Julian Kho shares his heartfelt rant about EVs and ICE
11 Oct 2023|14,728 views
You know, I never thought I'd see internal combustion engine (ICE) lose its place in the automotive world, just like I never expected to see electrified vehicles taking over the world.
Imagine getting accustomed to full-electric vehicles, my goodness. The lack of excitement, the lack of communication, the lack of soul... The lack of everything! Of course, naysayers like Tesla fanboys who know little about cars and more about stocks will disagree, much like the lads who care about lust rather than love...
What happened to cars that had a solid and soulful 5.0-litre V8 engine like the Lexus GS F here?
The Past
Pardon me, but I am ranting. I am complaining. And I am grumbling. Perhaps it's because I'm upset. What happened to the old but gold ICE cars? What happened to those 5.0-litre V8 engines that caused a ruckus and an uproar at 2:00am in the morning? You get my drift...
Well, they have been taken over by electrified cars, cars that are supposed to abide by regulations, cars that are supposed to be the future.
Electric cars like the BYD Dolphin (pictured) are inevitable and we should embrace them
Don't get me wrong, I've always been a supporter of electrified cars, more so all-electric cars. And that's because they are inevitable, and they are for our children and our children's children. But, alas, my poor children will not get the chance of experiencing carpark races, 12-cylinder Formula One cars, sand at playgrounds, push a Push Pop, amongst a thousand others. You get my drift...
Does that mean I love my children any less? No, of course not. Just like how I won't love cars any less, my love for my three restless rascals will never fade. They are probably the only thing I've done right in a life where I have done many wrongs, but it doesn't mean I'll spoil them. My lack of patience will be the proving ground, and the missus will comply, no less.
The BMW i5 eDrive40 was the latest electric vehicle to be tested by our resident writer, Julian Kho
The Present
But I digress. Recently, I went to Lisbon, Portugal, to test a rather important car - the BMW i5, an all-electric version of the ever-popular BMW 5 Series. It's a capable car, this one, I won't deny it. It has all the BMW attributes I've come to know, learn and read about - strong power, well-modulated brakes, lovely steering, taut chassis, ample features - they're all apparent.
Nevertheless, it's no G30 BMW 540i, nor is it an F10 BMW 535i. Of course, of course, electric cars are the future and I, of all people, should know that better, but when push becomes shove, acceptance requires time, space and heart. I have neither the space for time, nor the heart. You get my drift...
Whether it's a Korean car like the Kia Stinger (left) or a Japanese wonder like the Lexus LC500, they're all perfectly flawed and imperfectly fabulous
So why did people like me fall for cars? True blue ICE cars. Passion, of course, but also because these machines seem so human in engineering. They're not remote cases, but real - all achieved at factories with manual labour mixed with automation.
These cars then battled pressure from critics like myself, power-to-weight ratio, design, and yet also rose above it. Mind you, they are neither role models nor are they any random brands - English, Chinese, German, French, Japanese, Korean. They are just merely perfectly flawed and imperfectly fabulous all at once. But the ICE car, they came and they went, just like that.
Nevertheless, Julian will still appreciate full-electric cars like the BMW i5 eDrive40 (left) and the BMW i7 M70 xDrive
The Future
So as I run my hands over my eyes and drink my second bottle of cheap wine, I will be brutally and painfully honest to you... I need time, space and heart to accept fully electric cars. I will still love them, appreciate them and care for them, just as I would to a car that I recently drove, like the BMW i5 and the BMW i7 M70 xDrive. Only because I know you'll get my drift...
You know, I never thought I'd see internal combustion engine (ICE) lose its place in the automotive world, just like I never expected to see electrified vehicles taking over the world.
Imagine getting accustomed to full-electric vehicles, my goodness. The lack of excitement, the lack of communication, the lack of soul... The lack of everything! Of course, naysayers like Tesla fanboys who know little about cars and more about stocks will disagree, much like the lads who care about lust rather than love...
What happened to cars that had a solid and soulful 5.0-litre V8 engine like the Lexus GS F here?
The Past
Pardon me, but I am ranting. I am complaining. And I am grumbling. Perhaps it's because I'm upset. What happened to the old but gold ICE cars? What happened to those 5.0-litre V8 engines that caused a ruckus and an uproar at 2:00am in the morning? You get my drift...
Well, they have been taken over by electrified cars, cars that are supposed to abide by regulations, cars that are supposed to be the future.
Electric cars like the BYD Dolphin (pictured) are inevitable and we should embrace them
Don't get me wrong, I've always been a supporter of electrified cars, more so all-electric cars. And that's because they are inevitable, and they are for our children and our children's children. But, alas, my poor children will not get the chance of experiencing carpark races, 12-cylinder Formula One cars, sand at playgrounds, push a Push Pop, amongst a thousand others. You get my drift...
Does that mean I love my children any less? No, of course not. Just like how I won't love cars any less, my love for my three restless rascals will never fade. They are probably the only thing I've done right in a life where I have done many wrongs, but it doesn't mean I'll spoil them. My lack of patience will be the proving ground, and the missus will comply, no less.
The BMW i5 eDrive40 was the latest electric vehicle to be tested by our resident writer, Julian Kho
The Present
But I digress. Recently, I went to Lisbon, Portugal, to test a rather important car - the BMW i5, an all-electric version of the ever-popular BMW 5 Series. It's a capable car, this one, I won't deny it. It has all the BMW attributes I've come to know, learn and read about - strong power, well-modulated brakes, lovely steering, taut chassis, ample features - they're all apparent.
Nevertheless, it's no G30 BMW 540i, nor is it an F10 BMW 535i. Of course, of course, electric cars are the future and I, of all people, should know that better, but when push becomes shove, acceptance requires time, space and heart. I have neither the space for time, nor the heart. You get my drift...
Whether it's a Korean car like the Kia Stinger (left) or a Japanese wonder like the Lexus LC500, they're all perfectly flawed and imperfectly fabulous
So why did people like me fall for cars? True blue ICE cars. Passion, of course, but also because these machines seem so human in engineering. They're not remote cases, but real - all achieved at factories with manual labour mixed with automation.
These cars then battled pressure from critics like myself, power-to-weight ratio, design, and yet also rose above it. Mind you, they are neither role models nor are they any random brands - English, Chinese, German, French, Japanese, Korean. They are just merely perfectly flawed and imperfectly fabulous all at once. But the ICE car, they came and they went, just like that.
Nevertheless, Julian will still appreciate full-electric cars like the BMW i5 eDrive40 (left) and the BMW i7 M70 xDrive
The Future
So as I run my hands over my eyes and drink my second bottle of cheap wine, I will be brutally and painfully honest to you... I need time, space and heart to accept fully electric cars. I will still love them, appreciate them and care for them, just as I would to a car that I recently drove, like the BMW i5 and the BMW i7 M70 xDrive. Only because I know you'll get my drift...
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