Sunday, February 22, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
From : Science et Vie, January 2009. No1096.
Test drive of an electrical car, signed M.F.
At long last, I get to try an electric car. It is the Cleanova II from SVE : a Renault Kangoo, with lithium-ion batteries. On the steering board, the gas gauge has been replaced by an indicator of battery autonomy. It is not at maximum, but I have over 100 kilometers left. I turn on the ignition…nothing. But that is normal : the motor is totally silent. And I’m off.
Driving is very pleasant : no gear changes ( there is no gear box), the car is wonderfully responsive. I am fascinated by the little arrow which indicates, on the steering board, the impact of my driving on my consumption. It goes into the red when I accelerate and turns green when I slow down. Better yet, it tells me when I am recharging the battery.
When I let go of the accelerator, I am not running on momentum : I slow down. The motor inverts itself…and recharges. Going downhill, for the last meters before the red light…this happens often. I get into the game, try to keep into the green as much as possible. But I must pay more attention to my driving : a female pedestrian virtually throws herself under my wheels. How could she miss me a mere 2 meters away? Simple to understand : she did not hear my approach… I am dangerously silent.
Recuperating from this strong emotion, I head for the autoroute before turning back. Nothing to criticize : passing, good acceleration. The car performs as expected, up to 130 kilometers per hour. No more, it is locked there. One should add that beyond that point, the battery performance would be seriously compromised.
Back to the garage. No doubt about it, I drove a real car, not a toy. And I go back to my old car that smokes, vibrates, pollutes… waiting for something better.
Test drive of an electrical car, signed M.F.
At long last, I get to try an electric car. It is the Cleanova II from SVE : a Renault Kangoo, with lithium-ion batteries. On the steering board, the gas gauge has been replaced by an indicator of battery autonomy. It is not at maximum, but I have over 100 kilometers left. I turn on the ignition…nothing. But that is normal : the motor is totally silent. And I’m off.
Driving is very pleasant : no gear changes ( there is no gear box), the car is wonderfully responsive. I am fascinated by the little arrow which indicates, on the steering board, the impact of my driving on my consumption. It goes into the red when I accelerate and turns green when I slow down. Better yet, it tells me when I am recharging the battery.
When I let go of the accelerator, I am not running on momentum : I slow down. The motor inverts itself…and recharges. Going downhill, for the last meters before the red light…this happens often. I get into the game, try to keep into the green as much as possible. But I must pay more attention to my driving : a female pedestrian virtually throws herself under my wheels. How could she miss me a mere 2 meters away? Simple to understand : she did not hear my approach… I am dangerously silent.
Recuperating from this strong emotion, I head for the autoroute before turning back. Nothing to criticize : passing, good acceleration. The car performs as expected, up to 130 kilometers per hour. No more, it is locked there. One should add that beyond that point, the battery performance would be seriously compromised.
Back to the garage. No doubt about it, I drove a real car, not a toy. And I go back to my old car that smokes, vibrates, pollutes… waiting for something better.
Friday, February 6, 2009
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