The world of motorsport woke up one day to the news that an electric vehicle had just shattered the Pikes Peak Hill Climb course record. The internet stood divided. On one side, you had the petrolhead who refused to even acknowledge the fact that the Volkswagen ID-R, which incidentally is a purpose built hill climb beast powered by electricity had shattered the record and on the other, you had a whole bunch of new-age enthusiasts who defended the electric and hybrid car like it was a certain religious prophet's second coming. A new breed of petrolhead .... Ummm.... Gearhead ..... no ... lets just use the general term.... 'Car enthusiast' has emerged. And we shall call them 'Electroheads' - and you heard it here first!
(Renault Zoe)
Now, if you Google the term 'Electrohead', Urban Dictionary throws up this definition - 'Someone who listens to the certain genera of music such as Trance, Techno, House, Electro, Club, Electronica. Electro Heads styles are very European retro. Emo shaggy hairstyle. Electro Heads Dress in Designer clothes such as Armani A/X. Electro Heads drive in Fast expensive cars, allot are Club DJ's and drink the finniest wines.' My coining of the term though has nothing to do with electronic music or people's drinking habits. It is more to do with the fact that today, in this world right now, there are a whole bunch of people, enough to make their own subculture (and some) who love electric mobility. I'm not talking about the kind of people who wear skinny jeans, drive Priuses and are vegan. I'm talking about an actual cross section of petrolheads - real bonafide petrolheads, who have seen the light and accepted the fact that electric cars are coming and that they can, if given the chance, be exciting.
(Jaguar I-Pace)
Our opinion of the electric car has been skewed due to absolute garb products of the past that had enough power to do one of two things - drive you 50 kilometers at a snails pace or use the headlights. While Indian electric cars still have a long long way to go in terms of being usable - something I personally hope Maruti Suzuki can crack with the rumoured electric Swift in 2020, internationally, electric cars have already arrived as usable daily drivers. From the likes of the Tesla range to the popular Renault Zoe, Nissan Leaf and even the Jaguar I-Pace, all these cars offer a half decent range, quick charge capabilities and enough tech to make your three year old iPhone crawl up in a ball and contemplate seppuku.
(Rimac C Two Electric Hypercar goes from 0-100 kmph in just 1.97 seconds)
And lets not even get started with how quick these cars are. My introduction to the Rimac brand like so many around the world was not at the Geneva Auto Show floor but through a series of YouTube videos Mate Rimac did with an extremely famous YouTuber who runs a proper enthusiast automotive channel called Salomondrin. At the time, the YouTuber owned a Porsche 918 Spyder with the fancy Weissach package and it was whopped - yes WHOPPED - by the then unknown and new Rimac Concept One. And then later, when I did get to meet Mate Rimac and understand the sheer potential of what electric cars can do, it opened me up to a realm of possibilities and what-ifs. I was turned. I was now an 'Electrohead'.
(Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo Sets Record Time At The Nurburgring)
And being an 'Electrohead' is nothing to do with having pure electric cars. Remember, almost all the world's top hypercars and most new sportscars have some sort of electric boost facility in them too. Formula 1 cars have had a hybrid powertrain for years now and all the cars that have won the LeMans 24 Hours race in the last few years have all had an electric powertrain on board helping out the conventional engines. And we have all seen the recent video of the Porsche 919 going around the Nurburgring absolutely destroying the lap record. So why the hate?
(Tesla Model X)
Some say it takes away from the experience of being in a high performance car as they are just way too quiet to be any fun. I agree. I do quite like a sports exhaust. Almost every car - even my lowly Maruti 800 has one. And that's probably why I end up getting 10 kmpl on a good day as I like the sound that engine makes as compared to actually going faster. But just like how carburettors became outdated by ECUs and electronic fuel injection, the internal combustion engine will become outdated when everything has an electric powertrain. The world spends billions every year on performance parts to get 10 bhp more from their cars and boast about it on the internet. Imagine going online, buying an on-air update and having it installed in your car in a matter of seconds and getting an exponential amount more horsepower than what your car makes.
(Tesla Roadster 2)
There is no petrolhead in the world that doesn't like the concept of more power. Yes, there will still be outliers that will refuse to adapt to the electric car revolution and will most likely be banned by law from driving their cars in certain parts of their city on weekdays. And yes, there will still be those who will start each sentence with 'back in my day we had the smell of petrol on our hands and the satisfaction of tuning a twin weber carburettor'.
But now just imagine this - Imagine taking your modern classic Fiat, Maruti 800 or even a proper classic like say a 1960's Porsche 911 to a shop that retrofits it with an electric powertrain. You can now enjoy all that glamour and sex appeal of an old car with all the modern RELIABLE bits of an electric vehicle. And when that happens, I will be the first in line. I have already announced my allegiance to the electric revolution, I am an 'Electrohead'. What about you? Remember to share your opinions - positive or negative on our social media and this is a debate most certainly worth debating.
Photo Credit Lead Picture - Auto Evolution
