Why Do Electric Vehicles Outperform Gasoline Vehicles?

In some ways, electric vehicles have gotten a bad rap over the years. However, being electric does not imply poor performance. In fact, it can imply the inverse.

Torque, Horsepower, and Other Engine Paraphrases

If you say "low emissions" and "high performance" in the same sentence, you'll probably get strange looks. Have you ever seen a muscle car with good fuel economy in over a century of automobiles? Even if it is difficult to believe, electric vehicles provide exceptional performance and low emissions.
The key to incorporating both is how electric motors and internal combustion engines (ICE) generate torque and power. Torque is measured in pound-feet (lb-ft), and power is how much work the engine can do in horsepower (hp) or kilowatts (kW) (kW).
Electric vehicle motors provide torque and power without the need for acceleration.
Conventional ICEs (used in gasoline-powered vehicles) generate torque and power based on

displacement and speed, but you can't have both.

Consider the following ICE engines: A large diesel truck engine with high torque and low speed could be compared to a weightlifter. A racecar engine can be compared to a sprinter because of its low torque and high speed. The average sedan is comparable to an athletic person, with moderate torque and overall speed. Finally, any ICE engine must accelerate to develop torque and power, which takes time.
Electric vehicle motors, also known as motor-generators (MG), are a different beast entirely because they deliver torque and power without needing to accelerate.
This is due to the fact that MGs deliver all of their torque at zero rpm right off the line, then continue to push through about half of their maximum speed. A typical EV could be compared to an Olympic weightlifting champion lifting 450 pounds and then running the 100-meter dash in less than 10 seconds.
"But I've seen sports cars outperform EVs on the track," you argue. There's a good reason for this: shifting gears keeps ICE engines operating at peak torque and power output. EVs, on the other hand, are typically equipped with a single-speed step-down transmission. The MG will not upshift like a conventional vehicle once it has passed its own power band.

Acceleration that is quiet

True, sportscars sound great when revved up, but there's a lovely simplicity to the way an EV sounds with so few moving parts.
When you press the accelerator to the floor, you're instantly pushed into the seat, with the powertrain barely audible: electricity is silent, electric motors nearly so, and the single-speed gearbox barely audible. In fact, you're most likely to hear the radio and the tires. Even when accelerating hard, EVs produce only one-tenth the noise of a comparable ICE-car.
Some EVs can accelerate from a standstill to 60 mph in less than 2.5 seconds.
How quickly do these machines accelerate? With all torque available from the start, few supercars can match the insane acceleration that some EVs are capable of.
The average sedan (think of the average athlete) can sprint from a standstill to 60 mph in 6 to 8 seconds, whereas the average supercar (the sprinter) can do the same in less than 4 seconds. Fully loaded, the weight-lifter may take a few minutes to arrive.
Of course, sprint times vary depending on EV configuration, but some can hit 60 mph from a stop in under 2.5 seconds without frightening your neighbors. The question is whether you can do it without scaring yourself.

The Efficiency Aspect

Again, the "e-word," but what does efficiency have to do with performance? The real question is, how much energy in the fuel is released into the atmosphere? Consider the world-renowned sprinter Usain Bolt as an example.

ICEs are dreadfully inefficient. Depending on a variety of factors, only 12 to 30 percent of the chemical energy in the fuel ever reaches the ground.
True, Bolt possessed natural talent, but he trained on a regular basis, adhered to a strict diet, and did not overwork himself on race day. Can you imagine running the 100-meter dash while wearing 75 pounds of firefighter gear? Certainly not! Bolt expends more power moving forward by wearing light and effective running shoes and clothing, rather than overcoming the mass of unnecessary clothing.
ICEs, like Bolt dressed as a firefighter, are horribly inefficient. Depending on a variety of factors such as engine design, forced induction, gearing, and tires, only 12 to 30 percent of the chemical energy in the fuel reaches the ground. The remainder is lost due to heat from the exhaust pipe and friction in the drivetrain.
Even high-efficiency test gasoline engines have a maximum efficiency of 40%. A sporty EV will be less efficient than an off-road EV, but when compared to comparable conventional vehicles, you won't miss the sensation of confident acceleration. Maybe the noise, but not the sensation.
MGs, like Bolt in running gear, are more efficient because they have fewer moving parts—nearly 80 percent of the chemical energy stored in the battery moves the vehicle down the road. Drivers of electric vehicles enjoy confident and spirited acceleration while knowing they are doing their small part to save the planet.