# Electric Vehicles May Be Too Hazardous for Teen Drivers
**URL:** https://www.twit.community/t/electric-vehicles-may-be-too-hazardous-for-teen-drivers/14880
**Category:** EVs and Car Tech
**Created:** [June 26, 2023, 5:08pm UTC](https://www.twit.community/t/electric-vehicles-may-be-too-hazardous-for-teen-drivers/14880 "2023-06-26T17:08:17Z")
**Posts on this page:** 15
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Mistershipwreck](https://www.twit.community/u/Mistershipwreck)
#### Post date: [June 26, 2023, 5:08pm UTC](https://www.twit.community/t/electric-vehicles-may-be-too-hazardous-for-teen-drivers/14880/1 "2023-06-26T17:08:17Z")
I found this interesting to read. I have heard Leo talk about the acceleration on EVs. I’ve never driven one, so I can’t comment. But, I came across this interesting article on the matter today:
Anyone else have an opinion?
**Electric Vehicles May Be Too Hazardous for Teen Drivers**
> [@](#):
>
> Electric vehicles accelerate so fast because the electric motors that power them can output 100 percent of their torque from a stop. A gasoline engine must build revolutions per minute to produce its maximum power and torque. Certain programming can change EV torque outputs, but part of the allure of most EVs is their steep linear acceleration, and they come designed from that straight from the manufacturer.
> [@](#):
>
> Gridserve, a UK-based company that produces sustainable energy, did a study on EVs finding that a $72,322 Tesla Model 3 Performance sedan can outrun 90 percent of gas-powered performance cars, which typically retail for double the price, if not more
> [@](#):
>
> Even the slowest EVs out-accelerated 43 percent of internal combustion engine ([ICE](https://www.newsweek.com/topic/ice)) performance cars.
> **[Electric vehicles may be too hazardous for teen drivers](https://www.newsweek.com/electric-vehicles-may-too-hazardous-teen-drivers-1808156)**
>
> New and inexperienced drivers may not be able to adequately control the supercar-like torque and acceleration of EVs.
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### Author:  [@PHolder](https://www.twit.community/u/PHolder)
#### Post date: [June 26, 2023, 8:54pm UTC](https://www.twit.community/t/electric-vehicles-may-be-too-hazardous-for-teen-drivers/14880/2 "2023-06-26T20:54:48Z")
I think any EV should offer a configurable mode with reduced acceleration from a stop/slow speed. This would be helpful for both learners and for older folks who might mistakenly over accelerate. The car could still [optionally] use its higher torque for high speed passing, on the assumption that learners and seniors are unlikely to need/use that ability, and the car will already be going faster. Once you’ve adapted to what the acceleration curve is like, you could then tweak the configuration if you really feel you need to try to blackout behind the wheel 😉
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### Author:  [@Leo](https://www.twit.community/u/Leo)
#### Post date: [June 27, 2023, 12:07am UTC](https://www.twit.community/t/electric-vehicles-may-be-too-hazardous-for-teen-drivers/14880/3 "2023-06-27T00:07:52Z")
That’s just silly. Our 20 year old has been driving a Chevy Bolt for four years. He has a lead foot - just as he would with a gas car - but he has never lost control due to the high torque ev engine. Poppycock.
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### Author:  [@knewman](https://www.twit.community/u/knewman)
#### Post date: [June 27, 2023, 2:27am UTC](https://www.twit.community/t/electric-vehicles-may-be-too-hazardous-for-teen-drivers/14880/4 "2023-06-27T02:27:35Z")
The other side of this argument is the massive improvements in stability control that electric motors offer over traditional ICE powertrains. So yes, way more torque, but it’s much more controllable. Also, since all that power is sits at the low end, that same power isn’t accessible at higher, more dangerous speeds. I could very easily lose the rear end at 60 mph in my XKR, but at 60 mph my Polestar behaves like a typical econobox.
However I absolutely agree with @PHolder, these vehicles should have much more granular controls over the powertrain. I don’t believe any manufacturer has embraced this kind of advanced configurability, which is a shame.
At the end of the day, 90% of being a good driver on public roads is based in making good decisions, not anything to do with car control.
