How Far Will They Go

The fear that your car battery will die before you reach your destination – something known as long-distance anxiety – is currently the biggest hurdle many drivers face when considering buying an electric vehicle. There are plenty of experiments showing what to expect from the different EVs on the market in terms of range on a single full charge. In general, modern electric cars are much more efficient than you might expect – but how efficient are EVs compared to, say, 1970s supercars?

This is obviously a very strange comparison but a new video from Number 27 active channels Youtube allow this experiment. The 12-minute video at the top of this page shows how far a 1979 Ferrari 308 and BMW i3 will cost £10 (about $12 at current exchange rates) worth of energy. The Ferrari obviously uses gasoline, while the Bavarian EV requires electricity.

To make a more honest test, the host drained fuel from the Ferrari and then poured exactly 5 liters of gasoline back into the fuel tank. Meanwhile, the i3 charges at the fast public station for $12 and both cars are ready to embark on a journey to see which one will go further with the energy it has. Of course, this is one way to compare ranges as the i3 would probably be a lot more economical if it were charging at home.

Contrary to other range tests we’ve seen, in this test, both cars were not driven with efficiency in mind but rather normally and even aggressively in certain situations. The Ferrari finally died after 17 miles (28 kilometers), which is pretty impressive considering how thirsty the old supercar was. Unsurprisingly, the i3 still had plenty of energy left in the battery and testing continued until the electric car had 41 percent of charge remaining (this is where the experiment started).

A few hours later, the i3 reached its desired charging state after traveling 66 miles (106 km), or nearly four times as much as the Ferrari. It may not be the most scientifically accurate test in the world but it does show something you probably already know – modern electric vehicles are far more efficient than 1970s supercars. No surprises here, but the video definitely deserves your attention.