Whenever I hear people talk about acceleration in electric cars, they talk about the instant torque. I think I have an okay understanding of what torque is, but what does it mean for it to be “instant “?
In: Mathematics
With internal combustion engines, there’s always a lag between pressing the accelerator pedal and the car engine responding, some is basic physics, some is actually deliberate to make the car easier to drive and more efficient (better mpg). The engine needs to spin up to a certain speed before it has enough torque (turning force) to make a difference. There’s a clutch and gearbox which might also drag out response.
With an EV, there’s lots of torque from stationary, and there’s no delay, which makes them feel very responsive, more so than a fossil fuel car of higher power.
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