BEV or FCV? That’s an interesting question to pose, but it’s trickier than you’d expect to come up with an answer. James May is one of the few people owning both types of electric vehicles, and for this Christmas, the one and only Captain Slow decided to review them side by side.
First things first, a tank of hydrogen last just as long – if not longer – than a tank of gasoline. Batteries don’t really like cold weather, and waiting to charge ‘em up is a bit of a handful. The list of goods and bads can go on forever, but the most important point to make is your home.
As long as the apartment complex where you live has a charging facility, there’s no denying BEV ownership is not that big of a deal. It’s even better if you have a house with a garage. Fuel-cell vehicles, on the other hand, are a different matter because the hydrogen going into the fuel cell is hard to come by. The infrastructure is a bit lacking, let’s put it like that.
“We don’t know what’s just around the corner,” says James, “because if we did, we’d be there.” He’s obviously referring which is better to own between the Model S and Mirai, yet he owns both. On that note, you could say that Mr. May is pretty well prepared for the future, alright!
The blue one – namely the Model S 100D – gets James really excited with its performance. It’s also noticeably more comfy than the Mirai. Speaking of which, the Toyota is not a fast car. “It is quiet, though,” more than Tesla’s electric sedan according to the host of The Grand Tour.
May also likes the way the Mirai looks, which is a bit curious given the visual appeal of the Model S and the allure of the Tesla badge. Toyota has also taken a different approach when designing the interior of the Mirai, which looks like a glorified Prius compared to the high-tech cockpit of the Model S.
The BEV vs. FCV comparison also includes James filling the Mirai up with hydrogen. Care to guess how much did he pay for 1.2 kilograms of H2 and how much that means in terms of range? Make that 14.40 pounds sterling and 70 miles of driving, which is quite a bit costlier than the electricity needed by the Tesla to travel over a similar distance.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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