;

Does a horse react to an EV? Yay or Neigh

29th September 2019


Earlier this week, we took a trip over to Askham Bryan College to see how electric cars would impact horses when passing by. The event, organised by the British Horse Society, was conducted in the presence of HRH Princess Anne.

Our test featured three electric vehicles; a Tesla Model S, a Jaguar iPace and a Nissan Leaf. The cars were to drive by two horses; Choco and Mickey, to see how they reacted to the vehicles passing. But why was this test needed?

Our trip was spurred on by comments from Simon Hoare, MP for North Dorset. Earlier this year, Mr Hoare voiced concerns that Horses (and other road users) may be startled by the lack of noise generated by electric cars.

“The rise of electric vehicles is, of course, environmentally welcome,” Mr Hoare said, while addressing Parliament during the Horse Riders: Public Highways debate in the House of Commons on 14th February 2019.

“However, their silence often presents a huge problem for riders, horses and, indeed, other road users as a result of the nervousness that is often caused in horses by these silent vehicles either going past or accelerating from a stop.”

I can immediately confirm that the horses were not nervous around our electric vehicles. As we drove past, Choco wasn’t trembling on his hooves, nor was Mickey dropping all kinds of substances from his rear end.

Now shall we define Mr Hoare’s “huge problem”? No, I am not going to talk about Brexit or Trump (although, I believe these could be defined as a “huge problem”). EV’s passing horses is a moderate problem with an easy fix in comparison.

Going into this, we were expecting the horse to pick up the presence of a half-tonne car driving past. However, we also expected the horse not to react too vigorously as it is a much quieter and cleaner than a typical ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) car.

Both horse and rider were passed unscathed, un-polluted and unphased. However, the horse’s did ear twitch. I know right, now we have a “huge problem”.

The sound of tyres on gravel and the slight hum of the electric motor were picked up by the great beast. But, at the end of the day, noise is noise and, I believe, such a sound would register with any animal.

However, given the fact that a smoky diesel would tear past blasting fumes in the faces of both the horse and rider while blaring that V8 engine, I think we’d rather have a slight ear twitch and a silent passing, don’t you?

Despite our positive results, we believe that a second test may be in order. Perhaps, using both an ICE and EV vehicle, while also utilising equipment to determine the impact of cars on the horses heart-rate.

The safety of both the horse and rider is essential, and all drivers should respect this, ensuring they pass slowly and at a car’s width. If you have an engine, don’t rev it. Nobody cares for a demonstration about how small your appendage is.

In conclusion, does a horse react to an EV? Yay, if we count an ear twitch. But, was the horse phased and nervous? Neigh.

Stay tuned to our social media for updates on our second experiment.

More Recent News


Card image
14 November 2019
Alfa Power Scoops Prestigious Industry Award
Read More
Card image
29 September 2019
Does a horse react to an EV? Yay or Neigh
Read More
Card image
22 September 2019
How Jeff Bezos just helped us on the Road To Zero.
Read More
Card image
15 September 2019
Can the national grid cope with demand from electric cars?
Read More
Card image
08 September 2019
Will changes in planning regulations make a difference to EV uptake?
Read More
Card image
01 September 2019
Is size everything?
Read More
Card image
25 August 2019
How we’re improving fault-finding and charger uptime
Read More
Card image
18 August 2019
Alfa Power wages war on ICEing
Read More
Card image
11 August 2019
Motorsport, Electric Cars & Renewable Energy: A Fans Perspective
Read More
Card image
04 August 2019
Why incentives for taxi drivers aren’t working
Read More
Card image
28 July 2019
Will extreme heat affect my EV charging session?
Read More
Card image
21 July 2019
Alfa Power welcomes changes to planning guidance
Read More
Card image
14 July 2019
The importance of innovation
Read More
Card image
07 July 2019
Golf Clubs - Are you hitting the green in regulation?
Read More
Card image
30 June 2019
New OLEV regulations come into effect on July 1st
Read More
Card image
25 April 2019
Alfa Power venture into London
Read More
Card image
08 April 2019
Alfa Power installs 70kW rapid charger in Nottingham
Read More
Card image
13 March 2019
One fob. Two networks.
Read More
Card image
15 February 2019
The Death of the Petrol Station
Read More
Card image
11 January 2019
DC charger on the A1
Read More
Card image
10 January 2019
Rutland’s first fast EV charger
Read More
Card image
30 November 2018
Alfa Power aims to awaken a sleeping giant
Read More
Card image
17 November 2018
Launch of 60kW EV charger at Huddersfield
Read More
Card image
16 November 2018
Alfa Power launch UK’s first 120kW EV Charger
Read More
Card image
10 November 2018
Victoria Service Station launch event
Read More
Card image
09 November 2018
Cabinet member to switch on multiple chargers on November 15
Read More
Card image
02 November 2018
Celebration for 60kW charger at Brighouse Crown Service Station
Read More
Card image
13 October 2018
How long does it take to charge an EV?
Read More
Card image
13 October 2018
How much does it cost to charge an EV?
Read More
Card image
04 October 2018
Alfa Power arrives!
Read More
Card image
04 October 2018
Is your car eligible for an OLEV home charge grant?
Read More
Card image
20 September 2018
Alfa Power hosts MOBA event
Read More
Card image
15 October 2020
Alfa Power Join Octopus Energy’s Electric Juice Network
Read More
Card image
01 August 2020
Alfa Power to Offset Carbon Emissions
Read More
Card image
01 September 2020
Find the Perfect EV Charger for Your Business
Read More
Card image
19 August 2020
Alfa Power Start To Offer Contactless Solutions
Read More
Card image
06 November 2020
Alfa Power Offset Carbon Emissions With Make it Wild
Read More
Card image
11 November 2020
Do Electric Cars Reduce Your Carbon Footprint?
Read More
Card image
18 November 2020
5 Tips On How To Increase Electric Car Range
Read More
Card image
14 January 2021
5 Reasons You Should Buy An Electric Car In 2021
Read More
Card image
28 January 2021
Why Your Business Needs To Install An EV Charger in 2021
Read More
Card image
25 February 2021
Alfa Power Joins Bonnet App
Read More
Card image
26 May 2021
Alfa Power Issue Statement in Response to HMRC Brief
Read More
Copyright © 2021 Alfa E-Charge Ltd | Reg No. 11119473
This websites uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Learn More