With Electric cars becoming increasingly more popular throughout the UK and as fuel prices continue to rise, consumers are being forced to turn away from the tradition of having petrol or diesel-fuelled vehicle and turning towards the much more economical zero-emission electric vehicles. There is more than the price of oil that is helping to motivate so many consumers to make the switch, the public view of fossil fuels is finally changing. The general public has become much more informed than previous generations and the increased education around fossil fuels is helping make people aware that they are in fact an unsustainable form of energy.
A further contributor to the rise in consumers switching to electric vehicles is the sheer increase of EV chargers being installed around the UK. As of 2020, the UK has upped the number of electric car charging ports to over 27,000, and now in 2022, that number is more than 42,000. More than doubling from 2011 when there were only 1,503 throughout the UK. With this much growth in the number of charge stations over the last decade, it has empowered more UK residents to make the switch from gas to electric.
Now that so many adults have made the switch over to electric, what does that mean for the teenagers who are just starting to learn to drive? Does the electric vehicle make it more difficult than the petrol-powered rival?
The reality is that there isn’t much difference between how you learn to drive in an electric vehicle to a petrol-powered car. Aside from learning how to master some electric vehicle techniques like conserving range, charging the vehicle, and switching between driving modes, an electric vehicle acts and responds the same way as a conventional vehicle when being operated.
With over 40% of UK adults expressing that they would prefer to have their child learn to drive an electric vehicle, what are some important things that people should know about driving an electric car? Be aware that it may be more difficult to find driving instructors who teach new drivers how to operate an electric car, so if you are planning to have your teen learn to drive an electric car, be aware that you may have to take the time out to help teach and provide most of the lessons yourself.
Here are some of the most important things to know when learning to drive an electric car.
1. There are no manual electric vehicles: It is important to know that electric cars are automatic transmission vehicles only. If you would like your teenager to obtain a manual driving licence, then EVs are unfortunately out.
2. There is typically no noise: The first thing someone may notice when driving an electric car is that there is no noise. This can pit some drivers off as engine noise is often used to gauge speed and acceleration, when someone is driving an electric vehicle, they may need to pay closer attention to their dash to monitor their speed, acceleration, battery levels, and other vital information pertinent to the driver.
3. Acceleration: The torque in petrol-powered cars has a gradual build-up that increases the engine’s RPM to a certain point before you need to change the car's gears. When a car with an automatic transmission shifts gears, the RPMs decrease rapidly only to build up again before shifting to the next gear. You can both see, hear, and feel this as you accelerate the vehicle. However, an electric vehicle is different there is only one gear, and when you hit the accelerator, all the power of the electric battery goes directly to the wheels. Because of this, the acceleration from a stop is rapid and if you are not prepared for it then jarring may occur.
4. Braking: Just like an automatic petrol-powered car, there is an accelerator and a brake pedal. However, the more experienced you become behind the wheel of an electric vehicle, the less you will have to use the brake pedal. This is because electric cars have something called regenerative braking. Whenever you take your foot off the accelerator, the car automatically starts to apply the brakes. When the vehicle is braking like this, the battery recharges. Once you are more comfortable with the automatic braking system, you may realise that you use the brake pedal much less frequently.
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