The Pininfarina Battista is a two-seater electric sports car.
BERLIN: Michael Perschke lets out a laugh as he sits on the edge of the Concours d'Elegance at Pebble Beach in a lavish villa.
Right now he's raking in millions of dollars from a few design sketches and a data sheet, as dozens of motor enthusiasts race to order a sports car that does not yet exist.
Why? Because the Pininfarina Battista - a two-seater electric sports car - is being touted already as a collector's item.
"This is a classic of the future," says Perschke. "Collectors will want one in 30 years, like they do today for an old Ferrari or Aston Martin," he says.
Limited to just 99 cars, it is highly likely that the Battista will sell out its production range in the very near future, as car collectors look at it as a bankable investment.
However, many experts are questioning whether e-cars - not just the Battista - will have the same rise in value that the petrol-ran classics of yesteryear have enjoyed.
More sociologists and researchers are reporting that young people's interest in cars is noticeably declining, especially in cities.
"Somebody who grows up now and thinks long and hard about whether he even wants a driving license at all will hardly become a passionate collector of cars in 20, 30 years," says Hans-Georg Marmit from German auto experts KUS.
The Porsche 918 is the first super sports car from the manufacturer featuring a hybrid engine.
Marmit follows the prices for vintage cars with indices like financial analysts do for stock prices.
For anyone who sees electric cars as an investment object, he suggests taking the same strategy used for conventional classics.
"Rarity and low production figures are important, as well as attractiveness as a sports or racing car," says Marmit, who suggest the Porsche 918 as a perfect candidate.
As Porsche's first super sports car with hybrid drive and a limited production run - only 918 were built from 2013 to 2015 - the already high-value car should only grow in price as the years go on.
BMW Classic spokesman Stefan Behr believes that the same principles for investing in vintage cars also apply to electric vehicles.
"High performance, body styles such as coupes or convertibles that are in good condition - these are the cornerstones that make up a coveted classic," says Behr.
The BMW i8.
A trend that may also encourages the love of the car to outlast the petrol engine is the conversion of classic cars to electric drive.
For example, David Benardo's US-based Zelectric is converting the classic VW Beetle to electric drive, while Jaguar has crossed the legendary Jaguar E-Type with the electric Jaguar i-Pace and the Range Rover plug-in.
So, with two sets of contradictory trends and opinions, the question remains: Are e-cars a wise financial investment?
If you want to be on the safe side, financial adviser Holger Luettke recommends a simple rule. "One should make the investment primarily dependent on their passion for a car," and if the car manages to go up in value over time, then that's a nice side effect.
"And if not, you can at least have fun driving it," he says.
