Tiny Car Comradere

As of right now about half of the electric cars on the road are small cars. They include the Smart Fortwo Electric drive, Fiat 500e, Mitsubishi Miev, Chevy Spark EV, and the newly released VW Golf EV.  With the exception of the Smart and Fiat all these small cars fit more than just two people. But as small cars go, they have one significant difference, they're EVs which makes them fun to drive.

I encountered only the second time ever a Mitsubishi Miev on Sunday rounding the corner near the bank.  The driver seemed to be in a hurry, but when I got a bit closer, I realized why. All electric cars, whether small or large have far more torque for their size than the internal combustion engine counterpart.  You can assume that whatever is the horsepower, the torque will be double.

Before I owned an electric car (or I should say before I owned one with any significant power), I didn't know what real acceleration was like outside of amusement park rides.  Electric cars have two things going for them as far as performance is concerned.  And I don't mean merely the impressive efficiency, but the torque and maneuverability.  You might think that the latter is silly, but with all the battery weight in the floor, the center of gravity is usually very low.

Of course there are probably three times as many sporting small, 2 to 4-seat internal combustion vehicles for every electric, but you just can't get that kind of torque for the money.

So when I see a Miev or a Fiat 500e, I think that the drivers of those vehicles are having just as much fun as I am in the Smart ED.  The only these small EVs lack is the "kickdown", that is to say, the extra boost that all Smart EDs have as an added bonus. But that is for another post.

For more information on each of these cars, check out www.PlugInCars.com

Fiat 500e
Mitsubishi Miev
Chevy Spark EV
VW Golf EV