Do electric cars accelerate too fast for the average driver.

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

This has been "bothering" me for a while now, ever since I was nearly sideswiped last year leaving a 40mph roadworks on the M6. I was in the middle lane and accelerating quite briskly but not as fast as some around me, so I decided to pull into the inner (left) lane. I checked my mirrors, as you do, indicated and strted to pull over only to be just missed by a large electric SUV (green patch on No plate) which came out of nowhere undertaking me. I've also seen some "silly" jinx at traffic lights involving electric cars accelerating away stupidly fast catching out others making a turn. Well, this morning I was sitting at a lights with 2 lanes going straight on. I'm in the right lane and the car in the left lane starts to move, very rapidly, on the yellow light. He's almost half way across the junction before I've even got my clutch fully let out when I notice he's almost hit a cyclist going across the junction right to left- admittedly the cyclist was being a bit of a chancer with his lights, I guess he had probably "gone for it" on his yellow, but many do this. Driving normally, there's no way a normal petrol engined "bodsmobile" would have caused any problem. Then. when I'm nearly home, I was cruising at 22mph - 20mph zone - again in the right lane when the chap behind got fed up traveling at the legal speed (he'd been riding my back bumper for some time) pulled left into the bus lane, which isn't active on a Sunday of course, and accelerated past me like a "Bat out of Hell" before having to brake very heavily when the lights went to red. What a total Pratt! When the lights went to orange he was off like a scalded cat long before the green illuminated.

Following that I've about a mile of 20mph and another at 30 before getting home and I found myself pondering the question I posed above. Acceleration capability like this is something only previously encountered in supercars or specialist vehicles, not the sort of thing the average person would buy and therefore there's not that many about. Now though, there are potentially hundreds and thousands of them with incompetent drivers behind their steering wheels - Has anyone else thought about this? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

This might be of interest: https://www.thecarexpert.co.uk/are-evs-too-fast-for-their-own-good/

 

[porta]

Yes

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Yes

Just one word - but it says it all!

 

[Greasytrucker]

This has been "bothering" me for a while now, ever since I was nearly sideswiped last year leaving a 40mph roadworks on the M6. I was in the middle lane and accelerating quite briskly but not as fast as some around me, so I decided to pull into the inner (left) lane. I checked my mirrors, as you do, indicated and strted to pull over only to be just missed by a large electric SUV (green patch on No plate) which came out of nowhere undertaking me. I've also seen some "silly" jinx at traffic lights involving electric cars accelerating away stupidly fast catching out others making a turn. Well, this morning I was sitting at a lights with 2 lanes going straight on. I'm in the right lane and the car in the left lane starts to move, very rapidly, on the yellow light. He's almost half way across the junction before I've even got my clutch fully let out when I notice he's almost hit a cyclist going across the junction right to left- admittedly the cyclist was being a bit of a chancer with his lights, I guess he had probably "gone for it" on his yellow, but many do this. Driving normally, there's no way a normal petrol engined "bodsmobile" would have caused any problem. Then. when I'm nearly home, I was cruising at 22mph - 20mph zone - again in the right lane when the chap behind got fed up traveling at the legal speed (he'd been riding my back bumper for some time) pulled left into the bus lane, which isn't active on a Sunday of course, and accelerated past me like a "Bat out of Hell" before having to brake very heavily when the lights went to red. What a total Pratt! When the lights went to orange he was off like a scalded cat long before the green illuminated.

Following that I've about a mile of 20mph and another at 30 before getting home and I found myself pondering the question I posed above. Acceleration capability like this is something only previously encountered in supercars or specialist vehicles, not the sort of thing the average person would buy and therefore there's not that many about. Now though, there are potentially hundreds and thousands of them with incompetent drivers behind their steering wheels - Has anyone else thought about this? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

This might be of interest: https://www.thecarexpert.co.uk/are-evs-too-fast-for-their-own-good/

My take on this as a professional HGV driver covering approximately 100,000km is this. I see on a daily basis many electric car drivers who seem to think they’re invincible, they’ll see a gap and just bury the throttle thinking “I’ll make that”. Yes Jock, i do think they are too fast for the average driver and i think insurance companies need to cotton on to this. I personally think the problem has arisen because the type of person that has the higher end electric car is buying it for luxurious reasons as apposed to performance, but because said car also goes like s*it off a shovel as a selling point, that’s what you’re left with. Before EV’s you’d have to pay extra for the bigger more powerful engine so not bother, and just tick all the boxes for the fancy toys and interior, now you just get a rocket ship thrown in for free in a lot of EV’s. Essentially you’re giving supercar performance to the idiot in some cases, hence the situation i see on a daily basis. That’s my take on it anyway. Sorry if it was a bit of a rant, but it is a subject I feel will come to a head, and needs too

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

My take on this as a professional HGV driver covering approximately 100,000km is this. I see on a daily basis many electric car drivers who seem to think they’re invincible, they’ll see a gap and just bury the throttle thinking “I’ll make that”. Yes Jock, i do think they are too fast for the average driver and i think insurance companies need to cotton on to this. I personally think the problem has arisen because the type of person that has the higher end electric car is buying it for luxurious reasons as apposed to performance, but because said car also goes like s*it off a shovel as a selling point, that’s what you’re left with. Before EV’s you’d have to pay extra for the bigger more powerful engine so not bother, and just tick all the boxes for the fancy toys and interior, now you just get a rocket ship thrown in for free in a lot of EV’s. Essentially you’re giving supercar performance to the idiot in some cases, hence the situation i see on a daily basis. That’s my take on it anyway. Sorry if it was a bit of a rant, but it is a subject I feel will come to a head, and needs too

Nice to know it's not just me being "grumpy". Maybe, when there have been a number of serious accidents, the insurance companies will make it uneconomic to own them?

