Original subtitles

[Tory] Okay, here we go. Electric car...

One hundred percent charge.

-Ready? -So, I'm going to put this in sport mode.

-Okay. -'Cause that's what I do.

[Bisi] I hope Tory's wearing some brown boxers.

Three, two, one...

-[Tory] Go. -Go, go, go!

[Tory] I know!

-Come on! -[Tory] Yeah...

Oh, my God!

-[laughs] -That's a fast EV, sir.

[Tory] But as the battery starts dying...

-"Decreases." -See, you say "decreases,"

-I say "dying." -[both laugh]

[Faye] Three, two, one, go!

[narrator] Meet the team.

[screaming]

[Tory] This might be the miracle coolant

that everybody's been searching for.

Oh, no!

[narrator] With the mechanical expertise...

[Faye] My main concern is structural integrity.

[narrator] ...to test all things automotive.

-Oh! [laughing] -The engine died!

[Bisi] The more air we push through, the more fuel siphon out.

And boom!

[narrator] This is Motor MythBusters.

-[Tory] Hit it! -[engine revving]

-[narrator] Where science... -[Tory] Whoa!

[narrator] ...meets the streets.

[Tory] I'm starting to feel differently about these electric cars.

[Bisi] Oh, stop it.

I thought you said we'll be able to get there and back.

All we need is ten minutes.

I'mma charge up ten minutes,

and we'll get back on the road and we'll make it to the shop.

It's not that long. It's like getting coffee or something.

At least I brought something to read.

There's just no place to get coffee.

Hey, do you want to learn about the metallurgy of iron?

No.

Okay, so, by heating from 800 degrees,

the structure will be changed. To 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit,

the metal will be softened.

[yawns]

[scatting]

Okay, that's a maybe.

Crush it, Tory! Kill it!

[bird squawking]

All right, so, can we drive this thing home yet?

-I'm at 25% charged right now. -Will that get us home?

Not very quickly.

-[laughs] -Ugh! Why not very quickly?

Well, at 25%,

I don't think I'll have as much energy or power as when I'm fully charged.

No, that's not what they say.

People think that electric cars will perform the same

no matter what the state of charge of the battery is.

And you're saying that's not what you're experiencing.

No, that's not our experience. Mm-mm.

There's a myth here, folks. Help me out.

All right, so the myth is an electric car with 25% charge

will not perform as well when it's fully charged.

-I would like to test that. -All right.

Sounds like we're going to the race track.

[narrator] Yep. Testing this tall tale will need speed and space

to put the pedal to the metal.

Ask any auto owner

if their car's performance fades as the fuel gauge falls

and you'd be laughed out of town.

But when it comes to an EV,

Bisi believes battery depletion decreases acceleration

and reduces performance.

To test that, a relatable mid-range family EV

will be put through its paces at full charge and 25%.

And for an objective baseline, to its gasoline-powered twin.

[Faye] All right, you guys. So we got our cars.

What do we know about these cars?

-These are the perfect chassis to test this. It really is. -Okay. All right.

[Bisi] I have a lot of information for you.

[Tory] Is this gonna be a long lecture?

No. Very short, actually. You'll find it's quite appealing.

-I don't like lectures. -Nah, me neither.

Before you get out of control, I will share with you

that these vehicles are quite evenly matched.

-Okay. -That shows you how.

The EV has 201 horsepower,

the internal combustion, 175.

However, the EV is much heavier at 3,770 pounds,

while the gasoline chassis is 3,276 pounds.

However, worst part of the weight,

look at that ratio.

0.0533 on the EV, 0.0534 on the petrol.

That's only a tenth of a thousandth difference in that ratio.

They're perfectly matched for additional contacts

while tackling the hypothesis that an EV's performance

is compromised by charge depletion.

-Science! -Right.

[Bisi] To test it, we'll track two key metrics over a quarter-mile.

Top speed and for acceleration,

the standard time to go from zero to sixty.

So this is 100% state of charge in the battery pack,

and I have data logging equipment installed using global positioning

opposed to the vehicle speed on the car.

Because with the vehicle speed on the vehicle, if I spin out,

my tires will give me a higher mile/hour.

So this is a lot more accurate

using global positioning satellites to give us accurate data.

That's a great point.

We'll be able to tell how long it takes you to get down,

and we'll be able to see how quick you get off the line.

-You ready? -So, I'm going to put this in sport mode.

-Okay. -'Cause that's what I do.

-All right. -All right.

Okay, I'll need your help with a countdown. Let me know.

Here we go. I'm gonna give you a help. Here we go.

In three, two, one, go.

