[DCEite]

Off late, EVs have taken the Indian car market by storm. Be it the humble Tiago EV or the mighty quick Jaguar I-Pace, EVs across the spectrum have one thing in common - Instant torque, zero lag and Fun to drive factor. Ofcourse, not discussing about the obvious traits of EVs like zero tailepipe emissions or silent drive.

Not too long ago, Fun to drive was associated only with high revving japanese engines like I-Vtec or torquey CRDi Turbocharged diesels, if we talk about mass market cars. But the way today's affordable EVs drive and deliver instant accleration, and in some cases Sub-10 second timings to 100kmph, there are a lot of converts (read Dieselheads and petrolheads), who are vouching for EVs.

And EVs are becoming more affordable with longer range, is the icing on the cake. Even affordable segment/mid range EVs like Nexon, XUV400 are boasting of sub 10 second 0-100kmph timings and incredible performance on tap. Something unheard of say a decade ago.

What is your take on EVs - purely from performance perspective ? Do you still miss the high and smooth revving petrols or torquey turbocharged diesels after having experienced driving modern day EVs ?

[GTO]

I've said it before and will say it again. EVs will "democratize" performance. You could never buy an ICE car under 15 lakhs that did 0 - 100 in 7 seconds, but trust me, you will be able to buy EVs that will. Tata already claims a 0 - 100 under 9 seconds for the Nexon EV Max.

Personally, I find any car that is well-engineered to be fun to drive. I've had fun in supercars, AMGs & ///Ms, as much as I have with the Kushaq 1.5, i20 N-Line and Abarth Punto. Fun-to-drive is a state of mind. If you're in the zone, you can have fun with a 100 BHP car just like a 500 BHP car.

To answer your question, yes, I think EVs are redefining fun altogether. I love their acceleration, effortless performance (instant torque), smooth drive & zero emissions .

Once you drive a Tesla dual motor or any equivalent powerful EV (from the Model S to the Kia EV6), you are a convert. Trust me, I say this as a diehard 7000-rpm guy. I love EVs just like I love my fast turbo-petrols & big powerful 6-cylinder diesels.

I L-O-V-E CARS. Period. All kinds of cars.

[naveenmani]

If "Fun-to-Drive" means in-gear acceleration within city speed limits, then EV are the successors of direct-injection turbo petrol with dual-clutch transmission cars.

[CoolFire]

Only factor missing in most powerful EVs is the right engine note we petrol heads are addicted to. New Bimmers with Hans Zimmer notes proves that is very much solvable. Give me a nice EV with such an audio feedback and I am game.

[extreme_torque]

Originally Posted by CoolFire

New Bimmers with Hans Zimmer notes proves that is very much solvable. Give me a nice EV with such an audio feedback and I am game.

How does it "prove" that it is solvable? Also it is wrong to say that there is no audio feedback. A faint whine from the electric motor when you are accelerating is always there and I like it way more than any artificial sounds created by a composer, even if the composer happens to be an oscar winner.

The other thing to consider is when you have instant torque and acceleration, almost all of your senses are busy trying to make sense of what just happened and holding on. There is just no time to enjoy the noise. Talking about fast Tesla's here with 0-100 in 3.5 seconds or less and they are relatively affordable compared to an equivalent ice vehicle and even that wont be as "electric" as the EV, pun very much intended.

[srini1785]

EV's with their instant torque and better 0-100 times are ideal candidates for "Fun to drive" but they are also the outright first choice for "difficult to repair" category.

Cars will soon be like home appliances which come with "No serviceable components inside" warning. After all, repairing a SMD board, winding an electric motor or servicing a Li-Ion battery is not a FNG skill.

[ask99]

Originally Posted by GTO

I've said it before and will say it again. EVs will "democratize" performance.

Beyond performance, I think it will also democratise the joyride. When your running cost per KM drops to 1-2 Rupees, it becomes easier to justify taking it out for a spin to a nearby highway dhaba, or a quick circuit of the city. Once you own the car, the more you drive, the more value you get out of your decision to go EV.

Sone pe suhaga! (Cherry on top!)

[shyampsunder]

Originally Posted by ask99

Beyond performance, I think it will also democratise the joyride. When your running cost per KM drops to 1-2 Rupees, it becomes easier to justify taking it out for a spin to a nearby highway dhaba, or a quick circuit of the city. Once you own the car, the more you drive, the more value you get out of your decision to go EV.

