Novice drivers can use any electric: power limits removed
Novice drivers can use any electric
Over the last few months we have measured a significant increase in the sale of electric cars throughout the country, thanks also to the numerous incentives made available by the Government and the regions to facilitate the replacement of a class vehicle more polluting. With a sale on such a large scale, it is likely that a possible zero-emission car will also be made available to those who have just obtained their B driving license who, however, should comply with an anachronistic 2011 law, renewed last August. The previous law provided for a series of power limits, often too conservative:
Holders of a category B driving license are not allowed to drive vehicles with specific power for the first year after issue, referred to the tare, above 55 kW / t. In the case of category M1 vehicles, an additional maximum power limit of 70 kW is applied for the purposes referred to in the previous period. [...]
Basically it was expressly indicated that new drivers (for less than a year) could not drive "powerful" cars (without being accompanied), that is, with a power exceeding 70 kW (95 HP) and power specification, measured with tare, greater than 55 kW / t. Now, with the new law, the minimum threshold of the weight / power ratio has risen to 65 kW / t, offering new drivers greater breathing space.
The old legislation
Until a few weeks ago, in order to use electric cars after having just obtained the B license it was necessary to submit to a bizarre power limit that is often not well defined due to of an incorrect calculation. The performance of an electric car does not depend only on the engine, but also on the battery which should not be imagined as a mere "tank" full of energy needed to make the vehicle move. As we reported in another study, the Kilowatt (kW) is the unit of measurement of power, the maximum force that an engine can generate while, the Kilowatt hour (kWh) is the energy made available. The kWh represents an average value as a moving car does not always absorb the same amount of energy, but the request changes according to the route and the demand from the driver.A questionable measurement system that defines the way in which the power is recorded in booklet, however limiting its use for 30 minutes. In these terms, the value reported on the Single Document of Circulation and Ownership appears drastically lower than the real (peak) power that can be reached by the vehicle. A few examples? The Renault Zoe should have a value of 80 kW, instead for the legislation it only reports 50 kW. A case? Absolutely no. Volkswagen ID.3, which on paper should be excluded, reports a value of 38 kW / t. The most striking case is given by the brand new MG Marvel R which has a maximum declared power of 211 kW (288 horsepower) which, thanks to an approved power of just 88 kW and a weight of almost 2 tons, could be used by a novice driver. .
What changes now
Even if on the one hand we recognize that they are exclusive cars with a high price, we would like to clarify that the supply provided by an electric engine could appear dangerous to the eyes of an inexperienced driver. On some compact electric cars, such as the Twingo E.Z, the torque is squeezed up to 50 km / h until a progressive exhaustion, while in other cars (always compatible with novice drivers) the power available is greater and available for a period of time. more extensive. With the new Highway Code change, even the closest Tesla Model 3, Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5 can be driven by an 18-year-old who has just earned his driving license.
