EV Acceleration + Idiot - Experience = Dangerous?

[Bobby Dazzler]

Please don’t confuse this with an anti-EV thread, because it’s not (and I’m not). Also apologies that this will be a long post, but I think the context is key.

Today I was sat first in the queue at a set of traffic lights, in the left of two lanes. To the right of me - in the second of the two lanes - pulled up a very nice Tesla Model Y.

Both lanes are narrow - and constrained by pedestrian refuges - as there’s a pedestrian crossing on both our side and the opposite side of the junction.

Whilst we waited a pedestrian crossed the road directly ahead of us, crossing from left to right, and a teenager on a bike crossed quickly behind the pedestrian.

Both pedestrian and cyclist started crossing too late as the lights turned green (for us) after they started crossing, but no doubt expected to make it across in time.

Whilst cutting it fine and very fine respectively, they would have made it across with time to spare, however the Tesla driver didn’t do what they expected.

When the lights changed to red-amber he accelerated - I would say with foot flat to the floor - and he missed the cyclist by half the width of a small miracle.

If those events were re-run one thousand times then I am sure that the cyclist would have been hit hard by a Tesla in all but one, and thankfully that’s what happened today.

The pedestrian and cyclist were in plain sight and he should have easily anticipated that they wouldn’t make it if he jumped the green light accelerated hard, but he did,

It made me wonder whether the incredible acceleration offered by relatively low-cost EVs (for the acceleration) has increased real-world risk for other road users.

Idiots and very quick cars have been around for longer than fast EVs, however the cost meant that you rarely came across an inexperienced idiot in a very quick car.

A passion for cars and very deep pockets have traditionally been required to end up with a car so quick. However in 2022, all that’s needed is a company car.

I’m not suggesting that EV drivers or company car drivers are idiots. I am suggesting that incredible acceleration is now available to people without interest nor ability.

I would say that the risk profile has changed dramatically and will catch out those drivers and other road users. I now see multiple quick EVs on every journey.

Certainly that pedestrian and cyclist didn't expect the Tesla driver to deploy maximum acceleration before the lights had turned green, and it almost cost them their lives.

I suspect that the Tesla driver was showing me how much quicker his car was than mine, but he could have been the type who accelerates hard every time due to novelty.

Am I being dramatic having witnessed a miracle, or is there something in it?

 

[W1ghty]

Sounds like a dashcam moment .

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Sounds like a dashcam moment .

I do indeed have the footage.

 

[st13phil]

My gut feel is that it was piloted by an idiot, and that's the beginning and the end of the matter.

 

[StMarks]

Fwiw when I took my driving test aged 17, I passed 1st time. However being the nosey little oik that I was (am), I asked the examiner if I had passed without any mistakes at all.
He told me "no, you gave me a wrong answer in one of your questions" (for those of you too young to know, the "theory " part of the driving test consisted of a few random questions at the end of the driving bit).
I was aghast.. "But which one did I get wrong" I enquired, probably annoyingly.
"I asked you who has priority at a road intersection" he replied, patiently..
"But I said the traffic on the main road, and that's right.! -You can't say I got that wrong, that's not fair,,,"
"Actually, any pedestrians crossing the roadway have priority over all traffic, and it is the driver's responsibility to give way to them"

I probably shouldn't have passed my test (I was far too immature to be safe behind a steering wheel) but the answer he gave has tempered my driving ever since..

 

[markjay]

It's true that all EVs have phenomenal acceleration from standstill (when compared to similarly priced ICE cars), because the electric motor provides 100% torque from the offset, and there are no gears. But, ultimately, as others said, it's down to the driver not to behave like a knob.

 

[clk320x]

Sadly fools will be fools regardless of the car they own.

There’s a time and a place to enjoy a cars performance, a built up area with pedestrian crossings isn’t one of them!

 

[A.J.]

I fail to see why EV's have to be so fast. Some have intergalactic 0-62 times, Tesla Model S for example is under 3.0 seconds FFS. !! All seems a little pointless in today's trafic/road conditions

 

[HB]

Which specific car were you in Bobby ?

 

[BTB 500]

I fail to see why EV's have to be so fast. Some have intergalactic 0-62 times, Tesla Model S for example is under 3.0 seconds FFS. !! All seems a little pointless in today's trafic/road conditions

The Model S Plaid is under 2 seconds for 0-60 ...

List of fastest production cars by acceleration - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I agree it's pointless, and I suspect most drivers drive 'normally' once the novelty has worn off (and they realise how the range is affected).

