In recent years, electric vehicles have developed rapidly and are well-loved for their clean and environmentally friendly features. However, some consumers are discouraged by shortcomings such as long charging time, insufficient battery life, and high price. The German weekly “Star” organized a two-week electric vehicle test event. After the test, will ten test drivers be willing to buy an electric car?
”I became more calm, better planned my trip, and stopped driving fast.” Jorge Lange was surprised at his change. “This is the biggest impact this test drive has on me.”
Lange almost every day He drives his Audi A6 to commute. He has a very tight schedule. He drives a total mileage of 70,000 to 80,000 kilometers per year. There are often hundreds of kilograms of material samples in the suitcase. It is not suitable for replacing fuel vehicles with electric vehicles that require a long charging time.
”The first week was a disaster. The electric car didn’t match my schedule at all, and it gradually improved in the second week.” Lange recalled. In order to increase the cruising range of the all-electric Mercedes-Benz EQC car he tested, he reduced the speed and tried to use the parking time to do more meaningful things. “I’ll be talking on the phone in charge pile, write the message,” he said, “There are two also went for a walk and I often talk to other owners, say hello after the start chatting..”
| From compact to luxury |
”star The project initiated by》 magazine was to exchange one’s own car for an electric car for a two-week test drive. More than 300 people applied to participate. The final selection was Jorge Lange and nine other readers. They drove from the magazine office building to Hamburg on August 29, parked their car in the underground garage there, and drove away an electric car, ranging from the small Renault Zoe to the luxurious Porsche Taycan, covering the current German electric car market All the best-selling models on the
But the purpose of this test is not to judge which car is the best. After all, there are enough traditional car tests focusing on speed, comfort and acceleration. We are more interested in how drivers who are first exposed to electric vehicles should adapt.
Finally, test drivers need to answer: Is the time to switch to an electric car? This is also the problem facing millions of potential car buyers in the next few years. Of course, Germany strongly encourages electric cars. At present, the purchase of new energy vehicles can receive a subsidy of up to 9,500 euros, but will this dispel our concerns about electric vehicles? Insufficient battery life, long charging time, high price, unfamiliar operation… Before getting on the electric car in Hamburg, test drivers described their concerns like this.
In the next two weeks, they drove these ten test-driving cars for a total of 30,000 kilometers. They recorded their adventures in the form of video diaries and photos. They also dictated the irritating illegal parking drivers and annoying navigation. Details such as the system and handwritten notes indicating that the charging pile is broken.
In the world of electric vehicles, there are many new elements that need to be adapted, and there is not little room for improvement. This is not surprising. After all, the development of electric power into vehicle power that can replace internal combustion engines has only happened in the past two or three years. As early as the beginning of the automobile era in the early 20th century, electricity briefly became the most popular type of power. At that time, driving was an urban phenomenon. Electricity in the city is still an exciting new thing, but it is already at your fingertips. Although heavy-duty lead batteries were often used in cars at that time, the driving efficiency was still quite competitive: the first car to reach a speed of 100 kilometers per hour was a French electric car.
During the First World War, combat requirements prompted a significant improvement in the performance of internal combustion engines, but the development of electric power has been stagnant. It was not until Tesla achieved commercial success that electric cars returned to the mainstream product ranks. The California company’s stock price once surpassed all German car companies, and the industry has gradually followed its example. In addition, people have reached a broad consensus on the fact that internal combustion engines cannot achieve environmental goals.
| Advantages and disadvantages coexist | The
new electric vehicle technology has subverted people’s inherent cognition in many ways, such as greatly reducing car noise. “Once, I drove behind a passerby and wondered how she didn’t know how to give way.” said Meller Ripert, who tested an Opel Corsair electric car. “Later I found out that it was because of her. I didn’t hear the sound of the car at all.” The two-week test time allowed novices like Rippert to become real experts, familiar with charging apps, car navigation, and battery instructions, and most of the time they could reach their destinations smoothly.
”Now, I am a bit like an electric car expert.” Test-driver Marco Rolloff also said. The 20-year-old apprentice usually drives a 22-year-old Volkswagen Polo car and drives 70 kilometers every day to his training site. “I am a little worried about the short range.” He said when starting from Hamburg. Rohroff’s test drive is a Volkswagen E-Up, a small electric car developed on the basis of the original fuel version: the cruising range is about 260 kilometers, which can meet daily needs; the new technology is also easy to learn and still needs Insert the bulky key into the keyhole, and wake up the electric technology through a short rotation, just like the previous fuel car ignition. “The changes are not big.” Rolloff said. He drove a total of 2,200 kilometers.