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### Author:  [@big\_D](https://www.twit.community/u/big_D)
#### Post date: [June 27, 2023, 4:28am UTC](https://www.twit.community/t/electric-vehicles-may-be-too-hazardous-for-teen-drivers/14880/5 "2023-06-27T04:28:09Z")
It is no different to an ICE. If you buy a low powered “common” one, like a Renault Zoe, it isn’t any more dangerous than a Renault Clio, buy them a high end Porsche, Mercedes, BMW, Lambo with an ICE or electric power plant, or a high end Tesla, and they are often too powerful for experienced drivers, let alone new drivers.
I think it is specious to blame this on electric engines. This is an argument about having cars with too much power and putting them in the hands of inexperienced drivers - whether the cars are electric or not, and whether the drivers are teenagers or not.
I went through something similar with the Suzuki TL1000S towards the end of the 90s. It was a sublime motorbike, big power, thumping twin-pot motor and you could slide the back tyre around like Mick Doohan, if you treated it with respect. But the press called it a killer - and it was, because of the way people treated it, many buyers were coming from placid old bikes or from 600cc sports bikes and treating this 1000cc monster the same way, come out of a corner and give it full gas.
The problem is, you had to come out of the corner and roll the throttle on with feeling, you could really shoot out of the corner, ride the throttle a fraction ahead of the tyre’s capabilities and you could provoke a slide to get the back around quicker, reduce slightly to get it to hook up and power through as you came upright to shoot out of the bend. But, most riders coming from smaller bikes were used to coast the bike through the corner and snap on full throttle as you hit the apex and the motor would wind up and shoot you out of the corner…
That is a huge difference. The TL1000S would instantly break traction, the rider would panic and start to close the throttle and you’d get a “tank slapper”, a violent wobble that would slam the handle bar into one side of the tank, then whip across and do the same on the other side, breaking your thumbs, if you were lucky. If you were unlucky, it would “high side” you, it would stand up violently and flip you off the bike, you’d probably have a few broken bones on the landing. If you were very unlucky, you’d have a rodeo ride straight into the next oncoming vehicle, a lamp post or a tree and Goodnight Vienna.
Because of idiots like this, the authorities forced Suzuki to put a steering damper on the bike, which made it harder to handle, but stopped Vollpfosten (German for dumbass) from wrapping themselves around trees.
I have some fantastic memories of that bike, because I got myself advanced training and the dealer only let me take it for a test ride a month after the course and 2 ride-outs with the shop on my own bike - I was around 30 at the time - so he could assess my riding.
I don’t see high powered ICE or electric cars in the hands of inexperienced drivers to be any different.
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### Author:  [@PaulSK](https://www.twit.community/u/PaulSK)
#### Post date: [June 27, 2023, 5:14am UTC](https://www.twit.community/t/electric-vehicles-may-be-too-hazardous-for-teen-drivers/14880/6 "2023-06-27T05:14:08Z")
That sir is part of the problem, he is 20 and has 4 years experience which means it was one of his first, if not the first car he drove therefore he was not subjected to the pace change, to home ICE vehicles probably seem slow and ponderous.
Liz was looking recently to replace her Range Rover Sport, not too slow, bith with a ton of space for carrying ‘stuff’ between nurseries.
With the high fuel prices she looked at EVs, hybrids didn’t give much better consumption because of the extra space taken by the drive train they lost ‘sruff’ space. She looked at the MachE, but it was too small and Lego like, looked at the Taycan but it was too small, ended up testing a BMW IX for 24 hours, bags of space, interior like a tarts parlour, front end looked the dog mobile from dumb and dumber the deal breaker though was the speed it went from 0-no licence (silently) and the regeneration from braking she said it felt like the engine had fallen out.
After putting the idea on hold a month ago she went to the local Maserati dealership to look at the Levante and the new Grecale, the Grecale was too tech loaded so she test drive a Levante Modena, it is comfortable, superb build quality hits the 60 Mark in 4.2 and it’s ferrari designed engine sounds like Andrea Bocelli in full song. It stops like it has anchors and handles almost like a sports car. Unlike the IX it can be be driven like a pussycat (all while making low volume growly noises) until you plant your right foot in sports mode.and then it would cocaine bear a run for his money (still handles well, but reduced the 22 mile trip home by just under 5 minutes)
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### Author:  [@philbar](https://www.twit.community/u/philbar)
#### Post date: [June 27, 2023, 12:39pm UTC](https://www.twit.community/t/electric-vehicles-may-be-too-hazardous-for-teen-drivers/14880/7 "2023-06-27T12:39:45Z")
only thing is the Bolt 0-60 time is around 7 seconds, Many of the others are 1.9 to 30 seconds. Seems like for those vehicles some judgement should be used for the less experienced drivers.