Sone pe suhaga! (Cherry on top!)

One of the main reasons for me to go for an EV was guilt-free fun driving.

With a petrol engine, I would always feel guilty mashing the throttle looking at the single digit fuel economy. With an EV, since the costs are much more palatable.

Come to think of it, I have started looking forward to the airport runs to Bangalore Airport. Icing on the cake is the 20% parking discount at the airport and free 100% renewable charging at my workplace

[CoolFire]

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

How does it "prove" that it is solvable? Also it is wrong to say that there is no audio feedback. A faint whine from the electric motor when you are accelerating is always there and I like it way more than any artificial sounds created by a composer, even if the composer happens to be an oscar winner.

I used “solvable” and not “solved”. Maybe we can have cars with different notes to choose from and I can have my preferred vroom and you the whine, this time pun not intended

I have never enjoyed the electric sound feedback, maybe because the cars I tried were not soundproof enough or the din on our roads made it barely discernible. Agree, it’s a purely personal thing and your views are equally good as mine.

[lamborghini]

Definitely redefining fun to drive given the immense power available on hand : All of us are going to have to re-learn how to drive responsibly!

That being said, pure fun to drive has so many other factors that come into play - EVs given their weight and massive power seem to be preying on muscle car territory, but the real challenge is going to lie in tuning the ride and handling, higher speed acceleration (like on track days), etc.
Not to mention, there is a certain joy in working for the performance / handling as compared to the power being handed down on a platter coupled with a ton of safety assists to keep not as experienced driver's safe.

[megazoid]

If a manual gearbox was standard or necessary in an EV, then a good handling EV may be a good option. But only having to twirl the wheel silently obeying all rules of the land is quite boring much like an automatic.

[RogerEphraim]

Originally Posted by CoolFire

Only factor missing in most powerful EVs is the right engine note we petrol heads are addicted to. New Bimmers with Hans Zimmer notes proves that is very much solvable. Give me a nice EV with such an audio feedback and I am game.

Hey, I'm a musician, and I love Hans Zimmer's notes rather than the exhaust note. Don't stone me, I know I am on a automobile forum. But here's my tupence - I love cars, and I love the exhaust note. I am a middle class Indian, like many of you. I cannot afford the exhaust note of the porsche or the modded skoda. But my Nexon is a EV I can afford, it is quick, and like I said in the beginning, I am enjoying my music better since the EV is so quiet.

I just finished a 1069km trip in my EV in about 40 hours. Loved every bit of the drive, the speed, the pickup, and the music!

[arpanjha]

A very slightly off-topic input from my side. Today was the first time since 9th December I had to go to a petrol station to refill my bike for a ₹500 topup, it felt so odd, since the last 1.5 months my EV has arrived, I have clocked about 3000 kms and 2920 kms are on the EV. I was getting scared my bike would someday very soon get upset with me, so I took her out to office today, and boy did I feel strange filling up ₹500 worth of petrol for a day’s trip. Usually I used to enjoy the superb power delivery from the parallel twin engine from my INT650, and I always yearned to get anything similar from my middle class i20, but every time felt sad. The game has totally changed with the Nexon max coming into my garage, not only fun, it’s super fun to drive. Just hoping Tata smoothens out the niggles soon, and the fun is here to stay.

[JishD]

Sorry for going OT - but what happens to the duty/tax shortfall for Centre and state when EV becomes commonplace. Will the government front-load onto the car price making vehicles more expensive ? Or will a delta tax be applied to electricity usage , in effect reducing the gap in cost/km between EV's and IC's ?

[inwester]

Originally Posted by GTO

I've said it before and will say it again. EVs will "democratize" performance. You could never buy an ICE car under 15 lakhs that did 0 - 100 in 7 seconds, but trust me, you will be able to buy EVs that will. Tata already claims a 0 - 100 under 9 seconds for the Nexon EV Max.

I have a different take on this statement.

Performance has multiple aspects, not just 0-60 mph (or 0-100 kmph) at a straight line traffic signal.

Here are the characteristics that makes a car fun to drive.

1) FAST, i.e. acceleration

Some other aspects that I think might be crucial, apart from pure straight line performance.

2) Steering - Cornering ability and feel
3) Suspension - Handling and ride quality
4) Brakes - braking performance and feel
5) How the car makes you feel while driving?

Yes, EVs will democratize the the "fast" aspect of the fun to drive quotient, but anything else is fair game.