How does it feel to drive an EV?
Discussion
I don't mean emotionally, what are the driving charectaristics?
Never having driven an electric car I have this idea that the accelerator is like a switch, off or on. Probably wildly wrong.
How easy is it to make smooth and progressive progress? Do you get engine braking? Is there any need to warm up any of the engine or car components?
Is it necessary to adjust your driving style?
What do passengers say about the ride, noise etc?
Im interested to know.
Thanks.
Never having driven an electric car I have this idea that the accelerator is like a switch, off or on. Probably wildly wrong.
How easy is it to make smooth and progressive progress? Do you get engine braking? Is there any need to warm up any of the engine or car components?
Is it necessary to adjust your driving style?
What do passengers say about the ride, noise etc?
Im interested to know.
Thanks.
Edited by Thankyou4calling on Thursday 27th July 21:51
I've driven a few at work. From memory a couple of Nissan Leaves(?), a couple of those Nissan vans, a BMW i3, a Renault Zoe, a weird little Mitsubishi thing and an electric VW Up.
They all accelerated very well off the line and seemed very responsive at low speeds, especially the vans. But beyond about 40mph they seem to run out of ideas and drain the battery very quickly. I suppose that's to be expected, so ideal for short journeys around town, but from my experience no good out on the open road.
From my experience they are obviously very quiet, which makes you more aware of other noises that you wouldn't usually notice, be it wind noise, tyre roar, or any other rattles or squeaks.
The BMW i3 had loads of what felt like 'engine braking', and I didn't get on with driving that at all. Felt like the handbrake was left on, and felt very unnatural to drive. Maybe you'd get used to it over time, but not for me I'm afraid. All the others mentioned above seemed like a normal petrol/diesel car in that respect.
Without trying to offend any 'early adopters', I would personally be looking at a hybrid or petrol/diesel car unless confined to urban areas.
They all accelerated very well off the line and seemed very responsive at low speeds, especially the vans. But beyond about 40mph they seem to run out of ideas and drain the battery very quickly. I suppose that's to be expected, so ideal for short journeys around town, but from my experience no good out on the open road.
From my experience they are obviously very quiet, which makes you more aware of other noises that you wouldn't usually notice, be it wind noise, tyre roar, or any other rattles or squeaks.
The BMW i3 had loads of what felt like 'engine braking', and I didn't get on with driving that at all. Felt like the handbrake was left on, and felt very unnatural to drive. Maybe you'd get used to it over time, but not for me I'm afraid. All the others mentioned above seemed like a normal petrol/diesel car in that respect.
Without trying to offend any 'early adopters', I would personally be looking at a hybrid or petrol/diesel car unless confined to urban areas.
Edited by angels95 on Thursday 27th July 21:44
They vary as widely as internal combustion powered cars do. Generally speaking their throttle response is better than an ICE and the lack of gearbox means they're more linear and predictable in terms of how throttle input relates to power.
Whether they "engine brake" depends on the setup - some are set up to use the regenerative brakes when you lift off the throttle, some will just coast and need the brake pedal to be depressed in order to regeneratively brake; some let you select which of those two behaviours you'd prefer.
All in all, they don't really feel very different than a conventional car.
Whether they "engine brake" depends on the setup - some are set up to use the regenerative brakes when you lift off the throttle, some will just coast and need the brake pedal to be depressed in order to regeneratively brake; some let you select which of those two behaviours you'd prefer.
All in all, they don't really feel very different than a conventional car.
Edited by kambites on Thursday 27th July 21:46
in a word, smooth!
Without multiratio gearboxes, and no firing noise or vibration, a modern EV is extremely smooth and calm to drive.
My i3 is hardly the fastest thing in the world, but has no issues keeping up with the rest of traffic, despite being electronically limited to about 90mph.
It's particularly brilliant in the wet, because the stability control is so good (the electric motor can modulate it's torque at a far higher rate than for an ICE).
You quickly get used to the regen, and end up driving "one pedal" for 99% of the time, hardly ever using the friction brakes. And once you get used to having a bi-directional powertrain, going back to a car that wastes all it's energy in heat in the brakes just feels very, very old fashioned!
ETA: going back to an ICE, you also notice how poor the torque mapping is by comparison (ICE typically mapped to +- 10Nm, and EV can be mapped to +- 0.1Nm or better!) especially during warm-up driving.
Without multiratio gearboxes, and no firing noise or vibration, a modern EV is extremely smooth and calm to drive.
