What happens when a Barry can buy a 800hp EV?
Discussion
I've always been OK with the fact that the fastest road cars get incrementally quicker. The cars at the top of the pile were always extremely expensive, relatively rare and as such they retained their value and didn't tend to end up being bought as a shed, by a Barry.
They were also, to be frank... so expensive that anyone who could afford one had obviously had some measure of success in their life and had reliably worked their way towards being able to buy a supercar. A person who buys a Veryron can be trusted to tie their own shoelaces and can also be trusted to not have a old stained mattress and rusty washing machine in their front garden. It has always been this way - which is why when you see a car in a ditch it's invariably a s
tter, not a Lamborghini.
Barry can't have a Lamborghini, he can have a ten year old Fiesta ST and he can find a lamborghini style spoiler to stick to the back of it - which is great as it slows him as his car down.
But times are changing rapidly. On Autotrader there are 760hp Tesla Model S' for around £25k, only 7 years old. Barry probably doesn't have £25k but in a few more years he might have £10k, especially if he's recently visited a post office. Once he has one, you won't even hear him coming - his engine won't be screaming and his tyres won't be squealing. He will however hit 60 in under 3 seconds to show off, on a whim.
Is this not a slightly worrying near future scenario? The guys that used to razz around town centres in Subaru's with 280hp, in the next generation will have getting on for 800hp under their foot - in a car run on Barry's budget, so it won't have great tyres - it will have warped brake discs. It doesn't stop there either, the current Model S Plaid has over 1000hp - it is easily able to pace a Bugatti Veyron in the real world, it will keep up on a drag strip in fact. This isn't showing signs of abating. The most powerful Tesla's and endless newer, insanely rapid EV's which are marketed as 'family cars' and SUV's are all going to end up at the cheap end of AT - because all said and done, they're not 'special' cars that will become collectible anytime remotely soon, they're just normal cars with unbelievable power.
Debate
They were also, to be frank... so expensive that anyone who could afford one had obviously had some measure of success in their life and had reliably worked their way towards being able to buy a supercar. A person who buys a Veryron can be trusted to tie their own shoelaces and can also be trusted to not have a old stained mattress and rusty washing machine in their front garden. It has always been this way - which is why when you see a car in a ditch it's invariably a s
tter, not a Lamborghini.Barry can't have a Lamborghini, he can have a ten year old Fiesta ST and he can find a lamborghini style spoiler to stick to the back of it - which is great as it slows him as his car down.
But times are changing rapidly. On Autotrader there are 760hp Tesla Model S' for around £25k, only 7 years old. Barry probably doesn't have £25k but in a few more years he might have £10k, especially if he's recently visited a post office. Once he has one, you won't even hear him coming - his engine won't be screaming and his tyres won't be squealing. He will however hit 60 in under 3 seconds to show off, on a whim.
Is this not a slightly worrying near future scenario? The guys that used to razz around town centres in Subaru's with 280hp, in the next generation will have getting on for 800hp under their foot - in a car run on Barry's budget, so it won't have great tyres - it will have warped brake discs. It doesn't stop there either, the current Model S Plaid has over 1000hp - it is easily able to pace a Bugatti Veyron in the real world, it will keep up on a drag strip in fact. This isn't showing signs of abating. The most powerful Tesla's and endless newer, insanely rapid EV's which are marketed as 'family cars' and SUV's are all going to end up at the cheap end of AT - because all said and done, they're not 'special' cars that will become collectible anytime remotely soon, they're just normal cars with unbelievable power.
Debate
Doesn't worry me, as I suspect they'll just write them (and or themselves) off pretty quickly. Darwin award nominees.
And in honesty, inner town/city, where the limit is 30/40, doesn't really matter if you've 280 or 820bhp, you can do 80mph, in either and when you do, chances of a smash are the same.
I suspect it'll sort itself out quite easily.
And in honesty, inner town/city, where the limit is 30/40, doesn't really matter if you've 280 or 820bhp, you can do 80mph, in either and when you do, chances of a smash are the same.
I suspect it'll sort itself out quite easily.
Hopefully, the noise aspect will keep them in old school favourites such as 140i, Golf R, Leon Cupras, Civic Type Rs etc where they're slow enough and obvious enough to be able to avoid problems for a few years yet. I can't see them giving up the badly mapped exhaust poppery lightly 
Beyond that though, once they get bored of being outpaced by 90% of cars on the road as EVs become the majority, then I think we'll be in trouble - it's the nipping in an and out of gaps al-la Fast n Furious convoy style where it'll get particularly messy I think. Weaving through the tightest of gaps made feasible in their minds by the instant squirt of EV torque.
Perhaps the insurance companies will double down their efforts and price insurance even more crazily for the under 30s for EVs?
Beyond that though, once they get bored of being outpaced by 90% of cars on the road as EVs become the majority, then I think we'll be in trouble - it's the nipping in an and out of gaps al-la Fast n Furious convoy style where it'll get particularly messy I think. Weaving through the tightest of gaps made feasible in their minds by the instant squirt of EV torque.
Perhaps the insurance companies will double down their efforts and price insurance even more crazily for the under 30s for EVs?
plfrench said:
Hopefully, the noise aspect will keep them in old school favourites such as 140i, Golf R, Leon Cupras, Civic Type Rs etc where they're slow enough and obvious enough to be able to avoid problems for a few years yet. I can't see them giving up the badly mapped exhaust poppery lightly
Beyond that though, once they get bored of being outpaced by 90% of cars on the road as EVs become the majority, then I think we'll be in trouble - it's the nipping in an and out of gaps al-la Fast n Furious convoy style where it'll get particularly messy I think. Weaving through the tightest of gaps made feasible in their minds by the instant squirt of EV torque.