When handing back the Tesla Model 3 for test drive, Hans-Jörg Filbik said: “I was driving on a highway with a light-colored concrete road and suddenly saw a dark asphalt section. My car Obviously recognized it as another car and braked hard.” Fortunately, there were no consequences. Other Tesla drivers have also experienced this “ghost brake.” This California car company can provide software updates for cars through the mobile network at any time, continuously add new functions, improve existing functions, and ensure that old cars always have the latest technology, but this also means that cars reach customers. Not all functions are fully developed.
Tesla hopes that drivers will be willing to be monitored. Hans-Jorge Filbik believes that there are too many electronic components for electric vehicles, but they have not reached 100% maturity. As a “computer on wheels”, the high-performance battery of an electric vehicle is managed by a computer, and the navigation system and digital tools have standard specifications. The use of charging pile apps is almost inevitable. “Electric car drivers must be able to operate smart phones proficiently.” said 60-year-old Renault Zoe test driver Lena Holzkov. “I want to say that we are the oldest who can accept this new thing relatively easily. It’s a generation.”
Some electric car manufacturers always boast of their digital advantages: almost all models provide countless on-screen menus, with images, curves and tables, and the finest setting adjustments. Simple operations such as connecting wind are also covered by science. coat. In the past, the various adjustments that could be made by blindly groping with the knob, now you must stare at the touch screen. Test-driver Joachim Vogel believes that such “cumbersome” is unnecessary. But he is willing to learn more about the technologies that make electric cars move and even regain energy when braking. “When I first understood the principle of waste heat utilization, I was very excited.” He said.
The frugal Schwartz Vogel test-driven a Hyundai Kona Elektro, a lightweight SUV from South Korea, with a daily cruising range of about 400 kilometers. “The biggest disadvantage of electric vehicles is that they must be stopped for charging every one and a half hours,” Vogel said. He and his wife drove about 3,300 kilometers in two weeks and also went out for a trip. “But in daily life, such a long drive is usually at most once or twice a year.” He hates charging for a long time, but it is also because he recognizes his own weaknesses. “I have to kill time while charging, and I can’t help eating fast food because there are no other options.” He complained. This is also a problem that other electric car drivers need to face.
In terms of charging itself, there are hundreds of different charging pile suppliers in Germany. Their settlement system is not compatible, and sometimes they have to use the charging card of the local electricity supplier to pay, and some have to pay through the App or charge by mobile phone text messages. Moreover, the price is completely opaque, and the pricing is generally not marked on the charging pile. In this way, it is very likely that the charging pile of the supplier Ionity only needs 29 Euro cents per kilowatt-hour of electricity, but the charging pile next to it needs 79 Euro cents. In addition, there are three different cable plug types.
While charging the test-driving Audi E-Tron, Philip Koenigsi ran into another problem-the driver of a fuel car occupying a charging space. “After a traffic jam, in a restaurant next to the highway, the fuel truck was full of charging parking spaces. I need to persuade those I don’t want to know to drive away. During the 20 minutes of charging, we were stared at like knives. Staring. What is this all about!” Koenigsi said helplessly.
So far, electric vehicles on the roads in Germany are still a minority, and most of the charging parking spaces are vacant, but all this is changing rapidly: from January to August this year, electric vehicle sales rose by 84%, and if you add it, it will also flood into public charging stations. The growth rate of hybrid vehicles even reached 274%.
From an economic point of view, it makes sense to switch to an electric car: Although the price of a new car is high, fortunately, there are state subsidies and the cost of use is significantly lower. If charging at home, the energy cost is only half of gasoline and diesel vehicles. Maintenance costs are also lower, because fuel vehicles may rattle valves, corrode pistons, fail connecting rods, break universal joints, and have very few electric drive active parts, low failure rate, and no need to change oil or clutch discs or spark plugs. Wait for the parts, and the brakes will not wear out under cautious driving. Statistics show that the maintenance expenditure of electric vehicles is only 1/3 of that of fuel vehicles.
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The conclusions of test drivers are mostly positive. In the end, six out of ten people were willing to accept electric cars, two opposed, and two others did not make a decision, expressing the hope that they would wait another year or two until the charging conditions were improved before making plans. The key is infrastructure construction, not the car itself-this is the most important signal sent by this test.
Willing to buy an electric car
Renault Twingo Renault Zoe Rena Holzkov
”We plan to buy a new car, and because we are unwilling to accept the shortcomings of insufficient battery life, we have actually decided not to consider electric cars. We live on the north coast, except for school buses. There is no other means of public transportation. Cars are not a status symbol for us. They are purely a means of transportation. We have four children and are very environmentally friendly. We want to minimize the burden on the planet. In this regard, electric cars Better than a petrol car. This test dispelled my concerns about the cruising range, so the reason for refusing to buy an electric car no longer exists. In the past two weeks, we did not feel bound by the cruising range. If we know that we need to run a day You can arrange your itinerary in advance as far as you can.”
