Electric Cars Fun Factor

Do electric cars have the fun factor? Everyone knows the claims that electric cars are good for the environment... but are they good to drive? Can an electric car be desirable and fun to use? Can an electric car be as good to own as an internal combustion engine car?

Cars are virtually unique amongst the machinery we own and use. Nobody gets excited about a dishwasher or a lawn mower. You don't get endless discussions between friends about the merits of one toaster over another. Annual subscriptions to WHAT MICROWAVE? magazine are non-existent. So what makes cars so different?

Cars capture our imagination and have the power to excite more than almost any other machine. Jeremy Clarkson talks about great cars having a soul, cars that have a character. For some people it is the freedom that a car represents, for others it is the joy of driving. But whatever the X-factor is, there is one thing that every car enthusiast can agree on: some cars have it, other cars do not.

A BMW M3? Definitely. A Mustang V8? Absolutely. A MINI? Yes. A Fiat 500? Of course. A Toyota Prius..? Hmmm... perhaps not.

Ask a thousand car enthusiasts what they think about electric cars and you'll get a thousand different responses. Some are guardedly positive. Some are totally negative. But the one question that everyone has is this: can an electric car have the X-factor?

Thankfully the answer is a definite YES. Electric cars may be different from internal combustion engine cars, but that doesn't mean they have to be boring and dull.

When it comes to the X-factor, electric cars have one great advantage over internal combustion engine cars: a vastly improved power delivery. Thanks to a torque curve that provides maximum acceleration from zero revs, whenever you put your foot on the accelerator, the car pulls away. There is no gearbox required, whenever you need to accelerate, you have the power to do it. Thanks to an ultra smooth drive-train, there is none of the jerkiness or vibration that you get with an internal combustion engine car. Most car owners no longer notice the vibrations in their cars: they've filtered it out with years of experience of driving, but when the vibration is absent, most drivers suddenly realise how much better a car powered by an electric motor can be.

At higher speeds, electric motors scream like a turbine and sound like a muted jet fighter at full throttle. Most electric cars retain strong acceleration until getting close to their top speed.

As a generalisation, electric cars tend to be slightly heavier than their petrol counterparts, thanks to the weight of their batteries. As the batteries tend to be fitted below the floor and near the centre of the chassis, this translates to a lower centre of gravity and a 50:50 weight distribution between the front and the rear of the car. This tends to make most electric cars feel more stable on the roads and less susceptible to cross-winds. If they are allied to a sporty setup for the steering and suspension, this can make an electric car handle extremely well, with positive turn in and predictable high speed handling.

With such characteristics, it is no surprise that electric car owners don't want to go back to driving an internal combustion engine car once they've got an electric car. Once you've made the switch, you don't want to move back.

Of course, not every electric car has the X-factor. Like all cars, some electric cars can be tremendous fun to drive, and others can be as dull as ditchwater. Likewise, there are some tremendously fun electric cars that have some big drawbacks in other areas. But putting all that aside, which electric cars have got the X-factor, and which ones don't?

Mitsubishi iMiEV

An extremely accomplished car that can be driven spiritedly when the urge takes you, although range does suffer as a result.

It may be only a city car, but great acceleration means the iMiEV will always be the first away from the lights and the motor howls like a jet when pushed. Good handling and a rapid steering rack made for an entertaining car although it is let down by skinny tyres that can run out of grip sooner than you may expect.

Mitsubishi are launching a sports coupe version of this car in 2012. If the iMiEV is anything to go by, it should be very good indeed.

Fun factor: 7½/10

Tesla Roadster

My all too brief drive of the Tesla Roadster saw me driving it on some of the best driving roads in Britain. Acceleration is staggering with the 0-62mph (0-100km/h) dash taking 3.9 seconds. With a Lotus designed and built chassis, handling is nothing short of amazing.

For day to day driving this car is faster and more fun to drive than a Ferrari. What is more, once I finished driving it, the car was driven from Coventry in England to Amsterdam in The Netherlands. Who says electric cars don't have enough range?

Fun factor: 10/10

REVA G-Wiz

With gawky looks and primitive specification, the little REVA G-Wiz may not appeal aesthetically, but as a city car there is no doubt it can be a bundle of fun to drive. Early models were very slow - especially up hills - but later models have improved performance with suspension, steering and chassis tuned by Lotus, and better safety levels too.

Drive it on a dual carriageway and you won't enjoy the experience at all - they still won't win any land speed records - but for zipping around town the REVA G-Wiz is a hoot to drive. It is also more quirky and has more character than almost any other car on the road.

Fun factor: 7½/10

Nissan LEAF

The Nissan LEAF is not yet available, but the prototype I drove in April 2010 had strong low down acceleration but was let down by a feeling of deadness in the steering and a suspension that is set up more for comfort than entertainment.

Smooth drive-train and good performance do make this more entertaining than many family hatchbacks, but if the prototype is anything to go by, this is probably not the car to buy if you regard yourself as a car enthusiast.

Fun factor: 4/10

REVA NXR Intercity

The REVA NXR is not available until the end of 2010, but when I drove a prototype in September 2009, I was very impressed with the car. Performance may not be quite as good as the Mitsubishi iMiEV or Nissan LEAF, but the car handles better than both of them and has better primary ride than the iMiEV as well. The steering gives excellent feedback and the tyres give plenty of grip.

Behind the scenes, REVA are also working on a faster, sportier coupe version of this car for launch later in 2011. I can't wait.

Fun factor: 8/10

Aixam Mega e-City

The Aixam Mega e-City is a small city car that provides adequate performance in town, but like the early G-Wiz is too slow to be much fun anywhere else. In terms of character however, the Aixam has it in abundance.

Aixam is a French manufacturer and there is no doubt the Mega e-City is a French car. It has all the great attributes of the Citroen's, Renaults and Peugeots of old - a soft and effortless ride. It isn't a driver's car, but it definitely is full of character and charm and owners love them.

Fun factor: 6.5/10

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