Perhaps the insurance companies will double down their efforts and price insurance even more crazily for the under 30s for EVs?
It's the 'nippy' nature that I'm thinking of. Which to be fair I very much enjoy myself - I have a powerful EV, I know the cars I'm nipping in front of can't possibly arrive in the same space when I will, so it's quite nice 'now' because the vast majority of cars are in a different league - that won't last though, more and more EV's are hitting the roads and many are surprisingly rapid.Beyond that though, once they get bored of being outpaced by 90% of cars on the road as EVs become the majority, then I think we'll be in trouble - it's the nipping in an and out of gaps al-la Fast n Furious convoy style where it'll get particularly messy I think. Weaving through the tightest of gaps made feasible in their minds by the instant squirt of EV torque.
Perhaps the insurance companies will double down their efforts and price insurance even more crazily for the under 30s for EVs?
But 3 barry's, each in an old Tesla with anywhere with anywhere from 400-750hp 'having a laugh' and filming themselves in the middle of town... A load of younger youths wanting to see them do something impressive..
Barry's aside, it could be literally any driver that decides they want something fun so ends up with a 700hp EV after a lifetime of diesel 4 pots. That's the thing, when these cars hit a certain price they are no longer the sort of car you work your way up to over a reasonable length driving career, they're for anybody that fancies one.
plfrench said:
I can't see them giving up the badly mapped exhaust poppery lightly
I wish there was a law against that kind of tttery. I can't wait for the extinction of ICE cars because of that. That also goes for motorcycles, mopeds, 2 stroke garden equipment, motorboats and jetskis etc.Undercover McNoName said:
plfrench said:
I can't see them giving up the badly mapped exhaust poppery lightly
I wish there was a law against that kind of tttery. I can't wait for the extinction of ICE cars because of that. That also goes for motorcycles, mopeds, 2 stroke garden equipment, motorboats and jetskis etc.
and I'm sure that soon enough I'll have to run it on e-fuel.Motorbikes are looking at an extra 5 years ahead of their ICE ban, so we're stuck with them for a good while sadly. I have no idea why really, I looked at an electric motorbike the other day, they're amazing things! They can accelerate as fast as most riders could hold on and the range is great, electrification seems to really suit bikes. Needless to say the average biker won't agree. Men who dress in leather invariably have a fetish for sticking nozzles in holes and shouting about it.
wormus said:
EVs are bought by nerds called Colin, they are of little interest to cool people, especially Barry. As for the reference to an EV Fast & Furious, I cannot imagine a film less likely to be made. What would it be called, “limited range - the search for electrons” ?
You're wrong Barry. You don't think the kids of today, the barry's of tomorrow don't like high powered EV's!?These kids were bought up on tech, literally handed their first tablet at age 2 to get them to shut up. They won't have any problem at all appreciating and then abusing the power of electrons.
There's plenty of idiots with access to top end cars already. Remember the Gemballa crashing in NYC thee years ago? That footballer who crashed his Ferrari in the tunnel? The Idiot that crashed his Range Rover onto the railway line in London?
Money and stupidity are not mutually exclusive.
Money and stupidity are not mutually exclusive.
TheDeuce said:
wormus said:
EVs are bought by nerds called Colin, they are of little interest to cool people, especially Barry. As for the reference to an EV Fast & Furious, I cannot imagine a film less likely to be made. What would it be called, “limited range - the search for electrons” ?
You're wrong Barry. You don't think the kids of today, the barry's of tomorrow don't like high powered EV's!?These kids were bought up on tech, literally handed their first tablet at age 2 to get them to shut up. They won't have any problem at all appreciating and then abusing the power of electrons.
wormus said:
TheDeuce said:
wormus said:
EVs are bought by nerds called Colin, they are of little interest to cool people, especially Barry. As for the reference to an EV Fast & Furious, I cannot imagine a film less likely to be made. What would it be called, “limited range - the search for electrons” ?
You're wrong Barry. You don't think the kids of today, the barry's of tomorrow don't like high powered EV's!?These kids were bought up on tech, literally handed their first tablet at age 2 to get them to shut up. They won't have any problem at all appreciating and then abusing the power of electrons.
wormus said:
From what I can work out, most of these kids don’t even know how to drive. Too preoccupied with their tablets and phones to ever learn. No, today’s EVs are driven by Colin, a man who wants to be interesting so he can get the chicks like Barry but alas he never will. Why? Because the laydees don’t dig guys with cars that go “WEEEEEEEEEEEE”
POETS day down the pub?wormus said:
TheDeuce said:
I really think you're better positioned as the subject of this thread, not as a contributor.
Cheer up Colin, it’s Friday and almost home time It's a VERY good Friday for Colin!
Good luck with your 5mpg Monaro, I imagine the range is a bugger.
TheDeuce said:
wormus said:
TheDeuce said:
I really think you're better positioned as the subject of this thread, not as a contributor.
Cheer up Colin, it’s Friday and almost home time It's a VERY good Friday for Colin!
Good luck with your 5mpg Monaro, I imagine the range is a bugger.
Enjoy the new car!
Edited by anonymous-user on Friday 4th August 15:38
TheDeuce said:
Motorbikes are looking at an extra 5 years ahead of their ICE ban, so we're stuck with them for a good while sadly. I have no idea why really, I looked at an electric motorbike the other day, they're amazing things! They can accelerate as fast as most riders could hold on and the range is great, electrification seems to really suit bikes. Needless to say the average biker won't agree. Men who dress in leather invariably have a fetish for sticking nozzles in holes and shouting about it.
That all sounds great.Which bike did you look at?
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