Why Are Electric Sim Race Cars So Boring To Drive??

Occasionally I find myself testing or racing electric race cars in sim racing but every time I'm left bored out of my mind. I literally enjoy driving everything else but I can't wrap my head around the electric cars. What gives? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Please consider liking the video and subscribing! Thank you!

[@ps1racingchallenge145]

With the lack of gears, we lose not just the physical act of having to go through the gears but a lot of decision making opportunities too. And making correct decisions is a big part of any video game, not just racing. No opportunity to shift early to save fuel, no deciding which gear is best for a corner, no deciding to short shift to prevent wheelspin on corner exit with worn tyres. Less decisions is effectively less gameplay, so that's a big issue for electric vehicles. I'm not as sentimental about engine noise as some, but the loss of engine noise is a loss of information too. We use the pitch of the engine to gauge speed, and gear change points (although not important for an electric car ofc). Receiving less information about the car will make the experience a bit flatter. I don't think electric vehicles are entirely a lost cause in sim-racing though, a big part of Formula E is energy management, and a good implementation of energy management in a sim could bring back some new decision making opportunities to replace those lost when having no gears. Electric cars are also capable of crazy acceleration which could be a lot of fun if they can transfer that feeling to the sim (although this is probably neutered in race cars to save energy...)

[@tmoshamo]

They give me range anxiety lol. Sim racing is fantasy and i dont fantasize about racing electric anything. I usually want to race stuff from the 60's to the 90's and i dont think anything from that 40 year span was electric

[@JPKelly-xr7tr]

I've been sim racing since 1996. My core focus is on classic cars from the 60's through the 80's. I have no interest in electric vehicles from a racing perspective.

[@Skumtomten1]

60s to the 80s, thats my favorite era of motorsport, especially the 60s

[@BOBOTHEBANDIT]

I also prefer older cars to drive because you have to drive them with skill . Modern cars drive themselves with all the electronics nowadays

[@perhapsjames_]

Most simracing cars are iconic for their ffb, model detail or sound. Also electric cars usually have less than 4 gears which lowers the involvement of the driver in shifting gears multiple times a lap. Also due to battery deploy, the car platform is very stable so they don't move around much under acceleration.

[@CarsandCoffeys]

Not a fan. The Porsche in iRacing is so high pitched that it hurts my ears. It's horrible like nails on a chalkboard! With that said, electric and possibly hydrogen are the eventual future of racing, and we will see more IRL electric cars in sim racing. Hopefully, it is a very slow progression.

[@avflashback8913]

I'm not against driving electric cars in games but it depends on what car and track. For example if I was driving in a Formula E series on official tracks in a sim racing title I would enjoy that. But if I was driving an electric car at Le mans that wouldn't be fun to me. For me when I'm sim-racing I'm mostly trying to replicate racing events that I watched on TV or went to when I was younger. That was a time when electric and hybrid cars didn't exist. That said I still enjoy playing RC car games like Re-Volt and RC de GO.

[@supercededman]

They have no soul. No engine sound. No gears. Ho hum.

[@WilXuH]

The Formula E cars this year look really interesting, the drivers are battling the thing the entire race, it's crazy , check one onboard if you have a chance😂 maybe it'll save sim racing these cars for us :D I also think many people are put off by the sounds or having no gears... but maybe all the available cars just have been boring, some electrical karts have the save traits and are cool

[@DanDiMaggio]

Do any sims have current formula E? Those would probably be fun on tight tracks!

[@WilXuH]

@@DanDiMaggio I couldn’t find it, but rfactor 2 apparently holds the past year’s car license, maybe we can be optimistic 😁

[@Skumtomten1]

I think you hit the nail on the head. It's mostly due to sounds and the lack of shifting that makes it boring. I prefer to leave politics out of this, but I think most can agree that the purpose of electric vehicles are not really to bring entertainment value, as discussed here already. Which is why I highly question the push towards EV both in real motorsport but also in sim-racing. I haven't done any studies obviously, but I would also guess most people aren't interested in this type of racing either. Some of the interest/hype seem forced or artificially created.

[@DanDiMaggio]

Totally agree!

[@dhparadox0974]

For me, the sound of a combustion engine, for example a Ferrari, sounds so good to me. Electric doesnt give me that.

[@BOBOTHEBANDIT]

It is because electric cars have got no soul in my opinion and having know gears to use make the car drive with no interaction

[@7MBoosted]

I wonder if also, as an extention of your thoughts, they are boring because their torque curves are flat. As in, with ICE cars every engine has different characteristics in how power and torque are applied under load, not to mention aero packages and weight distribution. It seems that you might also find electric cars boring because they are sterile.

[@JoeyBagZ]

No engine sounds.

[@wilson_wright]

I'm gonna second this

[@DanDiMaggio]

yup that one is killing me too!

[@JoeyBagZ]

@@DanDiMaggio in simcades like GT7 and Forza I have no problem running an automatic transmission, so shifting isn’t that big of a deal, but not being able to hear the growl or a beefy v8 or the scream of a high reving 4 cylinder or v12 that’s a no go for me. I have had cars in AC with broken sound files and that really sucks lol. I have spent hours changing the engine sounds of certain cars in AC because the one it came with didn’t sound good lmao

[@CallforthePriest]

Anything electric is boring to drive.....if you are a dude and buy an EV/Hybrid vehicle you may as well wear panties.

[@StephenSecretSSmith0007]

I'm of the same opinion. Dnt like it either. Think Ppl enjoy different sounds from different engines. Gear change, revs ect. 💯🤙