Will you still love cars when they’re all electric?

[Johnniem]

I love driving mostly because of the car I drive but I'd rather be driving than not. A petrolhead is a person that loves cars not because they only love driving. It has to be about cars doesn't it? I remember my first bicycle, not because it was a fantastic bike but because it offered me freedom to go places that were otherwise not reachable. When I was 12 and got a blue Raleigh chopper, I had my first experience of feeling a bit special out there on the suburban roads with 'this amazing machine'. Fast forward to my first car (Renault 12 TL). It was my first owning experience but it may as well have been a Ferrari. To me it was the ultimate freedom machine. Until my first R5GT Turbo of course! It was then more about the driving experience.

I could never disassociate the car from the driving experience but having had a stroke and taken 2 years to get my licence back, I'd take a Corsa if it meant I could carry on driving. The 2CV is one of my favourite cars and that is very much about the experience of driving rather than the thrill. EV's will be in our lives sooner than we think and at some point we'll have to use them I guess. So long as I can pootle around UK and Europe in my old age I shall be happy.

JM

[Rich Boy Spanner]

No. I already find 99% of the cars I see on the road blander and more boring than my toaster. That's because they are almost all the same 3 colours, metallic grey, black, or silver, and are a 4 cylinder petrol or diesel SUV or a hatchback, and all look pretty much the same. The last car I found interesting was the 485 BHP Dodge Charger I had in the US, which sounded like a piece of heaven. Once it's all electric it will be as interesting as forums on CPU clock speeds.

[Monkeylegend]

SonicHedgeHog said:

The acceleration might be amazing but where are you going to use it? 0-100 in 5 seconds. Fun for a bit, but how many standing 0-100 runs can you do on the public road? More likely you’ll be doing 30-40mph minimum when you start. That means 40-100 in about 2 seconds. Then you have to slow down for traffic or police. I don’t doubt the giggle factor. I’m looking forward to that too. But it wears off and then what?

Speed limiting in new cars is coming to a place near you very soon so forget about speed and acceleration, these will be a thing of the past, so by the time cars are all electric we will all be bumbling around in autonomous cars, adhering automatically to 20 mph speed limits cities and built up areas, and 50 mph everywhere else.

Th future of motoring seems so exciting, I can't wait.

[Fruffy91]

The problem is the "petrolhead" is a dying breed. There are less and less people caring for there cars and just see it as a tool to get them from A to B. Regards of how it looks, works etc. Fuel will just keep getting more and more expensive until the point where it will still be around just no body can afford it thus forcing people to go electric in my eyes. I'd hate to say what will become of our beloved cars. Although there are increasing amount of. Companies out there popping up offering to convert your petrol/diesel car to electric with conversion kits.

[Limpet]

I love cars, but I also love gadgets and technology. A Tesla or iPace is equally appealing to me as an equivalently priced performance IC car, but just appeals to a different part of my brain.

And I can't see fossil stuff being outlawed in my lifetime anyway. I suspect legislation and taxation will make petrol power impractical to use daily over the next couple of decades, but I'm sure nobody is going to be shot for getting something petrol powered out for a weekend blast.

[otolith]

Future generations will mostly see ICE cars as coarse, noisy, slow contraptions. They won't have the same emotional connection to the noise because it won't mean anything. "This old petrol car makes a very loud howling noise and as a result is nearly as quick as your mum's electric shopping car".

They'll find their own things to get excited about.

[Roger Irrelevant]

BenjiS said:

I’ll still love it.

If the machine accelerates fast, goes fast in a straight line and goes fast around corners, I don’t care whether it’s powered by magic pixie dust I’ll love driving it.

Same here. I appreciate I'm in the minority on here but I really don't give a monkey's fart about the noise a car makes, in fact best if it makes none at all. I can't wait until an EV is a realistic proposition for me but unfortunately it'll be a while yet.

[hutchst]

I'm in the minority here, looking forward to it, especially the self-driving variety.

