I have often argued that the rise of the electric car is good news for motoring journalism, motoring TV and motoring pub-bore debates in general. It gives us something new to talk about, and demands some fresh clichés to replace the likes of “aural V12 symphony” or “gearshift like a rifle bolt”. About time.

Many of the attributes that excite us in “proper” cars survive the transition to electric. Performance, obviously, and it’s often improved. If you’re perverted enough to be interested in such things, then handling and roadholding are still there too.

What’s lost is the character borne of the inadequacies of internal combustion; the sounds, the vibrations, the need to manage the motive force. In its place comes utter driving simplicity and mechanical