Do EV's encourage poor driving?

[M.F.D]

I've been noticing this for a while and trying to separate it from the fact that generally driving standards in the UK are pretty poor. I reside in a new build estate and there are a few EV's that regularly drive excessively quickly when coming in and out. Some I've noticed didn't drive like this when they had an ICE car previously.

It was just other other day I was in with the family having a 'Starby's' waiting on our car being serviced when I noticed several EV's launch out the drive thru queue across the carpark. I'm also finding that increasingly cars on the school run are travelling/accelerating at a rate that I feel they weren't before.

Has anyone else noticed anything similar? Is it the lack of involvement - no gearing, no engine noise and the fact that they are so big and heavy that is causing people to become desensitised to speed and causing their driving standards to slip?

[autumnsum]

Perhaps you could pitch this as an article for the Dailymail.

'Do EV's encourage poor driving?'

By Phil Space.

[limpsfield]

I thought the accepted PH wisdom was they all drove so slowly and held everyone up, due to their own range anxiety.

Now I don’t know what to think.

[Pit Pony]

limpsfield said:

I thought the accepted PH wisdom was they all drove so slowly and held everyone up, due to their own range anxiety.

Now I don’t know what to think.

During the week, when they are near home? No range anxiety.
On a weekend away to a city centre hotel without charging points? Bricking it.

[Richtea1970]

M.F.D said:

I've been noticing this for a while and trying to separate it from the fact that generally driving standards in the UK are pretty poor. I reside in a new build estate and there are a few EV's that regularly drive excessively quickly when coming in and out. Some I've noticed didn't drive like this when they had an ICE car previously.

It was just other other day I was in with the family having a 'Starby's' waiting on our car being serviced when I noticed several EV's launch out the drive thru queue across the carpark. I'm also finding that increasingly cars on the school run are travelling/accelerating at a rate that I feel they weren't before.

Has anyone else noticed anything similar? Is it the lack of involvement - no gearing, no engine noise and the fact that they are so big and heavy that is causing people to become desensitised to speed and causing their driving standards to slip?

I gave up at ‘Starby’s’!

[CheesecakeRunner]

limpsfield said:

I thought the accepted PH wisdom was they all drove so slowly and held everyone up, due to their own range anxiety.

Now I don’t know what to think.

Schrödinger’s EV. Is it going fast or slow? Nobody knows until you see it. Maybe it’s doing both.

[fatjon]

I have a theory on this.
You know those people who cant cruise, the ones who are all accelerate then brake lights continually even on a straight empty road? The ones who think they must be pressing down on one of the pedals down at all times.

Put them in an EV with double the acceleration and not even a noisy engine to help them judge speed. This the result you describe.

[JustGetATesla]

M.F.D said:

I've been noticing this for a while and trying to separate it from the fact that generally driving standards in the UK are pretty poor. I reside in a new build estate and there are a few EV's that regularly drive excessively quickly when coming in and out. Some I've noticed didn't drive like this when they had an ICE car previously.

It was just other other day I was in with the family having a 'Starby's' waiting on our car being serviced when I noticed several EV's launch out the drive thru queue across the carpark. I'm also finding that increasingly cars on the school run are travelling/accelerating at a rate that I feel they weren't before.

Has anyone else noticed anything similar? Is it the lack of involvement - no gearing, no engine noise and the fact that they are so big and heavy that is causing people to become desensitised to speed and causing their driving standards to slip?

I think it is new build estates that encourage poor driving. I used to live on one, on a through road which the designers had thoughtfully put a series of 90 degree bends on to slow traffic.

That didn't stop taxis, boy racers and local scallies accelerating hard off each bend in 2nd gear then immediately braking for the next one. Nothing to do with EVs, everything to do with morons.

[Tycho]

Richtea1970 said:

M.F.D said:

I've been noticing this for a while and trying to separate it from the fact that generally driving standards in the UK are pretty poor. I reside in a new build estate and there are a few EV's that regularly drive excessively quickly when coming in and out. Some I've noticed didn't drive like this when they had an ICE car previously.

It was just other other day I was in with the family having a 'Starby's' waiting on our car being serviced when I noticed several EV's launch out the drive thru queue across the carpark. I'm also finding that increasingly cars on the school run are travelling/accelerating at a rate that I feel they weren't before.

Has anyone else noticed anything similar? Is it the lack of involvement - no gearing, no engine noise and the fact that they are so big and heavy that is causing people to become desensitised to speed and causing their driving standards to slip?

I gave up at ‘Starby’s’!

Agreed, goes in the dhead pile with people who go on "Hollibobs" and celebrated the "Platty Joobs".

[mikeyr]

I can only base this on my own EV experience but I don't tend to push it on the roads nowadays because there's no noise, no sense of involvement and part of the vibe feels like just relaxing and not having to think about being in the right gear, etc. So for me, def slower and a little less reckless. But if I was younger and had one of the quicker Teslas...well, maybe I'd be different!

[JackJarvis]

OP a couple of weeks ago :

M.F.D said:

Here we go. Haven't we already got enough ICE vs EV threads on the go?

[D4rez]

In the pantheon of ridiculousness that ends with a Daily Fail headline “EVs linked to a rise in hearing tests as pedestrian safety AT RiSk!!”