It'll be interesting to see whether makers rein this performance in a bit in future. Insurance could be a driver for this?

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Which specific car were you in Bobby ?

I was in an ML 63 AMG PP.

I hadn’t looked in his direction - so I can’t be sure - although I do suspect that on the balance of probabilities the driver may have been showing me that his car was quicker.

The V8 Bi Turbo badges would have been right in his field of vision. Strange but even people I know like to point out that their EVs are quicker than an AMG, so possible.

The only reason I think that is the speed at which he took off could only really be explained by him thinking I would do the same (and I didn’t and wouldn’t).

 

[HB]

I was in an ML 63 AMG PP.

I hadn’t looked in his direction - so I can’t be sure - although I do suspect that on the balance of probabilities the driver may have been showing me that his car was quicker.

The V8 Bi Turbo badges would have been right in his field of vision. Strange but even people I know like to point out that their EVs are quicker than an AMG, so possible.

Bobby, it is just a complete idiot wanting to prove his car is faster than yours. Get them every day.

 

[NewbieAMG]

Idiots and very quick cars have been around for longer than fast EVs, however the cost meant that you rarely came across an inexperienced idiot in a very quick car.

respectfully have to disagree with you on this point. come to east london and you will realise that this toxic mixture is right, left and centre here. M140i/S3/A45/A35/GTIs are all driven by knob heads as if they are on a racetrack. whoever came to visit me, always commented how bad driving is in this area.

the person in tesla though? plain damn stupid. whenever you see pedestrians crossing, you always let them finish. even if he didn't know how fast his car was, he shouldn't have mushed the pedal to the metal...

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Sadly fools will be fools regardless of the car they own.

I couldn’t agree more, it’s 100% the driver’s fault and 0% the car’s fault.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

My point is that such extreme performance is very easily accessible to buy and even easier to deploy in an EV.

Compared to an ICE car of similar (or slower!) acceleration, a quick EV is at the complete opposite end of the spectrum in terms of cost to buy/run and how difficult and intimidating it is to drive.

Achieving even close to the same getaway - in the same conditions - in say an Aventador or 812 would be much much more difficult (even with driver aids) and 1000x more intimidating.

Coupled with the cost of buying & running the Aventador or 812 - and that most owners would likely have built up after a series of quick cars - means that it would be much less likely for a fool to be there with the ability to do that.

I have lots of friends with Model 3s which replaced cars like Jaguar XE 2.0d, Volkswagen Passat, BMW 318d, etc, and none of them had driven a faster car than their last one. They’ve all had a moment!

 

[NewbieAMG]

My point is that such extreme performance is very easily accessible to buy and even easier to deploy in an EV.

Compared to an ICE car of similar (or slower!) acceleration, a quick EV is at the complete opposite end of the spectrum in terms of cost to buy/run and how difficult and intimidating it is to drive.

Achieving even close to the same getaway - in the same conditions - in say an Aventador or 812 would be much much more difficult (even with driver aids) and 1000x more intimidating.

Coupled with the cost of buying & running the Aventador or 812 - and that most owners would likely have built up after a series of quick cars - means that it would be much less likely for a fool to be there with the ability to do that.

seems like we were referring to a different levels of performance but I see what you mean now!

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

the person in tesla though? plain damn stupid. whenever you see pedestrians crossing, you always let them finish. even if he didn't know how fast his car was, he shouldn't have mushed the pedal to the metal...

Agreed very stupid. Sadly, my hunch is that he knew exactly how fast it was

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

@clk320x as our resident Tesla expert, would a Model Y have intervened, by braking and steering away from the hazard?

The reason that I ask is that it was genuinely miraculous that he missed the cyclist, once committed at that rate of acceleration, I’m not sure human reaction would be quick enough to get on the brakes.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Bobby, it is just a complete idiot wanting to prove his car is faster than yours. Get them every day.

I think that’s likely. And it is faster, he didn’t need to prove it. I think I’m just in shock that I saw what I saw. I think the car intervened and saved the last on a bike’s life.

 

[NewbieAMG]

Agreed very stupid. Sadly, my hunch is that he knew exactly how fast it was

think part of the problem is driver education. as it currently stands, it doesn't teach you how to think, it only teaches you how to pass. I've made a lot of mistakes whilst having my license and still learning. most of those were inherited from observing other drivers and not knowing better. it took me a while to start being more observant and thinking ahead. it's a shame that people settle at the level of "passed the test and it's enough". pretty sure he would fall into that category