Leaf got laughed at last night

[mark13]

I was just exiting the mall and It was kind of cool out so I had the windows down about 1130 pm Friday night ...The first light i stop at, a 71-73 big Mustang fastback in nice condition pulls next to me,I hear (Hey you want to drag) and I said sure,then all 3 guys in the Mustang started to laugh..I said Ill race you to 50 MPH because the speed limit was 45 ..Then I hear more laughter and how they were going to smoke me...
The light turns green and I floor it, I hear the Mustang rear wheels burning rubber as the Leaf takes off..I hit 50 mph and the Mustang is 20 feet behind me :lol:
The Mustang keeps flooring it by me and I never see them again..
Thats my first drag race and first kill..I never ask people to drag race but if anyone ask me to, I will always accept the challnge..

 

[adric22]

The light turns green and I floor it, I hear the Mustang rear wheels burning rubber as the Leaf takes off..I hit 50 mph and the Mustang is 20 feet behind me :lol:
The Mustang keeps flooring it by me and I never see them again..
Thats my first drag race and first kill..I never ask people to drag race but if anyone ask me to, I will always accept the challnge..

Great story.. I expect to see more of this. You know, a lot of people assume EV's are slow. I was talking to some people the other day in a parking lot about the car. They actually thought it was cool because it would save money on gas, but then they said they weren't sure if they could drive a car that couldn't go fast enough to get on the freeway. I told them the car has no trouble on the freeway and they replied, "I wouldn't imagine this thing could go more than about 45 or 50 miles per hour, right?" When I told them it would go 95 mph, and that was only a computer limitation, they were shocked.

I was watching an episode of the Simpsons a few days ago. This was an older episode. They go into this museum where it shows technology of the future, paid for by big oil. The Simpsons ride in a little electric car that is on a track and as they are riding, there is a voice inside the car that says "I'm an electric car. I can't go very fast, or very far. And if you drive one, people will think you are gay."

So anyway.. Good to be spreading the truth. However I'm afraid the Mitsubishi I Electric Car may actually confirm people's fears. I've heard that it does 0-60 in some horrible number, like 16 seconds.

 

[Deleted member 3645]

I found the Simpsons vid, hilarious and true!

http://www.hostedfile.com/videos/5734/simpsons-electric-car.html

-- Stefan in Montreal

 

[GeekEV]

When I told them it would go 95 mph, and that was only a computer limitation, they were shocked.

Except it isn't just a computer limitation. It's created by the maximum rpm of the motor, multiplied by the fixed gear ratio and tire diameter. It isn't physically possible to go more than 94... But now I'm just being pedantic.

 

[LakeLeaf]

I'm always surprised how many people don't understand the basics and benefits of electrical propulsion. We've had hybrids around for years and they get many of the same benefits, although few can put full electric power into off the line acceleration. Still, torque is torque.

 

[TonyWilliams]

The light turns green and I floor it, I hear the Mustang rear wheels burning rubber as the Leaf takes off..I hit 50 mph and the Mustang is 20 feet behind me

That is awesome!!! Thanks for sharing.

Tony

 

[smkettner]

The light turns green and I floor it, I hear the Mustang rear wheels burning rubber as the Leaf takes off..I hit 50 mph and the Mustang is 20 feet behind me

Bunch of rookies :lol:

My old 1970 Mach I with 351C would EASILY beat Leaf to 50mph :roll:
As good as Leaf is, it seems lazy to me right off the line.

 

[TomT]

Yeah, I don't get it... Almost any car, or even SUV, can beat the Leaf to 50! Either these are the worlds worst drivers or someone is smoking something really good!

The light turns green and I floor it, I hear the Mustang rear wheels burning rubber as the Leaf takes off..I hit 50 mph and the Mustang is 20 feet behind me

Bunch of rookies :lol:
My old 1970 Mach I with 351C would EASILY beat Leaf to 50mph :roll:
As good as Leaf is, it seems lazy to me right off the line.

 

[LEAFfan]

Mark, there goes your average!

 

[mywaracfirfoyff]

Yeah, I don't get it... Almost any car, or even SUV, can beat the Leaf to 50! Either these are the worlds worst drivers or someone is smoking something really good!