 

[Greasytrucker]

Nice to know it's not just me being "grumpy". Maybe, when there have been a number of serious accidents, the insurance companies will make it uneconomic to own them?

I just don’t understand why they have to make the average electric car so fast, if they made them a bit slower then surely the range would be a bit better

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

I just don’t understand why they have to make the average electric car so fast, if they made them a bit slower then surely the range would be a bit better

Must really flog the battery too which probably shortens it's life. Ok for the new buyer but when it's a used car? I think all used EVs should compulsorily come with a standardized, 3rd party, battery condition report.

 

[bugsymike]

I suspect the problem is the same with most cars, "Its the nut loose behind the steering wheel sir!" However exacerbated by EV instant acceleration.
In the past it was when rich daddy bought son a Ferrari.

 

[The Panda Nut]

I just don’t understand why they have to make the average electric car so fast, if they made them a bit slower then surely the range would be a bit better

I am glad to see this being raised as its something I feel strongly about. Its pretty clear to me as well, that the answer is an unqualified yes. These things are too fast for public road use period. The potential risk to anyone around any stupid users is extraordinaruily high.

We all need to think of the damage we do to the world just by being here. Car makers who make such ludicrously fast machinery should be shunned and lambasted by right thinking people. Speed can be a benefit, but it comes at a massive environmental cost. Its not all EV's that are an issue many are set to travel distance at lower speed, and aimed at improving overall energy use. Unecessary speed is anti social on local and a planetary scale. It and those who continue to pursue it for no reason other that making money selling the idiotic things are vile.

The number of super sports cars wrecked over the years has been significant with young stars of the media and sporting worlds often involved demonstrated that even those with great reactions and coordination is not enough to control them. It proves the point that these things and the speed they generate need experience, skill and training to control properly. EV's with massive torque and power need even more skill that old ICE supercars. Average people dont have enough of these, and in any event dont need it! They cannot be either reasonably, or legally be used at high speed as well. I violently object to such things being driven on public roads by anyone. Its inappropriate and its not just the often inadequate drivers its the others road users including children, young and inexperienced drivers, people not feeling so good today, and old idots like me who have to cope with them and their antics. The step change from even a fast car as was, to these super fast EVs is vast. Its unecessary and a large danger. I sincerely hope someone takes the makers to court and sues them for all they are worth should they suffer a loss due to the production and sale of super speed vehicles. I can certainly see it happening. I think Richard Hammond and the Rimac EV supercar rather illustates the point that they are idiotic.

Its time that some serious regulation of what is allowed be introduced. The last laugh will be had when the fuse blows and, because there are so many questionable quality products around that parts are not available they become expensive junk. I dare say things will eventually settle, but when, and at what eventual cost. We all need transport, but practical, economical and environmentally sound is what is needed more than stupidly rapid. Or have I completley got it the wriong way round.

 

[porta]

The reason I just said ‘yes’ is that I’ve got experience with driving some, even our electric farm utv really didn’t need to accelerate the way it did, and been on the end of the ‘pull out and slam all on to turn right’ brigade, or the usual, ‘I can make that pass/gap…cut you up…and have to slow to avoid hitting the car in front’ idiots.
Yes, I know it’s the fool behind the wheel, but some EVs have a hair trigger pedal that really isn’t necessary, some hybrids are equally ridiculous

 

[StevenRB45]

For me it's not an electric vehicle only issue pick most modern performance cars.

It'll have an automatic gearbox, massive tyres and as much power as you could ever need...multiplied by 4.

Anything where you could hand on heart accidentally hit 110-120 mph in an overtaking manoeuvre is probably a bit excessive.

I remember thinking about getting say a Golf R estate instead of the eventually much more stolid choice. But for me being able to just press the pedal and hit court appearance from a stand still in sub 10 seconds is not desirable.

Yes both cars will do 120mph but you'd have to take a week off to get them there...so if I ever got a ticket for it I absolutely meant to do it. That and I was engaged in the process of getting them there, I didn't just press the pedal on the right a little hard for a few seconds too long.

Can't help but feel with 500bhp becoming very common place that there's a level of losing sight of what the car is actually bloody for. Would sir like a school run SUV that does 0-60 in 3 seconds? Our competition only does it in 3.5?..of course the car weighs 2.3 tonnes and comes on tyres that are 500 quid a corner, with suspension made of unobtainium and brakes like bin lids. Yes, seems perfect for a 20 zone..