Are cars getting too fast?

[Dominic-Toretto]

A few examples:
Kia EV6 GT: (576bhp) 0-60: 3.1s, 1/4 mile: 11.4s @ 121mph
Hyundai Ioniq 5N (640BHP) 0-60: 2.9s, 1/4 mile: 10.9s @ 124mph
Tesla Model 3 Performance: (510bhp) 0-60: 2.7s, 1/4 mile: 10.7s @ 127mph
Porsche Taycan Turbo S: (938bhp): 0-60 2.4s, 1/4 mile 9.8s @ 139mph
Tesla Model S Plaid: (1020bhp) 0-60: 2.1s, 1/4 mile: 9.2s @ 153mph

It's 2024 and we have Hyundai's pushing almost 700bhp, in normal cars, how long until 1000bhp is the new norm? That's great if you live your life a quarter mile at a time like me, but for the rest of society, it is a lot of power to handle. Where will this stop? To be frank even 700bhp is pushing to much for the road in a mass produced cars. You cannot use the power for long, your very quickly in to triple digit figures in many newer performance cars.

What are your thoughts on this?

 

[Jokester]

At some point, a pensioner will destroy a supermarket by mistaking the accelerator for the brake pedal.

 

[Yaayuh!]

My only issue is the potential for Maureen down the road having access to high performance in a regular car on her work’s company car scheme just for her daily commute to her job in HR.

I.e. People with lack of experience with fast cars, now have easy access to them.

 

[mjt]

My only issue is the potential for Maureen down the road having access to high performance in a regular car on her work’s company car scheme just for her daily commute to her job in HR.

I.e. People with lack of experience with fast cars, now have easy access to them.

To be fair, youths with fast cars are more dangerous than Maureen from HR.
My mum is in her 70s and has had a GTI for almost 15 years and I can guarantee she never takes it above 3000 rpm

 

[Nasher]

TBH the HP numbers aren't really the equivalent of petrol/diesel cars. These EVs accelerate quick because of the low down torque and no gears. So if anything it's that they need to reign in.

Most don't a have high top speed and that was what caused problems in the 90s when fast family cars appeared.

 

[ianh]

I think that this needs splitting into two areas, effectively ICE and EV as I think the reasons behind both are very different.

I think that generally, high power ICE cars (500hp+) previously tended to be bought by two types of people - people who liked cars, liked driving and therefore drove fast, and those who wanted a fashion accessory who usually liked to show off their car at slower speeds. These two types drove differently and were generally in low enough numbers that these high power cars were rare to find and that owners had bought these for a specific reason. These things still see valid for modern ICE cars due to high cost of getting a high power car in the first place.

However, what I think were seeing now with EV's is that these high power EV cars are being seen as "normal" cars, and are therefore now being driven by a far larger number of "normal" people, those who would usually drive something like a 130hp 2L diesel company car on their commute to work every day and therefore don't really like driving that much and therefore don't really pay full attention on that commute, but their new company car is a 550hp EV or alternatively they have bought an EV for Eco reasons (again, probably not huge "car" fans). So now you've got a lot more people who aren't really "into" cars that much and yet are suddenly exposed to something only a small number of people previously had access too, and thats not a great idea for safety.

Of course I could be wrong, thats just my thoughts.

 

[d_brennen]

At some point, a pensioner will destroy a supermarket by mistaking the accelerator for the brake pedal.

Doesn't that happen all the time? Granted most of the ones I've seen have been the states. I blame auto transmission, making cars smarter and their drivers less talented

 

[a1ex2001]

My trouble with this is EV should be the reset where cars are focussed on efficiency as the number one priority, less power, less weight better aero they should be taxed on efficiency with anything other then the best made hideously expensive. Instead they are just getting bigger, fatter and squarer and faster!