You got a little bit of slippage there.

Oh, I definitely feel the torque.

Yes, It's nice, isn't it?

Sixty miles an hour.

Seventy miles an hour.

All right, here comes the quarter mark.

-Ninety-six miles per hour. -[Bisi] Not bad!

That's fast, sir.

-[Tory] But I mean, you know, it is 100% charged. -Yes.

But as the battery starts dying, you start losing power,

and especially at 25%,

I have a feeling you're not going to see these numbers.

I wouldn't say, "As the battery starts dying,"

I'll say "As the state of charge decreases."

See, you say "decreases," I say "dying."

[both laughing]

[Bisi] Tory, funny guy.

But seriously, compared to your standard SUV,

off the line, this EV is quick.

Why? It's all about the torque.

Push the pedal and within milliseconds,

the controller completes the circuit.

And the motor, the current and electromagnetic field

interact via the Lorentz force

producing instant torque.

With the motor coupled directly to the drivetrain, boom, you're off.

[narrator] And to find out how effective that near-instant torque is,

Tory's jumping in the EV's sibling.

The gasoline-powered partner with near-identical power to weight ratio,

will provide an interesting objective baseline.

You do not trust me.

You're right. I don't trust you because I feel like you might lift.

-Why would I do that? -I don't know.

You're so excited about the electric car.

I am excited, but I am a scientist first.

Data collection is very important to me.

Especially honest data collection.

Okay, Bisi. Speed, performance.

Internal combustion engine.

[Bisi] Yes.

-We're in sport mode... -Okay. Sport mode...

-...on the start line. -...on the start line.

And on three, two, one, go.

-[Bisi] Oh! -Oh, my God. Do you feel that lag?

Does the car know we're doing a test? [laughing]

Do you realize we're trying to go fast here?

[Bisi] Seventy miles an hour.

-[Tory] I can't push the pedal down any farther. -[laughs]

[Bisi] Eighty miles an hour. Halfway, almost there... And that's it.

-Ooh! -[Tory] 88 miles an hour.

That's slower.

[Tory] Yeah. Despite having equal power to weight ratios,

top speed and acceleration are way down.

And you know why?

-[Bisi] Oh. -Oh, my God. You feel that lag?

A combustion engine takes time to fire up, and get those pistons cranking.

Yeah, it was kind of obvious that gas took a little bit more time to get going.

[Bisi laughs]

The EV, it's gone in 60 milliseconds.

[narrator] While the battery is being drained to 25 percent for

the most critical comparison,

Tory, well, he just wants to beat Bisi.

His plan, lighten the load to increase power to weight ratio.

The beauty is that at a quarter tank of gas,

You've instantly lost 85 pounds of weight.

[narrator] Go mean and lean by dumping gasoline.

Yeah, it's like kicking out a passenger. Small time. Yeah.

[narrator] Solid theory, unless Tory forgets to do the math,

but that would be fuel-ish.

[Tory] All right, Bisi.

-[Bisi] Okay. -We ready?

Quarter tank. Ready when you are.

-All right. Here we go. -You ready?

Three, two, one, go.

Oh, that's good.

-It's-- -That's good.

A little sluggy.

That was good though.

You hit the gas and it takes a second for to wake up.

[all exclaiming]

-Right there. -That's it.

-Eighty nine. -Eighty nine miles an hour.

Wow!

[narrator] Turns out Tory's plan wasn't sound in the pound department.

The fueled up attempt tanked.

The numbers torque for themselves.

Yeah, it was kind of obvious when we were doing those runs.

-The gas took a little bit more time to get going. -[laughs]

You, look at how happy you are.

Allow me to bask in the glory.

[narrator] But the myth in question remains unanswered.

Let's run the test again, but with battery down to 25%.

[narrator] Will the undercharged EV's performance

be adversely affected over the quarter mile?

-Okay, here we go. -Here we go.

This is 25% capacity of the electric car.

Make sure I'm in sport mode.

-Let's go. -Okay, here we go.

In three, two, one.

Hit it.

-Not as much kick as 100% capacity. -Absolutely not.

Seventy five miles an hour. 80 miles an hour.

We made it. [cheering]

And we're...

All right, you guys, I'm really stoked for these results.

What do we got? What do we got?

This is EV with 100% state of charge.

Versus 25% capacity, 0 to 60.

-And top speed. -Numbers don't lie.

No, they do not.

So far, all we've done is like straight line stuff.

-Yeah. -And that's cool and all.

But what about windy, twisty road course?

-I'm game for it. -That sounds like a great idea.

[man] This is going to be interesting.

Quarter mile, industry standard performance test

focuses on off the line acceleration.

But what about a more relatable drive

for the average owner of a car like this?

A trip to the store or commute over, say, three laps.

Seven half miles. Will the performance variables change?

Will the distance make a difference?

And if fully and undercharged EVs even out.

I think we should do three laps,

and then we'll just average the times and see which one's better.

Okay, sounds good.

So, that will be the metric we use in the final test.

Compare the under charge and fully charged EVs.

But first up for a baseline

and to help BC set consistent lap times in the real test,

let's take my old gas guzzling friend for spin.

Thing is internal combustion engine lap time test.

Here we go in three, two, one.

-Man, off the line. -I know, it's not the same as a--

No, the electric car has way more torque.

-Are you actually-- -My foot's on the floor.

This thing, 1.6 liters of fury.

-Foot's on the floor. -I have a feeling.

My foot's on the floor!

-My God! -How dare you.

Your time is better on this second lap, though. That's for sure.

-Push it, push it. -Final lap, final lap, final lap.

See, it's good to have us here to keep you through.

I feel like you wouldn't be pushing so hard.

Almost there, almost there.

That's good.

It was pretty consistent unlike the electric vehicle.

That's kind of what you would expect.

You would expect to see that just consistent power.

[man] Okay, now have a feel for the track.

And we have a lap time benchmark.

You came away with an average time of 1:45:01

[man] It's time for the fully charged EV.

I hope Tory's wearing some brown boxers.

Okay, here we go.

[Tory] Three, two, one, go!

Oh, look at that. There's so much torque.

-Oh, yeah! -We've lost traction.

Oh!

The torque is amazing.

It's like there's no lag whatsoever.

I came in full throttle... So much torque!

He's got it in full throttle.

You're such a good driver. Oh, my God.

This is all power.

Lap two!

-Wow, that was pretty fast. -Yeah, that was pretty good.

-You're came back there? -I am doing good.

One more lap to go.

-Is this good? -You're good.

-I'm drifting. -Yes, yes, yes.

-Oh, my God, that's-- -That was awesome.

Well, BC, that was incredible driving.

I had so much fun with that thing.

It was peeling out and just-- Oh, my God.

So responsive. I love EVs. I really do.

Now it's time to go on to 25% capacity.

And just like before, we'll do three laps.

Keep it consistent,

and see how it performs compared to when it was at full capacity.

Sounds good.

Okay, here we go.

This is electric car.

25% battery capacity.

[narrator] With BC amped up,

will the longer distance drive make a difference?

On the flat quarter mile.

the fully charged car significantly outperformed the depleted EV.

This is it.

-Okay, three... -The final countdown...

-...two. -...to test the definitive real world scenario.

One, go!

Yeah, that felt so different.

-There was no like off the line... -No.

-I mean, I gotta say-- -In nearly spinned tires.

Oh. This is not good.

-Go, go, go. -I know.

All right, so we're going into the first lap.

Oh, my God!

You can do it, you can do it. Come on! Come on!

Oh, I can feel it. Struggling in the uphill.

I feel like my foots on the floor.

You're not coming.

Wait, you're going. That's not that bad.

-Come on! -Oh, my God!

I wonder if we're gonna make it to that third lap.

Oh, my God!

As the battery is dying,

we tend to be doing a similar interesting.

You can do it, one more!

Come on!

-Well that was the worst? -Yeah.

The performance kept getting less and less after each lap.

Yeah, 100%. Jumping off the starting light,

you instantly feel that torque.

All right, let's take a look at some data here.

Electric car. 100% charge.

You came away with an average time of 1:42:65.

-Nice. -That's a pretty respectful time.

But more importantly, what is that compared to the 25% EV?

Okay, electric vehicle did extremely well with high state of charges.

You came away with an average time of 1:46.

As the battery state charge went down,

and hence the voltage to the motors went down,

the performance suffered accordingly.

With a full charge,

we were almost three and a half seconds faster per lap.

And that shows the beauty of energy density which gas didn't cause.

You don't suffer when you have a full tank or partial tank

is still the same.

While with electric cars, at least with today's technology,

the chemistry dictates that we have less energy

as our battery state of charge goes down.

But, you know, I think the lesson here is

don't drive around with a 25% charged electric car.

So this myth is confirmed.

All right, um, I'm taking the gas powered car back to the shop.

Yeah, I'll join you with that.

Fay. You're about technology. You suppose to come with me?

Hey, it's gonna take you twice as long to charge this thing

-and I'm hungry. -I just need ten minutes.

Oh, my-- Just tell me an answer.

Call us if you need any help.

Ha-ha-ha.