first pilot phase' so we're inclined to stick with our original 2015 launch guesstimate. Meanwhile, the regularly powered, £155,000 SLS will hit showrooms in Spring 2010. Well, we say 'regularly' - that assumes you think a 563bhp AMG V8 is regular. And, as we're talking about it, we've uploaded a mobile phone snap of that very engine undergoing testing we managed to take while on a tour of AMG's Sindelfingen factory recently. And you thought car writers weren't 'proper' journalists...

Mark Nichol - 16 Jul 2009