Slick, speedy and dangerously fun, this 720S sits in an interesting place in McLaren's line-up. It is, and will remain for the time being, the most powerful series production car you can buy from the British brand. It tears from 0-60mph in 2.8 seconds, and caps out at 212mph, while the V8 engine churns with 710bhp. It's also great fun to drive. When you do hit the open road, the McLaren provides you with a comprehensive rewiring of what you thought possible... “Even in its tamest settings, throttle response and progression is sharp, the car happy to leap forward on your command.” The sensation of speed is of the essence, while the handling is equally impressive. The first thing you'll notice when you go round a bend in a 720S is how light its steering is.

No matter how big and shouty its motor is, simply getting around is easy, says Alex Goy in Business Insider. The chaos beneath your foot It's a good-looking car too.

'There's a real sense that it's less styled and more shaped by aero-dynamics,' says Gabriel Vega for DuPont Registry. Take the hollow headlights, for example, which allow air to flow through to a few hidden coolers. Similarly, the interior is filled with aesthetic pleasures, such as the optional leather and suede fittings.

'Although seemingly intimidating thanks to its low and wide stance, dihedral doors, and menacing soundtrack, the McLaren 720S is quite the contrary,' says Eric Brain in Hype Beast. In fact, 'it's such a wonderful place to be that sometimes you forget what chaos lies beneath your right foot'.

Electric cars to hit 600m in 2040
The 2021 Glasgow climate summit saw 24 countries pledge an end date to new sales of combustion engine-based cars. The purchase of electric vehicles is now also being heavily subsidized in many other countries. It's estimated that 60% of cars sold globally will be electric by 2040, which translates to around 1 600 million electric vehicles (EV) of roads across the world.

This will make today's network of petrol stations obsolete and require an entirely new network to support the increasing number of EVs. While carmakers have seen substantial interest from investors, the industry building the infrastructure required to power these vehicles has been largely overlooked. EV's require charging in three different scenarios: at home, at work and for long-distance travel along the major motorway networks.

Research suggests that the recommended ratio of electric vehicles to public fast-charging points is ten. The United States' strategic goal of getting 26 million electric vehicles on the road by 2030 should require around 2.6 million public charging outlets.

Currently there are only 113,000, so it is no surprise that the US government has pledged $2.5bn towards the expansion of the public charging network. In Europe it is estimated that around three million public charge points will be needed by 2030, compared with only 250,000 today.

This clear demand coupled with heavy government investment and subsidies has created the opportunity for new business models within some of the companies in this sector that are already listed and investable. The three stocks below are all in Solactive's Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure index, which is used by the Electric Vehicle Charging infrastructure ETF.

Putting power back in the grid Wallbox (NYSE: WBX) is an FV charging equipment manufacturer in Europe. Besides providing wall-mounted chargers as home charging solutions, it also offers direct current charging that can be used for public fast-charging stations. The company has developed a unique bi-directional charging technology, which allows the EV to discharge power to the owner's home or back to the grid. This also enables the EV to act as a large battery storage unit for emergency use, power storage for excess solar energy, or if paired with a smart meter to optimize energy costs for households.

(...carmakers have seen substantial interest from investors, the industry building the infrastructure required to power these vehicles has been largely overlooked)