Mike Pethel makes DIY attempt at world's quickest EV in 1970's BMW 3.0 CS. So you think you've seen the quickest-ever battery-powered race car in the world? What about Rhys Millen in his electrified 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe setting the Pike's Peak speed record? Or John "Plasma Boy" Wayland in his converted 1972 Datsun 1200, the White Zombie, as he turned heads at the Portland International Raceway? Or even the Tesla Model S, in the production category.

The list keeps growing with a new entrant: racer Mike Pethel, who has built what might be the quickest EV ever in an early 1970's BMW 3.0 CS out of his garage in Venice, CA and will soon be featured on a radio feature from Public Radio's BURN: An Energy Journal and American Public Media's Marketplace. Anchored by long-time public radio journalist and storyteller Alex Chadwick, the segments will look at how individuals, new science ideas, grassroots initiatives and potentially game-changing inventions redefine America's quest for greater energy independence.

Which brings us to Pethel. A color technologist for the film and TV industry by day, Pethel doubles as a racecar enthusiast and obsessive inventor at night. His BURN segment last year covers his attempts to build a high-performance electric car. He was able to pull it off – after installing two electric motors with large lithium ion phosphate batteries capable of generating 800 horsepower, his experimental 3.0 CS can do zero to 60 miles per hour in approximately three seconds – but he also drives the car quietly on city streets to his workplace every day. The inventor took Chadwick on a memorable test drive and they discussed the on-going nature of his quest. Once it airs on the radio, the segment should be available for streaming here.

This is cool and all, but is it the fastest EV racer ever built? EV racing fans want to know.