My i3 is hardly the fastest thing in the world, but has no issues keeping up with the rest of traffic, despite being electronically limited to about 90mph.
It's particularly brilliant in the wet, because the stability control is so good (the electric motor can modulate it's torque at a far higher rate than for an ICE).
You quickly get used to the regen, and end up driving "one pedal" for 99% of the time, hardly ever using the friction brakes. And once you get used to having a bi-directional powertrain, going back to a car that wastes all it's energy in heat in the brakes just feels very, very old fashioned!
ETA: going back to an ICE, you also notice how poor the torque mapping is by comparison (ICE typically mapped to +- 10Nm, and EV can be mapped to +- 0.1Nm or better!) especially during warm-up driving.
Edited by anonymous-user on Thursday 27th July 21:58
Go test drive one! I have an i3 on order.
BMW are good at giving test drives, including extended ones. They know people need convincing.
I3 does have strong regeneration braking. Took me about 30 minutes s to get used to it. After that it's great, you pretty much drive it with just one pedal, which makes it very easy and relaxing.
Power delivery is instant and linear, which I found good, but also a little weird. I'm sure I will get used to that. It is very smooth and quiet around town.
Best way I can describe it is that the i3 felt digital on my test drives, and stepping back into my diesel it felt analogue.
The tech in the i3 integrates well. For instance, you can set a departure time on app on your phone and it will pre-heat the cabin so you never have to scrape windows again.
BMW are good at giving test drives, including extended ones. They know people need convincing.
I3 does have strong regeneration braking. Took me about 30 minutes s to get used to it. After that it's great, you pretty much drive it with just one pedal, which makes it very easy and relaxing.
Power delivery is instant and linear, which I found good, but also a little weird. I'm sure I will get used to that. It is very smooth and quiet around town.
Best way I can describe it is that the i3 felt digital on my test drives, and stepping back into my diesel it felt analogue.
The tech in the i3 integrates well. For instance, you can set a departure time on app on your phone and it will pre-heat the cabin so you never have to scrape windows again.
I've had a ZOE for just over a year. It's basically like driving any other automatic car.
It's quite heavy, on thin 'eco' tyres, so sporty cornering is unwise.
Accelerates very well up to 30mph, after that it's similar to a small petrol, restricted to approx. 85mph. Driving over 60mph has a big affect on on range.
It regenerates lightly providing some braking assistance, enough to hold speed on shallow descents, but not as much as the Leaf/i3 do, judging from comments above.
You do hear squeaks in the cabin, and under 15mph it makes an "ooo" sound to warn pedestrians.
Certainly been a great second car, and would replace with another BEV without hesitation.
It's quite heavy, on thin 'eco' tyres, so sporty cornering is unwise.
Accelerates very well up to 30mph, after that it's similar to a small petrol, restricted to approx. 85mph. Driving over 60mph has a big affect on on range.
It regenerates lightly providing some braking assistance, enough to hold speed on shallow descents, but not as much as the Leaf/i3 do, judging from comments above.
You do hear squeaks in the cabin, and under 15mph it makes an "ooo" sound to warn pedestrians.
Certainly been a great second car, and would replace with another BEV without hesitation.
I've driven a Leaf and an i3, my experience was that the leaf was quiet and the way it accelerates is smooth but dull, just feels like a diesel to be honest.
The i3 was more, wooooooooow. Oh that's it
Really liked the i3 though.
Engine braking isn't as odd as you may think, you get used to it pretty quickly and it becomes much more natural than just braking.
The i3 was more, wooooooooow. Oh that's it
Really liked the i3 though.
Engine braking isn't as odd as you may think, you get used to it pretty quickly and it becomes much more natural than just braking.
I've got a Merc C 350e.
When it runs on electric which is 80hp it is very smooth and quiet. Responsive at low speed but runs out of puff at about 50mph if you switch the ICE off. What's noticeable is the lack of engine braking when you lift off. It does harvest energy but it doesn't slow down as much as an ICE. So you need to brake more often.
I am a petrolhead but it is brilliant.
When it runs on electric which is 80hp it is very smooth and quiet. Responsive at low speed but runs out of puff at about 50mph if you switch the ICE off. What's noticeable is the lack of engine braking when you lift off. It does harvest energy but it doesn't slow down as much as an ICE. So you need to brake more often.
I am a petrolhead but it is brilliant.
