Because most people’s first exposure to electric vehicles came in the form of bumper cars and Power Wheels, they often assume battery-powered cars are slow. In reality, however, they have the potential to take performance cars to new heights.
EVs, silent as they migh be, produce maximum torque as soon as you press the accelerator, unlike cars with internal combustion engines, which generate more torque as they build revs. This not only makes them fun daily drivers, but means EVs ultimately could become the preferred foundations for sports cars.
That might sound crazy, but we recently learned that even a Chevrolet Bolt, which wasn’t designed with speed in mind, can give a Volkswagen Golf GTI a run for its money. Engineering Explained posted a video Wednesday that breaks down why EVs have much better pickup than gasoline-powered vehicles.
Although instant torque — as well as torque vectoring and other factors — means electric motors one day will be the ideal propulsion source for a fast car, EVs admittedly still have some issues that need addressing first.
Batteries, for example, currently have relatively low power density, so a car with sufficient range typically weighs more than its ICE-powered counterpart. Cooling arguably is the biggest limiting factor for EVs, though, as even the performance-oriented Tesla Model S can’t run flat-out for an extended period of time.
Thumbnail photo via BMW
