Electric vehicles (EVs) central role at this year's Geneva Motor Show has been underlined after the zero emission Jaguar I-Pace was named as Europe's Car of the Year (Coty) and a new EV supercar laid claim to being the most powerful street legal road car ever produced.

The high profile Coty title was secured by the I-Pace after it edged out the Renault's Alpine sports coupé following voting by a jury of 60 auto journalists from 23 countries.

"For our first electric vehicle to also be the first Jaguar to win European Car of the Year gives us a huge sense of pride," said Professor Ralf Speth, CEO at Jaguar Land Rover. "I-PACE was designed and engineered in the UK from a clean sheet of paper. It is the most technologically advanced battery electric vehicle. It's a true game-changer."

The award follows the I-Pace's recent victory in the UK Car of the Year 2019 awards, as well as the naming of the all-electric Kia e-Niro as car of the year by What Car? magazine.

The I-Pace is one of a raft of new EVs rushing to meet rapidly growing demand for plug-in vehicles, as motorists seek to take advantage of the reduced running costs, improved performance, and environmental benefits associated with EVs.

Jaguar Land Rover said the car had now won 55 awards worldwide since its launch a year ago, with more than 8,000 customer deliveries now completed to date - 75 per cent of them in Europe 

The news comes as the BBC reported on the unveiling of the Battista, a £2m, all-electric 'hypercar' that is being hailed as "the fastest road car in the world".

The car is said to boast Formula 1 style acceleration that takes it from 0-60 in less than two seconds, 0-186mph in less than 12 seconds, a top speed of over 250mph, and the ability to do 280 miles on a single charge.

The latest milestones from the high-end of the fast-expanding EV market came as German auto industry body VDA announced the sector as a whole was poised to invest nearly €60bn on EV and autonomous vehicle development over the next three years, as it seeks to drive adoption of ultra-low emission vehicles and ensure EU emissions targets are met.

The news also comes amidst rumours Jaguar Land Rover is weighing plans to step up its UK investment in EV manufacturing, although a spokeswoman for the company said media reports on an imminent new investment were "speculation".