Welshbeef said:
Remember an I3 utterly destroys an E92 M3 0-30mph(and it can do that all day long hitting the time to do it perfectly every single time just floor it and that's it).
er, no it doesn't.....i3's like most single gear electric cars are poor from absolute zero speed, because with a single fixed gear, there is a trade off between the max speed the vehicle can go (before overspeeding the motor) and the lowest road speed at which it can actually make peak power (power = torque x speed in broad terms).
Once rolling however, the lack of any lag, and relatively decent torque to mass ratio mean the i3 is actually quite rapid. Between say 30 and 60, i reckon my i3 is pretty much as fast as my 335d. Some way off a 'fully lit' M3 never the less imo.
I really like driving them. Floor it in a Tesla and it's like being in the Millennium Falcon. The immediacy of the power delivery takes some getting used to. I rather favour the E-Up. Sweet little car. The lack of gears is odder than the regen braking. And, as others say, you can hear more of the other noises that the ICE drowns out. Some years back, at Millbrook, I blagged a drive of the Electric Phantom that RR had running. That was utterly brilliant. It was charged by induction as I remember and that, more than any of the other cars I've driven, really suited electric power.
Vauxhall Ampera owner.
I drive with high regen option, occasionally switching into Sport for overtaking and traffic lights.
It's easy to drive, especially in traffic. Effectively you can just flex the accelerator to go and use regeneration to slow to almost a complete stop, very therapeutic!
The lack of noise when you accelerate is quite impressive if you're not use to it. Lots of torque from low down and no noise to alert the senses.
And when the petrol generator kicks in, still a pleasure to drive and generally play on my refinement, but such a shame compared to full EV.
I drive with high regen option, occasionally switching into Sport for overtaking and traffic lights.
It's easy to drive, especially in traffic. Effectively you can just flex the accelerator to go and use regeneration to slow to almost a complete stop, very therapeutic!
The lack of noise when you accelerate is quite impressive if you're not use to it. Lots of torque from low down and no noise to alert the senses.
And when the petrol generator kicks in, still a pleasure to drive and generally play on my refinement, but such a shame compared to full EV.
Max_Torque said:
er, no it doesn't.....
i3's like most single gear electric cars are poor from absolute zero speed, because with a single fixed gear, there is a trade off between the max speed the vehicle can go (before overspeeding the motor) and the lowest road speed at which it can actually make peak power (power = torque x speed in broad terms).
Once rolling however, the lack of any lag, and relatively decent torque to mass ratio mean the i3 is actually quite rapid. Between say 30 and 60, i reckon my i3 is pretty much as fast as my 335d. Some way off a 'fully lit' M3 never the less imo.
The you tube videos at Brands Hatch show that is the case? Why are they telling lies?i3's like most single gear electric cars are poor from absolute zero speed, because with a single fixed gear, there is a trade off between the max speed the vehicle can go (before overspeeding the motor) and the lowest road speed at which it can actually make peak power (power = torque x speed in broad terms).
Once rolling however, the lack of any lag, and relatively decent torque to mass ratio mean the i3 is actually quite rapid. Between say 30 and 60, i reckon my i3 is pretty much as fast as my 335d. Some way off a 'fully lit' M3 never the less imo.
Max_Torque said:
er, no it doesn't.....
i3's like most single gear electric cars are poor from absolute zero speed, because with a single fixed gear, there is a trade off between the max speed the vehicle can go (before overspeeding the motor) and the lowest road speed at which it can actually make peak power (power = torque x speed in broad terms).
Once rolling however, the lack of any lag, and relatively decent torque to mass ratio mean the i3 is actually quite rapid. Between say 30 and 60, i reckon my i3 is pretty much as fast as my 335d. Some way off a 'fully lit' M3 never the less imo.
https://youtu.be/PO5z32L32aYi3's like most single gear electric cars are poor from absolute zero speed, because with a single fixed gear, there is a trade off between the max speed the vehicle can go (before overspeeding the motor) and the lowest road speed at which it can actually make peak power (power = torque x speed in broad terms).
Once rolling however, the lack of any lag, and relatively decent torque to mass ratio mean the i3 is actually quite rapid. Between say 30 and 60, i reckon my i3 is pretty much as fast as my 335d. Some way off a 'fully lit' M3 never the less imo.
Enjoy
Welshbeef said:
Utterly destroys?... Hardly. The M3 lit up his tyres, but as soon as he got traction it was all over.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff