What Driving an EV Actually Feels Like

By Gregory Wilson · Excerpt from Chapter 1 of EV Curious?

Here's the thing that might surprise you most about your first EV: it's really not that different from driving any other car. You've read about the new technology, the charging methods, the battery management — a dozen things that make it sound like you're about to pilot a spaceship. But when you get right down to it, an EV is still just a car. Put it in drive, press the accelerator, and it moves forward. The muscle memory you've built up over years of driving transfers directly.

That said, three things stand out on your first drive, and I think they're all improvements.

The three big differences you'll notice immediately

It's quiet. Almost unsettlingly quiet at first. That background hum you never really noticed from your gas engine? Gone. What's left is mostly tire noise and wind. You'll suddenly become aware of every little creak or rattle in the cabin — sounds that were previously masked by engine noise. Below about 20 mph you'll hear a faint artificial sound the car generates on purpose: required by law in the US and many other countries to help pedestrians hear you coming.

Torque is instant. Press the accelerator in a gas car and there's a whole process: throttle opens, more air and fuel mix, combustion increases, power builds up, you start moving faster. It's linear, but there's a ramp-up. In an EV, maximum torque is available immediately. Press the accelerator and the car just goes. No lag, no waiting. It's like being shot out of a slingshot, and it never gets old.

Lifting your foot slows the car down. In most EVs, when you lift off the accelerator, the car doesn't coast — it starts slowing down immediately as the motor switches roles and becomes a generator, putting energy back into the battery. This is regenerative braking, and it takes a few drives to feel natural. Some EVs go further with one-pedal driving, where lifting fully off brings you to a complete stop without ever touching the brake.

A first drive that's familiar yet different

Your first drive will feel both completely familiar and refreshingly different. The fundamentals are exactly the same, but everything is more immediate, more responsive, and frankly more refined. It's like upgrading from a mechanical keyboard to a really good touchscreen.

Don't overthink it. Get in, put it in drive, and go. Everything else you can learn as you go along.