The weight comes from the batteries.
More range equals more batteries equals greater weight.
More performance does not equal more weight, as the motors don't get any heavier really.
Good Idea?
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The weight comes from the batteries.
More range equals more batteries equals greater weight.
More performance does not equal more weight, as the motors don't get any heavier really.
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Yep: the authorities (in their infinite wisdom) resurfaced the island at the top of my road........
......then closed the main A road which runs parallel to my road, but a mile or so south of it, for a couple of months' of nighttime resurfacing.
Resulting in the normal nighttime HGV traffic being diverted from said A road, along mine.
Result? Newly-resurfaced island was ripped up completely by the endless stream of HGVs, within a fortnight.
I don't have the M50. It was just the closest comparison with the petrol M-series, because it is 4 wheel drive. The one I'm in is the e-Drive 40 (but only because the 35 wasn't available when they ordered mine). It does have the "M-Sport goody pack ,because it was a cancelled order, and to be honest, at my age, I'd rather it hadn't, because it makes it a bit less energy efficient and the ride (even in "comfort mode"), is a bit choppy. I'd rather have had the slightly taller tyre sidewalls, and less rolling resistance, even though it would mean slightly soggier handling and less ultimate grip. As it is, I'm having to "make do" with a rather more 'pedestrian' time of just over five and a half seconds to sixty...
. Oh the sacrifices we make for the planet, eh...!But I think you raise an interesting point, which has cropped up on here before. I absolutely agree - nobody "needs" that sort of performance. I started my career in sports cars and drove some pretty bloody quick ones in my 20s. Back in the late 1980s, anything that could hit 60 in less than 5 seconds was a "supercar", and here we are, with ordinary family saloons bettering that! But how did we get here? Nissan, Vauxhall and Chevrolet (and others like Renault), offered modestly-powered EVs that didn't really take off. It was only when Musk arrived with "insane" acceleration figures, that EVs started to become "sexy". This kick-started volume interest in EVs, but it also started (in my view), something of an "arms race", whereby to be in the game, manufacturers had to offer similar levels of performance. The legacy of this, are some insanely fast, but very expensive EVs. No manufacture wants to be the first to lose out.
On the other hand, EVs aren't like ICEs. If you want an ICE car that can deliver that sort of performance, you have to spend an awful lot of money, and most of the time, in everyday traffic, you're throttling an immensely powerful petrol engine, reducing its (already poor) efficiency massively. With an EV, it's different. You can still have 90-odd% efficiency at part throttle, so there's little environmental disadvantage to having a powerful EV. If you drive it slowly, it will return much better energy consumption figures. (It's why ICEs get really thirsty in crawling traffic). Obviously, if you restrict performance, you could also reduce weight by having smaller brakes, and a knock-on effect, that then means smaller suspension arms, which all saves a bit of weight. You can then get away with skinnier tyres - saving more weight and also lowering rolling resistance), which means you can get the same range with a smaller battery, saving even more weight, which means you can use lighter springs, less crash structure.... etc.
But you can see what we're up against, here. Look at the number of folk who feel that life simply wouldn't be worth living without at least 600 miles of range! I'm nothing like as worried about range as I used to be, despite doing "big miles", because you just use EVs "differently". The trouble is, I had to run one for the best part of a year before that sunk in - and as you can see, it clearly hasn't sunk in for the majority of anti-EV folk on here. They're bombarded with YouTube videos from propagandists who delight in racing an EV and an ICE from Lands End to John O' Groats just so they can tell you how "bad" EVs are, and many people genuinely don't seem to be capable of stopping and thinking: "hang on! When was the last time I had to drive my ICE car from Lands End to John O' Groats? Oh! Now I come to think of it, I've never had to do that in my entire life"!
Oh, I did, back in the 70's. I also drove none stop, apart from refuelling, to Italy.
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Really cheers me up, knowing I have to share the roads with drivers like that...
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Most people don't do 300 miles a week,let alone a day.
Probably not even when they go the yearly holiday.
Those that do, generally want the most economical, comfortable, practical vehicle for it.
Probably not even when they go the yearly holiday.
Those that do, generally want the most economical, comfortable, practical vehicle for it.
A post about EV range issues...................citing, as supporting evidence, a single instance from 50 years ago
About one third of one percent, and declining in recent years. And that figure is heavily skewed by HGVs, presumably engaged in trading - for cars it's about 0.14%
If your dictionary describes that situation as a "plethora" you should get a new one.
Plus you're not allowed to keep (and use) a foreign registered vehicle here for more than 6 months - after that it has to be registered here, and it gets a UK number from the DVLA.
Not actually as long ago, but I would happily tow the 350 mile trip, to Cornwall, none-stop.
It does, indirectly. If you drive more gently you use less energy, which means a longer range, which means that batteries could be smaller & lighter if performance was restricted.
Contrary to every bit of safety advice you'd have seen.
Individuals, and their ability to concentrate, varies quite considerably. I've never had an issue staying alert behind the wheel, probably why I have a clean licence, and never been involved in an accident, despite probably driving millions of miles, in a wide variety of vehicles during my working career and privately.
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We all think we are indestructrible and capable of driving for hours on end.
Looking back at doing similar things, I now understand how unsafe it was. A few minutes break, coffee or pee or both or even just a stretch of the legs, and the concentration and alertness levels are noticeably better. I don't buy this "makes no difference to me" bit. I've been there, done that, and understand better now.
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