I've been driving for more than 45 years. How anybody can consider driving in today's over-regulated environment a pleasure is beyond me. We have:

Speed cameras
Bus lane cameras
Traffic light cameras
Smart motorways
SORN
Continuous insurence regulations
Private parking controls
Congestion charges
ULEZ
Dashcam enforcers
Lycra warriors
ANPR

just to mention a few. It's a bloody chore just getting into a car these days.

I'll be first in the queue for a self-driving electric car to take me to Tesco's and bring me home from the pub when I've had a few.

[e46m3Mark]

As long as I can still drive my old internal combustion engine powered vehicle I have no objection to others having electric ones. I just don't want one myself.

I ran an i8 for the day and it was quick, quiet and utterly soulless. Driving is about the senses and losing the sound of a free revving petrol engine is like losing at least 2 of the senses.

[Chamon_Lee]

I am just going with the flow - I am enjoying what I enjoy now and when the time comes I will see whats out.

What I am certainly not doing is jumping on the EV band wagon.
I know for the time being they are cost effective to some consumers but people tend to forget almost 60p of a litre of fuel is duty, add on top of this the 20% VAT element. Electricity does not have this YET - VAT is 5% and prices just seem to shot up year and year.

It will though for car use, or they will make up some other bullst tax/duty.
I cannot even imagine the long term impact of millions of big ass batteries being produced/destroyed. Maybe its ok, maybe its better, maybe its worse; who knows!. But its clear the gov have no clue about this either. Even in my short life time the way they can change the tide is very clever, diesels great then not so great. I cannot think for 1 second that they don't have enough boffins to have checked this themselves.

Edited by Chamon_Lee on Monday 18th March 10:40

[Scootersp]

What it highlights to me is the impact of sound in all forms of excitement.

An airbus at close to stall speed silently (relatively) glide across is impressive, but the Mig's Vulcan etc are so much more of a spectacle largely due to the noises and that sense of power you get from it.

A chinock, a Merlin engine, even a commercial jet opening the taps for takeoff, i think it will take generations not to link sounds to modes of transport, not that electric stuff is truely silent (formula E) but it's a totally different muted sound that belies the power being generated/used.

[Dave Hedgehog]

SonicHedgeHog said:

Electric cars are necessary for our planet and when the technology is perfected they’ll make awesome daily drivers. But for the bloke who loves to drive? I think he’s going to be left wanting. What do you reckon? I know I’m keeping my current car until they take my licence away.

I dont like driving full stop any more, overly competent totally uninvolved performance cars that are only ever a few seconds away from a ban and few more seconds away from jail time. Badly Maintained roads. Huge amounts of traffic (in the SE). Scamera's everywhere and now all these knob jockeys posting faux outrage of their onboard camera because they cant read the roads probably.

If i never drove again I would not care in the slightest

[lyonspride]

Cars will never all be electric, over 50% of UK homes don't have off road parking, so in the UK at least it's not even an option.

[RowntreesCabana]

SonicHedgeHog said:

It’ll probably drive for me and cost peanuts to fuel.

Your first electric car might be cheap to fuel, but it wont last for long. There's no way that future governments will allow the decreasing revenues from fossil fuels to continue whilst the people move over to electric on mass. There will come a time when the electric car will be as expensive to run as the petrol/diesel is now, be it through gps tracking, ANPR cameras, automated mileage data logging, higher tax on household electricity or whatever other scheme they come up with, it will happen eventually.

[bodhi]

I'll still love cars yes. The petrol ones anyway. Currently conversations with EV owners make me feel as if I've walked into an accountancy lecture by accident, and the cars they are talking about are even less interesting.

[so called]

SOL111 said:

SonicHedgeHog said:

I’m not saying I don’t like electric cars. I do and I’m very much looking forward to my first electric daily driver. I’m just making the point that without the sounds, smells and sensations of old technology and with the limitations of the public road I doubt I’ll find much fun in electric performance cars. And petrolheads are already boring people. Imagine sitting in the pub talking cars when there are no engines and gearboxes to discuss. Riveting!

