[Drivingforfun]

Just sharing my thoughts. Probably a nothing post. 😁

Had my first drive of an EV as my car was in for service and I was handed the keys to a Mini Electric.

“Engine” braking was the first thing I noticed - lifting off the accelerator pedal is like pushing a brake pedal quite hard. With a bit of anticipation you can drive with one pedal. This is helped by a lack of “creep” function meaning if you come off the accelerator the car will ultimately stop.

Incredibly accelerative between 0-45. Can nip out of junctions and into gaps that a normal car would not manage without causing someone to brake for you. At higher speeds like accelerating from 45-70 on a slip road I believe my petrol car (Mini Cooper S) is faster.

Definitely not boring as some say, a totally different kind of driving yes but not a boring one.

My (2019) petrol car felt old-fashioned after driving the (2022) EV. My car felt closer to a (1959) Austin Healey I once drove than it did to the EV despite there being 60 years between the former and only 3 years between the latter.

I prefer my petrol car, but not turned off by the idea of an EV.

Wondering how this correlates with others’ initial experiences? 😀

[Marc]

That's really cool @Drivingforfun
Your experience is so similar to mine.
A few years ago my first EV experience was a Nissan Leaf. Compared to the car I was driving at the time, an old Honda CR-V, it was like stepping into the future. The Honda felt like a kind of tractor in comparison. The Leaf was so quiet, so clean and smooth.

Like you I was also impressed by the acceleration! So definitely not boring, but it does impact the battery performance.

The braking upon lifting the accelerator takes some getting used to, doesn't it?

Would you now consider an EV for your next car?

[Drivingforfun]

I’d happily consider one if not for the same old issues that people (for good reason!) go on about; I don’t have the private land to park on, and there is also the range issue.

Something I was especially impressed with was how little fuel it used around town vs. on the motorway. On the motorway at a steady 70mph it seemed to use about 1% a minute but we took it to a small, busy town, which took 10 minutes to get through, and it used 1% of the battery.

To me it’d make an absolutely perfect 2nd car, for running errands or a short commute, complemented by a combustion engined car for longer journeys. 😀

[Marc]

What was the range on the electric Mini you drove @Drivingforfun ?

[Drivingforfun]

I picked it up with 100% battery and it suggested 110 miles. Handed it back with 62% and it was on par: 60-something miles. My driving style must have been similar to that of the previous driver(s)!

We did get some "extra" miles by driving very carefully, also "wasted" a few miles by testing out the acceleration, but I think 110 seems about accurate from what I've read on the internet.

It's a small car so not much room for batteries, and quite fast compared to other electric cars of the same size (Corsa, Zoe, etc.), so I think it sacrifices a bit of range for more speed.