Nissan X-trail Nissan Leaf Christiana Weidmann
” It’s 700 kilometers from Hamburg to Großbetlingen, where we live. It’s really not close to us who are driving electric cars for the first time. At the beginning, I was very nervous. As a fuel car driver with 40 years of driving experience, I very much doubt the performance of electric cars. On the way, we were on the edge of a fish pond. I was charged in a private socket, and after staying at a public charging station for four hours, I encountered a broken charging station twice. The screen said “under repair”, we dialed the service number, but the other party didn’t know it. There was a problem. But overall, this car convinced us. Stuttgart’s charging infrastructure is well built, and it is obvious that a lot of money has been invested in this, which is also the current development trend in many cities.”
Porsche 911 Porsche Taycan Daniela Sachs-Rollman
”I feel a little sad when I think of returning it. These 14 days have been great! I have never driven an electric car before, only ridden an electric bicycle. This 500 horsepower, A car that can accelerate to 100 km/h in 4 seconds is worth a try! It takes only half an hour to be fully charged at a fast charging station, which makes me particularly happy and also shows me the potential of electric vehicles. But some I’m still not satisfied, for example, the software and navigation system for locating charging stations are not mature enough.”
Volvo XC90 Audi E-Tron Philip Koenigssi
”I want to buy this car anyway, but I have to convince my wife because she is not sure yet. I often ride bicycles and drive out less frequently, but in this test I still drove about 3000 kilometers. Even the only one who went to the eastern part of Germany, the charging public facilities there are even more imperfect. But to my surprise, everything went well, also because this Audi electric car has a fast charging power of 150 kilowatts, which is charged. It’s almost as fast as Tesla and Porsche.”
Hyundai IX35 Hyundai Kona Elektro Joachim Vogel
“When I returned from Hamburg in an electric car, I was stuck on the road. The driver was about 70 kilometers away from home. The side door of the car was hit by a car. It was okay, but the car broke down. So for the next test, we used a spare car. My wife and I drove this car every day and drove about 3,300 kilometers. Passing through the Palatinate Forest, crossing the Swabian Mountains, and driving to the sea. I thought I would encounter a lot of charging problems, but except for two times I didn’t find the charging pile quickly, everything was great.”
Volkswagen Polo E-Up Marco Rolloff
”I am willing to buy an E-Up, provided that it can be charged at the company. In the test, I went to Lake Ede once and traveled 242 kilometers. When I got home, I could drive 20 kilometers with remaining power. I am very satisfied! I have encountered broken charging post. I think that’ll have to wait a year or two, in order to improve the charging network, then open the electric car is completely OK. ”
do not want to buy electric cars
Audi Avant Mercedes-Benz EQC Joerg Lange
”Electric cars are not suitable for my job. I have to stay flexible and I can’t plan when and where to charge. I often have to drive more than 500 kilometers, if the destination is in a big city. Very good, and once I go to the countryside, the battery will often be less than 10%, and I will become very nervous. Some charging piles are posted with handwritten notes to remind the driver that the charging pile is broken. It really takes a lot of hard work to develop in Germany. It may be okay to buy an electric car for a private car, but I would definitely not choose a high-end model.”
Jaguar XJ Tesla Model 3 Hans-Jörg Philbeek
“I’m often on the road and drive 80,000 kilometers a year. It took me about a week to get used to an electric car. It only takes 45 minutes to fully charge, and the navigation is fast. I never disconnect the Internet or give wrong instructions. However, on several occasions, without warning, the car automatically brakes are up. I do not like all functions to manipulate the design on a large screen. ”
No decision
西雅特伊比萨Opel Saimeierle Ripert
”I live in the countryside and drive 70 or 80 kilometers to work every day. This Opel Corsair is mainly used by me for commuting and short-distance travel. I drove it once and moved to the Baltic Sea. About 180 kilometers, I fully charged the electric car before leaving, planned the distance and parking place, and even charged the car for free in Neumünster. Usually, I usually charge the car at the company. A colleague raised curious questions about this, and the boss came to see my car. Electric cars are more environmentally friendly and clean, which makes me satisfied. But I don’t want to buy an electric car yet. In the countryside, the charging infrastructure is poor and the commuting distance is long. , Are terrible disadvantages, but the situation may be very different in two or three years.”
Mercedes-Benz C-Klasse BMW i3 Florence Badker-Georgs
”We and my wife have different opinions. From Hamburg To return to France where we live, we need to drive 800 kilometers, and the cruising range of 160 kilometers is really too small. The i3 is not suitable for long-distance running, but it is very suitable for urban travel. Considering the convenience of vacation, my husband wants to continue to drive a gas car. Is more inclined to electric vehicles.”