 

[Maundie]

The EVs are the ones that need reigning in as these are going to be available\pushed to the majority, not many people are going to be buying the Taycan

 

[m4rmite]

It's not just about high end bhp though, a MG4 X-Power can do 0-10 in 3.8s and 1/4mile in 12.27 seconds, with 429bhp
12 months old for £24k

 

[China Man]

There is never enough powerrrrrrrrrr

My PHEV is on ECO mode by default and the power delivery is not linear but toned down to deliver best MPG or MPkw, put in in sport mode and you will feel the full torque available. Unless Maureen down the road press the sport button she won't get the full powerrrrrrrrrrrrrr

 

[jaybee]

I think it's an issue yes, when untalented drivers are getting access to that performance. But surely these are top end EVs which people won't just stumble upon. They aren't like the base spec or even mid spec stuff? You would have had to have made a choice to go with some of them, and will have had to have worked out why it's extra, including the performance. I think most people that then care about that, would generally be more capable of utilizing it safely as statistically if you like fast, then you tend to be more able to handle it. I know this is not always the case though.
I guess the issue is the low to mid spec stuff, still being capable of high performance... But surely you arent just going to torque steer into a wall without aggressive TC kicking in and various safety systems and modes?

 

[dave28]

I remember when 0-60 in 8.5 seconds was considered a decent GTI ( Golf MK 2 1.8 16v )

People wont have the skill to match these supercar fast EV`s and plenty will die in them losing control.

 

[jaybee]

...a MG4 X-Power can do 0-10 in 3.8s...

Impressive

 

[Feek]

If EVs reduced the available torque and had less impressive acceleration, would that increase the range?

 

[Nasher]

I think like anything, the more you up the performance the more the efficiency drops (in terms of range) and life span of the parts.

 

[Rilot]

This is why a lot of EVs are difficult to insure.
I was talking to a mate about this the other day. He's recently bought a Jaguar I-Pace and was complaining that it was mega expensive to insure compared to the XE he had before. I pointed out that it has 400bhp which only a few years ago was the power of a BMW M3. He saw my point.

 

[jpaul]

I'd have said repair cost is the reason for high insurance
(e: quotes I ran for an id3 and 320i were very similar which I put down to vw having a uk support network)

on acceleration what does EV throttle map look like compared to an ICE - especially for reversing ?, where you need sensitivity for parallel parking manouvers, so moving your foot a few mm's wouldn't want a exponential power increase.
way back someone posted a video, taycan was it, left grounded in the air as owner tried to exit their sloped drive and drove in the wrong direction.

If EVs reduced the available torque

I thought they were most efficient at high rpms, hence drive for better ceramic bearings, but you then have the dilemma of providing efficiency at lower/start-off speed without being encumbered by a gear-box.

 

[Adam_151]

If EVs reduced the available torque and had less impressive acceleration, would that increase the range?

I don't think the fact that its available, has a massive effect on range, a little bit, sure, but minimal in comparaison between making use of it, and not making use of it (which will also increase the wear on the battery).

Parts have to be sized to handle the peak load - motors, cabling, the IGBTs/FETs and their associated heatsinking in the drives, as well as the cocoling system, of course that will all add a bit of weight which will have a bit of effect on how effecient it can be, probably no more than taking an extra passenger, possibly. But I think on trips when you never make use of it, it doesn't have the same effect as it would in a similar petrol car when its not being used, which always maintains the same cylinder displacement, etc. With modern electronics motors can be driven quite efficently at lower power levels, they and the drives will also run a lot cooler, the battery will not be sourcing anywhere near peak output which reduces its wear*

TLDR) Yes, slightly, but the effect is a lot less pronouced compared to the MPG difference in a similar pair of petrol cars

*The Lithium batteries used in EVs generally suffer more wear when energy is transfered (in or out) at the upper end of what its capable of and when taken outside the range of 15%-90% charge. So the current obsession with trying to decrease charge times is perhaps a bit of a folly, what we need is more bays in more places, so you can stop after doing 150miles get straight on a bay and have 45mins to stretch your legs, have a pee, grab a maccys and you are ready to do another 150

 

[CaptainRAVE]

Fast and more ugly. The bigger problem is people either not knowing or ignoring the Highway Code. Not stopping for red lights or giving way has become the norm now.