The Ampera also glides silently in EV mode,
cushioning you both mentally and physically with its seamless but decently
swift drive and its soft suspension. Plus, of course, it erases the anxiety of
being marooned with a flat battery. Once the EV range is depleted, the engine
softly whirrs up and you proceed unabated. It actually has two motors. One
always drives the wheels, while the other can either add its efforts to
increase performance or act as a generator when the engine’s on.
The i8 adopts – then subverts – the
technical habits of the hypercars de nos jours. It has a carbonfibre tub
and electric-hybrid powertrain, wrapped in a body whose shape is rooted deep in
the wind tunnel. Because computers control the torque split between electric
front and petrol rear, and because the weight is low and central, you get a car
that’ll scoot round corners far better than those tyres might hint. It’s a
sports car, and a proper one: those digital processes produce a nicely analogue
feel.
The
i8’s cabin is a mixture of traditional BMW fare and more distinctive,
individual design
To cut flab and resistance, any unnecessary
particle in the i8 has been hacked away. It doesn’t just grab off-the-shelf
suspension arms or even wiper assemblies; it uses bespoke jobs to be lighter.
And what beautiful pieces they are. The window glass is a thin but extra-tough
grade normally used for phone screens. The Ampera sometimes turns on its
electric seats to save the efforts of its heater. Its hi-fi uses efficient
amplifiers and low-mass neodymium speaker magnets. The Zoe uses a
super-efficient heat pump to warm the cabin.
Do you need to go faster than 84mph in the
Zoe, 100mph in an Ampera or 155mph in an i8? Nope, so they have electronic
limiters. This means the brakes can be lighter, and the bodies lower in drag
because they have no need to avoid lift at irrelevant speeds. The Ampera’s
low-drag body gives it about eight more miles electric range than if it were
shaped like a normal hatch.
Once
you’re inside, the Zoe starts to shine as it has one of the nicest,
user-friendly cabins in its class
And so to their headline-grabbing economy.
Disclosure: the i8 and Ampera get their energy from two sources, plug-in
electricity plus petrol. So their official fuel figures aren’t transparent
because that electricity isn’t included. What you’ll actually get depends on
how often you do plug them in, or how much you just run them on petrol. Given
you can probably do 40-odd miles in the Ampera, if that’s your commute, you’ll
never add fuel. Our long-term test car went half a year on one visit to a
petrol station.
After the battery is down, the i8 and
Ampera operate as normal low-drag hybrids. That allows the engine to be
downsized to a 1.5-litre turbo triple in the BMW. The Ampera runs a 1.4-litre,
which doesn’t need to be complicated because it runs as a generator at almost
constant rpm. So, even under petrol power, they’re still pretty economical.
Renault’s approach is more straightforward.
The Zoe has only the electric system. That means it chucks away the engine,
gearbox, cooling system, exhaust, cat and fuel tank. Which frees up a lot of
money, weight and space to spend on a bigger battery. The Zoe’s range is 70–80
miles real-world, unless it’s wintry, in which case expect 60.
The
Ampera's cabin is finished to a good standard overall
The Zoe’s price matches an ordinary
supermini. OK, on top of that there’s battery rental, but the monthly fee is
set to match that supermini’s fuel cost. Fair dos – most of us don’t truly own
our phones as they’re subsidised by paying monthly. It also means if the
battery degrades over time, that’s Renault’s problem.
But don’t think only of the running costs
in a Zoe. Or in the other two. Nor are they just about saving the planet. They
are all a good drive, all of them punchy and yet peaceful. (Unless the i8 is in
supercar mode, which it can be whenever the road allows.) They engage deeply
with your brain, because they work so much better if you understand and work
with them. It’s no drudgery, because they’re so actively fascinating. They’re
cars that give car enthusiasm a whole new dimension.
