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Rhiannon12866

(223,337 posts)
Tue Feb 12, 2019, 12:49 AM Feb 2019

Gas-powered vs. Electric Cars: Which Is Faster?

You're at the red light and the guy next to you revs his engine. You laugh to yourself, though, because he clearly doesn't notice you're driving a Tesla Model S (or he thinks an electric vehicle [EV] is a handicap). The light turns green, you put the pedal the floor and leave him in the dust. Bye, Felicia!

The point of the story is to say that if you want to go from zero to 60 mph (zero to 96.5 kph) as fast as possible, an electric car is the way to go. Surprised? So was the guy at the red light that you smoked in this little made-up story. However, gas-powered cars can still have faster top speeds. So what's the key difference between the two cars? Mostly, the transmission, or lack thereof.

Quick vs. Fast

First, in general racing terminology, "quick" means how long it takes to get from point A to point B, while "fast" means the top speed a vehicle reaches. In drag racing, for example, the "faster" vehicle hits the higher speed over the course of the race, but the quicker vehicle gets to the finish line first.

Electric cars are capable of being quicker than gas-powered cars, but EVs aren't yet capable of going faster. Our little zero to 60 scenario is a good example. Gasoline cars do have a performance advantage when those top speeds are being sustained for longer periods of time.

A 2015 Fortune article featured former Tesla engineer Dustin Grace, who provided a good overview. Electric vehicles generate much more torque than gas vehicles, which is important because torque is what drives the vehicle forward. Furthermore, an electric car's motor eliminates the need for a traditional transmission in many modern designs. The power goes straight to the wheels for instant acceleration, making EVs quicker on the start.

In a gas-powered car, the engine has to route the power first to the transmission and then to the wheels (the components collectively known as the "drivetrain" or "powertrain" ). This process takes longer, wasting crucial zero to 60 potential. Some of the power created by the engine — usually about 15 percent — is also wasted traveling through the drivetrain, known as drivetrain loss.


Read more: https://auto.howstuffworks.com/gas-powered-vs-electric-cars-which-is-faster.htm



In a zero to 60 mph (zero to 96.5 kph) race, a Tesla Roadster like this one will smoke a gas-powered vehicle every time. TESLA

7 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Gas-powered vs. Electric Cars: Which Is Faster? (Original Post) Rhiannon12866 Feb 2019 OP
I actually find this interesting. rusty quoin Feb 2019 #1
Thanks! I thought this was interesting since I didn't know this before Rhiannon12866 Feb 2019 #2
I'll take the gas powered car every time awesomerwb1 Feb 2019 #3
I'm actual old school... quickesst Feb 2019 #4
That was the point you missed. Voltaire2 Feb 2019 #6
Like I said.... quickesst Feb 2019 #7
The Tesla Roadster does 250 mph crazytown Feb 2019 #5
 

rusty quoin

(6,133 posts)
1. I actually find this interesting.
Tue Feb 12, 2019, 01:20 AM
Feb 2019

The McLaren P1 and the Porche 918, that I saw on Top Gear, excited me because they were super car hybrids. I know this stuff is only available to the rich, but the technology eventually ends up in regular cars. And the zero to sixty on just electric is a big part of that.

Motor heads will always be there, like in Star Wars, but the best tech will always win over them. The internal combustion engines will be a thing of the past.

Rhiannon12866

(223,337 posts)
2. Thanks! I thought this was interesting since I didn't know this before
Tue Feb 12, 2019, 01:28 AM
Feb 2019

My guess would have been that the EV still has a long way to go, but there are ways they are superior - and we need to learn from that going forward. I remember reading awhile back that the price of a Tesla would be coming down within four years, but I'm still waiting.

awesomerwb1

(4,584 posts)
3. I'll take the gas powered car every time
Tue Feb 12, 2019, 02:06 AM
Feb 2019

Don't get me wrong. I love electric cars....but you can't beat the sound a Ferrari or a Porsche engine for example. I'm old school.

quickesst

(6,307 posts)
4. I'm actual old school...
Tue Feb 12, 2019, 03:00 AM
Feb 2019

I don't care how fast electric cars get. There will never be anything like feeling the acceleration off the start line with a V8 gas supercharged engine.

Voltaire2

(14,789 posts)
6. That was the point you missed.
Tue Feb 12, 2019, 04:53 AM
Feb 2019

The acceleration of a performance ev cannot be matched by a performance ice.

You could always add sound effects.

quickesst

(6,307 posts)
7. Like I said....
Tue Feb 12, 2019, 12:04 PM
Feb 2019

I'm old old old school. They already have fake sound effects, and that's for gasoline powered cars. As I stated earlier I don't really care how fast they make electric cars, there will never be, for me anyway, an adequate replacement for the real deal. Just knowing the sound effects are not real is a huge turn off. Don't get me wrong, I would love to have an efficient electric car for a daily driver, but when it comes to fun, there's no deal like the real deal.


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