An instant hit of torque isn't exclusive to electric vehicles it's also quite pronounced in electric chainsaws. Which is quite a daunting prospect when you've never picked up a chainsaw of any kind. Giving a numpty like me a Husqvarna 540ixp - which has a maximum chain speed of roughly 45mph, reached with a mere twitch of the fingers - is like popping a learner driver in a Porsche Taycan Turbo S for their first lesson. Everyone is going to be holding on tight.
Thankfully, I successfully slice through the trunk of tree before me with zero incident. In fact, it's all rather pleasant, the typical gnawing scream of a chainsaw significantly muted, bringing just a touch more peace to this Peak District woodland. You can hear yourself think with an electric chainsaw and trust me, I'm thinking pretty hard as I slice up a bunch of logs small enough to load into the vehicle I've brought along.
Yep, the chainsaw isn't the only plug-in power tool I'm using today. The Husqvarna plus my delectable lumberjack outfit - made it to the cool, blissful forest in the load bed of a Ford F-150 Lightning. Yes, the all-American pick-up truck - the best-selling vehicle in the US for donkey's years - has gone electric.
While official imports to the UK aren't likely, largely on account of its sheer girth, Ford has shipped one across for a bit of a holiday. And what better place to take it than a glorious National Trust reserve in the Peaks, just as the conservation society is planning how to morph its fleet of diesel vehicles to electric?
We're spending the day in Dovedale, weaving the Lightning past hordes of heatwave picnickers to go beyond public access points and learn of the benefits of tree-felling for a place like this. These tracks feel narrow in the Isuzu Rodeo that my wise partner for the day, Charlie Horsford, usually drives. Now they're downright claustrophobic.
Denne historien er fra August 31, 2022-utgaven av Autocar UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra August 31, 2022-utgaven av Autocar UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
THE DRAMATIC ITALIAN THAT MARKED THE END OF AN ERA
When the Huracán bowed out, the curtain fell forever on Lambo's V10
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Manufacturers are honing every detail to close in on big efficiency goal
MASERATI MC20
We bid a sad farewell to a handsome supercar that was easy to live with
The quickening
Instant acceleration is part of the appeal of an EV, but is it all getting a bit much for unwary and inexperienced drivers? JOHN EVANS investigates
Inside track
Watching an F1 race with live access to engineers and telemetry is the stuff of dreams for racing fans. ALEX WOLSTENHOLME makes a day of it
WHOLE IN ONE
The Volkswagen Golf has been all things to all motorists for half a century. At the wheel of a classic Mk1, VICKY PARROTT charts the eight-generation history of one of the world's most successful cars
DACIA DUSTER
Mk3 model gains digital tech, ADAS, slicker looks... Is this mission creep?
MAZDA CX-80 PHEV
Another look at Mazda's hefty SUV, this time in plug-in hybrid form
VAUXHALL GRANDLAND ELECTRIC
Newcomer looks to ease the average family SUV driver into EV motoring
BMW X3 20 XDRIVE
Fourth generation of brand's best-seller arrives with base petrol engine
