Mullen Five: an electric SUV as fast as a Tesla Model S?

Fifth Californian startup in the electric car industry, Mullen has revealed an SUV claiming jaw-dropping performance at an unbeatable price. Too good to be true?

You don’t know the Californian brand Mullen? Neither do we. And for good reason—it’s one of those manufacturers emerging out of nowhere, surprising everyone at the last minute. Unveiled at the Los Angeles auto show, the Five takes the form of a compact SUV with sleek lines. It features the usual design cues of 100% electric models, with a pared-down interior and a dashboard that prominently features the central screen (a concept introduced by the Tesla Model S as early as 2011).

But beware, this seemingly classic SUV claims supercar-level performance: the base version is equipped with 95 kWh batteries, can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph (0 to 96 km/h) in just 3.2 seconds, and can travel 523 km on a single charge. The RS version even promises to cut this acceleration time to 1.9 seconds! On paper, it could beat a Tesla Model S Plaid with 1020 horsepower. However, Mullen announces a starting price of $55,000, which is less than €50,000 excluding tax.

The deal of the century? Still, let’s wait until the model actually hits the market (not before 2024).