[CharlieCrocodile]

Encourage poor driving? No
Encourage lazy driving? Yes

I've found myself engaging full regen-braking/Single pedal driving and turning on smart cruise control along with full lane assist even when in 30mph areas.

[Hol]

Lots of people getting much more than a little bit triggered and showing it on here!!


I cannot personally say that I have noticed a specific trend, but I agree with the poster who suggested that people with poor throttle control would naturally stand out.


I also don’t think that a specific/singulat demographic buys EV’s as the reasons for buying them differs.
It could be environment led, or just because it’s the only company car now available, and multiple reasons in between.

[Nomme de Plum]

CharlieCrocodile said:

Encourage poor driving? No
Encourage lazy driving? Yes

I've found myself engaging full regen-braking/Single pedal driving and turning on smart cruise control along with full lane assist even when in 30mph areas.

Why is that lazy.

Do you still write letters with a fountain pen.

How about sums and long multiplication.

Thank goodness our farmers use tractors and combine harvesters.

Bet you don't drive as your daily a car without synchro, ALB, power steering and some sort of traction control.

It's called progress.

[Nomme de Plum]

Hol said:

Lots of people getting much more than a little bit triggered and showing it on here!!


I cannot personally say that I have noticed a specific trend, but I agree with the poster who suggested that people with poor throttle control would naturally stand out.


I also don’t think that a specific/singulat demographic buys EV’s as the reasons for buying them differs.
It could be environment led, or just because it’s the only company car now available, and multiple reasons in between.

When some who post on PH realise that for 99.9% of the population a car is a tool to ferry family, drive to work , supermarket DIY store etc. etc. the better.

Then maybe they will stop with these completely pointless threads.

[Zio Di Roma]

M.F.D said:

I've been noticing this for a while and trying to separate it from the fact that generally driving standards in the UK are pretty poor. I reside in a new build estate and there are a few EV's that regularly drive excessively quickly when coming in and out. Some I've noticed didn't drive like this when they had an ICE car previously.

It was just other other day I was in with the family having a 'Starby's' waiting on our car being serviced when I noticed several EV's launch out the drive thru queue across the carpark. I'm also finding that increasingly cars on the school run are travelling/accelerating at a rate that I feel they weren't before.

Has anyone else noticed anything similar? Is it the lack of involvement - no gearing, no engine noise and the fact that they are so big and heavy that is causing people to become desensitised to speed and causing their driving standards to slip?

Yep, I've subscribed to this theory for some time. I attribute it to electric cars being bought by people who aren't all that interested in cars or driving. So you've suddenly got some of the heaviest, fastest accelerating, cars in the hands of people with limited driving ability

[Nomme de Plum]

Zio Di Roma said:

Yep, I've subscribed to this theory for some time. I attribute it to electric cars being bought by people who aren't all that interested in cars or driving. So you've suddenly got some of the heaviest, fastest accelerating, cars in the hands of people with limited driving ability

So because a person doesn't have a car fetish that makes them a poor driver in your eyes. What a load of twaddle.

There is little or no correlation between enthusiasm and talent. Whilst car enthusiasts could learn to drive competently unfortunately their self awareness is oft lacking and their idea of their own ability well in excess of their actual ability. This is evidenced everyday on our roads and even more on a track day.

[AC43]

I was in an EV on the way to Lisbon airport on Wednesday.

The driver was really pissing me off because, in the afternoon traffic he kept on lunging forward and then braking hard. Then lunging, then braking. Then lunging, then braking.

Plus he didn't have the a/c on so it was either sweat like a bd or open the window and get a faceful of diesel fumes from the rest of the traffic.

Anyway, he was clearly one of those irritating drivers who treat the throttle and brakes as binary devices and the acceleration of an EV just made it worse.

fking unpleasant experience.

[Zio Di Roma]

Nomme de Plum said:

Zio Di Roma said:

Yep, I've subscribed to this theory for some time. I attribute it to electric cars being bought by people who aren't all that interested in cars or driving. So you've suddenly got some of the heaviest, fastest accelerating, cars in the hands of people with limited driving ability

So because a person doesn't have a car fetish that makes them a poor driver in your eyes. What a load of twaddle.

There is little or no correlation between enthusiasm and talent. Whilst car enthusiasts could learn to drive competently unfortunately their self awareness is oft lacking and their idea of their own ability well in excess of their actual ability. This is evidenced everyday on our roads and even more on a track day.

I prepared a reply to this and then didn't post it, in order not to be argumentative. I was going to say that Model X drivers are the worst, and the dirtier the car the worse the driving.

I wish I had posted it and been able to take a photo or video of the white Model X that I have just followed out of Nottingham (but I was driving). It was indeed dirty and being driven by an utter trumpet, using all his acceleration and lack of driving skills to make himself a menace. It's not entirely a stunning coincidence because of how many of them there are about.

I do agree with you that people with no driving skills aren't drawn to EVs specifically. But formerly they would have had an XC60 or something equally laggy in which they could do no harm. Now, they can achieve 0-60 in 2.5 seconds and someone clueless but benign becomes a hazard.