Burning rubber == not moving forward.
The Mustang is a sports car, right? Where is the launch control?

 

[bradleygibson]

OP said the mustang was a '71-'73. Not sure they had launch control back then.

Still if it had enough power to smoke the tires, I can't understand how it couldn't beat the Leaf to 50... I guess it just goes to show, if you're going to taunt and drag race other cars, you have to learn to drive first. Funny story!

 

[MrFish]

Yeah, I don't get it... Almost any car, or even SUV, can beat the Leaf to 50! Either these are the worlds worst drivers or someone is smoking something really good!

Personally, I've raced several minivans and remain undefeated, and everyone knows that minivan drivers are the best and most aggressive drivers.

 

[Herm]

This is the best kind of race, beat your opponent before they even know there is a race on!

 

[TRONZ]

Peoples perception of performance is often at odds with reality. In a daily driving environment the LEAF exerts much less effort when being driven briskly. Any random car needs to make a lot of racket to keep pace with a LEAF and they look (and sound) very foolish doing so.

When Nissans "sports car" is released people's perceptions of electric will get a substantial "update".

 

[mark13]

Remember the Mustang is 40 years old and they were very young kids just out having fun..It was more their laughter that I remember more then anything else..They were just not that wise when it come to 100% torque and racing..

I have 7200 miles on the car and that was only the 2nd time I have floored it :lol: Like Leaffan said it not good for someone who wants to be the best hypermiler on the board..5.7 KW/M on the main dash..

Win or lose I will never turn down a race to 50 MPH..

 

[LEAFfan]

I have 7200 miles on the car and that was only the 2nd time I have floored it :lol: Like Leaffan said it not good for someone who wants to be the best hypermiler on the board..5.7 KW/M on the main dash..
Win or lose I will never turn down a race to 50 MPH..

Yeah, it's fun once in awhile to race sports cars. I'm 3 for 3 so far. I won all of mine easily too to 45mph. I just wish I could I see their faces as I leave them so far behind. :lol:

 

[SanDust]

Yeah, I don't get it... Almost any car, or even SUV, can beat the Leaf to 50! Either these are the worlds worst drivers or someone is smoking something really good!

I don't think the Leaf is a dragster but I have no doubt it would beat 9 out of 10 cars from a dead stop off the line. For an ICE car the skill of the driver plays a big role. I think I saw a US TopGear episode where a professional driver in a Ferrari or something beat a Corvette with a ton more power. But for electric cars you don't need any skill. All you do is push the accelerator. Additionally, the numbers you see in the car magazines are based on a rolling start with a professional driver. They don't translate very well in the real world. Finally, human nature being what it is, if you're behind early you tend to give up, and the Leaf, being quick off the line, tends to put the other driver behind early.

Because of these reasons I don't think his story is unbelievable at all. In fact I think it's kinda predictable.

 

[mwalsh]

Speaking of rolling starts....it thrills me to be able to spin the front tires if I stomp on it when I'm already rolling, even with the TC on. This is the first car I've had that I've been able to do that.

 

[hill]

I'm always surprised how many people don't understand the basics and benefits of electrical propulsion. . . . . . . . . . snip

surprised? really? even when you're talking low brow, knuckle dragging folks that smell like used motor oil? Why not ask the prospective drag racers, "is it worth it? ... how many Al Queda flights, or GI's does it cost to get oil to the U.S. so you can drag race? Oh, sorry, maybe that's keepin' it too real.

 

[OhmPah]

For a bit of a reality check, I looked up Road & Track's test results. They clocked the Leaf at 6.7 seconds 0-50 which is 0.3 slower than the Volt and... slower than just about everything else that they tested except the Smart car, the Civic Hybrid, and the CRV. That said, I have noticed that I routinely pull away from a stop much more quickly than an ICE car without even trying. I think its easier to drive the Leaf a bit faster and the R&T people are professional drivers flogging their cars for all that they are worth. They also tend to test higher performance versions of the cars (Cooper S vs. Cooper). I think the key in the original comment is that the Mustang spun its wheels and the driver was not getting the best performance out of the car.

FWIW, I could beat a Corvette in my Subaru (non-turbo) on a rainy day. (It may not have been the best driver in the Corvette.)