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### Author:  [@Jamze](https://www.twit.community/u/Jamze)
#### Post date: [June 27, 2023, 1:44pm UTC](https://www.twit.community/t/electric-vehicles-may-be-too-hazardous-for-teen-drivers/14880/8 "2023-06-27T13:44:06Z")
The insurance market will dampen this effect I think, same as for ICE vehicles. In the UK there has always been a market for compact, low-power (1 litre, \< 100bhp, \> 10 seconds to 60mph) cars as these are realistically the only cars new drivers can afford to insure. Peugeot, Fiat, Citroën, Renault, Vauxhall, Ford etc.
If 5-second to 60mph EVs are a risk - then the insurance companies will shut that down pretty quickly. A bit like the hot hatches in the 80s.
The EV manufacturers will then have to produce cars for that new driver market.
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### Author:  [@PaulSK](https://www.twit.community/u/PaulSK)
#### Post date: [June 27, 2023, 2:10pm UTC](https://www.twit.community/t/electric-vehicles-may-be-too-hazardous-for-teen-drivers/14880/9 "2023-06-27T14:10:00Z")
Like this. [AMI, 100% Electric Mobility Solution Designed For Everybody](https://www.citroen.co.uk/ami)
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### Author:  [@Jamze](https://www.twit.community/u/Jamze)
#### Post date: [June 27, 2023, 2:12pm UTC](https://www.twit.community/t/electric-vehicles-may-be-too-hazardous-for-teen-drivers/14880/10 "2023-06-27T14:12:29Z")
Maybe!
At the moment the new driver market is well supplied with second-hand ICE cars, and that situation won’t change for a few years yet IMO.
So EV tech will have some time to mature and get cheaper, and then we’ll see the lower cost smaller EVs coming out hopefully.
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### Author:  [@big\_D](https://www.twit.community/u/big_D)
#### Post date: [June 27, 2023, 2:17pm UTC](https://www.twit.community/t/electric-vehicles-may-be-too-hazardous-for-teen-drivers/14880/11 "2023-06-27T14:17:23Z")
This one, you mean? 🤣
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpGrnopcBsA)
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### Author:  [@big\_D](https://www.twit.community/u/big_D)
#### Post date: [June 27, 2023, 2:19pm UTC](https://www.twit.community/t/electric-vehicles-may-be-too-hazardous-for-teen-drivers/14880/12 "2023-06-27T14:19:01Z")
The other thing is, at least here, that new drivers are driving 10-20 year old cars, because they can’t afford anything newer, there aren’t that many small EVs in that segment… Heck, there aren’t many EVs in that segment at all.
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### Author:  [@Jamze](https://www.twit.community/u/Jamze)
#### Post date: [June 27, 2023, 2:24pm UTC](https://www.twit.community/t/electric-vehicles-may-be-too-hazardous-for-teen-drivers/14880/13 "2023-06-27T14:24:02Z")
Many I know take advantage of £150-200/month leases. That’s the only way EVs are going to get into that market initially I reckon
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### Author:  [@big\_D](https://www.twit.community/u/big_D)
#### Post date: [June 27, 2023, 2:30pm UTC](https://www.twit.community/t/electric-vehicles-may-be-too-hazardous-for-teen-drivers/14880/14 "2023-06-27T14:30:20Z")
Most new drivers here are still studying or doing an apprenticeship, so they have, maybe 50€ a month for fuel, insurance and running costs. If they are lucky, the parents or aunts and uncles have set up a savings account for them for the driving test (around 3,000€ currently, I think) and maybe a couple of thousand for a used car…
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### Author:  [@PaulSK](https://www.twit.community/u/PaulSK)
#### Post date: [June 27, 2023, 2:49pm UTC](https://www.twit.community/t/electric-vehicles-may-be-too-hazardous-for-teen-drivers/14880/15 "2023-06-27T14:49:44Z")
Market opportunity for E-tandems 😁