I recently went from an M140i to an i3s and thought exactly like you. I thought it would potentially be the biggest mistake as I love cars.

Three months in and I have to admit that I don't miss it at all. The noise was great and the acceleration brutal (for me anyway) but an EV gives me a sufficiently different experience that I'm not that bothered.

The M140i was brilliant in that it was the closest to an NA engine you could get from a turbo. However, as good as it was, an EV is so much better for pedal response. The 0.5 second lag isn't much but feels an age when you have instant torque to squeeze into gaps or overtake.

To me, my i3s feels faster in 90% of situations than the M140i. On a day to day basis that's far more important to my daily commute.

Ok so handling is still off but is only a matter of time. Once manufacturers have this sussed I won't be looking back.

Similarly, I went from a CLS to an i3 and as with SOL111, I love the characteristics of the i3.
I feel lucky that I have a great contrast in driving with a Disco, Tuscan and the i3.
I enjoy driving them all for different reasons.

I think that a part of the pleasure I get from the Tuscan is similar to that of the i3 in the acceleration fun factor.
Yes, love the Tuscan noise a lot, but I have to own up and say it was listening to the noise and staying in a lower gear that resulted in me writing my first Tuscan off.
Don't think the i3 is going to suffer that fate.

[J4CKO]

Mr Tidy said:

I could never love an EV - but thankfully cars with an ICE will be around longer than I will!

Thats the key thing, we love what we know and dont miss what we have never had.

We are all swayed by the past but that isnt what is best for society as a whole, PH and Petrolheads in general are a subculture and it is true that a lot of drivers arent arsed about engine noises, and why should they be, it isnt compulsory and different people get different things from cars.

There will still be desirable models that look the part, despite the idea what everything will look like the taxi from Total Recall, manufacturers still have to sell stuff that people desire, want rather than just need, how its powered doesnt really matter in a lot of cases, a vast proportion of ICE cars arent very exciting. Its like sometimes the diesel option is nicer to drive than the lower petrol ones, the EV option may well be more pleasant more of the time.

Quite possible for kids being born now will never drive an ICE and some will say what a shame that is, really, is it, people had horses before and will have not wanted motor vehicles as its just not like a horse, but how many here miss riding a horse ? how many have actually ridden one ?

[SOL111]

so called said:

Similarly, I went from a CLS to an i3 and as with SOL111, I love the characteristics of the i3.
I feel lucky that I have a great contrast in driving with a Disco, Tuscan and the i3.
I enjoy driving them all for different reasons.

I think that a part of the pleasure I get from the Tuscan is similar to that of the i3 in the acceleration fun factor.
Yes, love the Tuscan noise a lot, but I have to own up and say it was listening to the noise and staying in a lower gear that resulted in me writing my first Tuscan off.
Don't think the i3 is going to suffer that fate.

Glad you're enjoying yours too. It's a hoot to drive and the little whine as you accelerate still makes me chuckle

I turned off the traction control down the other day and unintentionally did a mini power slide so it is possible. Not sure I'll be doing it again though as I'm still getting used to the skinny tyres!

[Alex_225]

Yes and No.

My two main cars are a CLS63 and an E320. The CLS I love for it's refinement combined with a fantastic noise, brilliant performance and obviously it's looks.

The E Class on the other hand offers similar refinement but it's quiet, comfortable, quick enough for boring mileage but able to do 48mpg and I don't care about putting the miles on it.

If I could drive an EV which offers everything my E320 does, comfort, economy, decent bit of power and cheap to run. Then I could love the car but I'd still be keeping the CLS! haha

[Alex_225]

Yes and No.

My two main cars are a CLS63 and an E320. The CLS I love for it's refinement combined with a fantastic noise, brilliant performance and obviously it's looks.

The E Class on the other hand offers similar refinement but it's quiet, comfortable, quick enough for boring mileage but able to do 48mpg and I don't care about putting the miles on it.

If I could drive an EV which offers everything my E320 does, comfort, economy, decent bit of power and cheap to run. Then I could love the car but I'd still be keeping the CLS! haha