Nuances of Driving Electric

Oh there are concerns about driving electric beyond the typical things, like range and recharge availability.  But what of the actual feel of the drive?

I would bet that unless you drive a sports car, you're probably not thinking too much about the ride quality.  You're probably thinking about getting where you want to go quickly and inexpensively.

Engine Noise

Driving Electric is quiet.  If you listen to music or children in the backseat, then the sound of the engine might not be as apparent to you.  But when you come to a stoplight, there is a general sound in the background in a typical internal combustion engine vehicle.

For an electric vehicle there is no sound. Nothing, when stopped.  It's much like driving a Toyota Prius when the engine has turned off.  But when accelerating and at speed there is a slight whine.  A friend recently compared the sound to that of the engines of a commercial jet on take-off, but from within the aircraft.  Once you get above about 40 mph, the noise is drowned by the sound of everything else, such as road noise, other vehicles, air rushing past.

Transmission

There is no transmission in the Smart ED. When accelerating from a standstill, I still continue to expect the transmission to shift into the next gear. When it doesn't shift, it makes me think that I'm driving a stick and have forgotten to up-shift.  But above 40 mph I don't notice the sound of the motor (so much as other sounds).  There is a simple whir or whine an electric drive motor and another sound that becomes just as familiar when slowing down.

Acceleration

I went from driving a very large 5.3L Chevy Avalanche to driving the Smart ED.  The difference between the two is night and day.  The truck lumbers forward and resists stopping.   Where the ED sprints forward and seems to enjoy stopping.

Mercedes-Benz and Smart note that the 3rd generation of the Smart ED has a 0-60 mph rating of 11 seconds.  The Smart will not win you any trophies against tuner cars, but the tiny size and weight are ideal for the use of the relatively small electric motor included (75 hp).   The nearly 100 lb-ft of torque will however startle anyone the first few times around.  I never expected a vehicle that is so small to have to much power, that was not a motorcycle.

Braking

It's actually possible to slow to a stop in the ED without using the brakes, within a reasonable distance.  I've done it several times.  As soon as you let off the accelerator the vehicle jumps into regeneration mode.  But beware, using regenerative braking will not let the vehicle behind you know that you are stopping.  The solution to this and the savior of your regeneration is the "brake tap".

If you just barely tap the brakes when slowing, you will gain the maximum regeneration and give the person behind you and idea that you are stopping.   This braking method is one of the keys to getting a 100% Eco score.

Body Roll

One of the things that I am all too familiar with is how the body of the vehicle rolls in a turn.  Since my other vehicle is a large pickup truck, I am aware of how a vehicle can sway and how much I need to slow down to turn.  In most electric vehicles the battery acts as a ballast lowering the center of gravity and placing it very near the ground.  The Smart ED is a very good example of a vehicle with a low center of gravity.

I can take a corner at more than twice the speed that I would ever consider in my truck.  Obviously it is not necessary to go ripping around a corner, but it sure is fun.

Public Perception

The Smart ED and its internal combustion engine cousin (Smart ForTwo) are odd-looking vehicles.  And in general small cars have a reputation for being under-powered.   The Smart FortTwo regularly finds itself in lists of Top X Worst / Bad / Hated cars, primarily for its looks and then for internal combustion engine transmission.  Fortunately, the stigma carries over only until people realize that it's electric. And then suddenly they are again interested, especially after a speedy ride


Personally, it's been a life-long dream to drive electric and I am living it.  It's not merely the fact that my cost per mile is barely more than $0.01 or that I can part perpendicular to the curb.  The fact that I can refuel at home or that fueling stations are in every home.  Driving Electric is just plain practical.  It's the most efficient use of power to move things.

Now I'm just waiting for that carbon nano-tube-based battery that will give me a range of 1200 miles per charge.