There has been speculation in this forum in the past about how animals would respond to an EV when surprised at night. See Unusual Questions from the Public.
Well, I just gathered my first empirical evidence.
In all previous experiences encountering deer at night in an ICE car, upon approach of the car, the deer would bolt in a random direction. Since this random direction would go across my path 50% of the time, this resulted in periodic near misses. Although I've not yet hit a deer, it happens all the time around here. Damage can be considerable. A friend of mine wrote off his minivan after a deer impact.
Tonight I came across a doe while driving my Roadster at 100 km/h. She was standing on the opposite shoulder, facing the road with her nose right at the edge of the pavement. Watching me. Ideal conditions for a collision. When I saw her I immediately hit the brakes, expecting the worst, but nothing happened. Bambi just stood there and watched me go by.
Advantage: EV!
Well, I just gathered my first empirical evidence.
In all previous experiences encountering deer at night in an ICE car, upon approach of the car, the deer would bolt in a random direction. Since this random direction would go across my path 50% of the time, this resulted in periodic near misses. Although I've not yet hit a deer, it happens all the time around here. Damage can be considerable. A friend of mine wrote off his minivan after a deer impact.
Tonight I came across a doe while driving my Roadster at 100 km/h. She was standing on the opposite shoulder, facing the road with her nose right at the edge of the pavement. Watching me. Ideal conditions for a collision. When I saw her I immediately hit the brakes, expecting the worst, but nothing happened. Bambi just stood there and watched me go by.
Advantage: EV!
