Nitro VS electric. To tell the truth, the idea of pitting a fuel-powered RC car against an electron-powered RC car had been brewing for some time at 1001Hobbies. All that remained was to find two ideal targets that would allow this confrontation to take place under fair conditions.
This will be done thanks to the Trophy HPI. A 1/8th scale off-road buggy that has more than proved its worth since its release, both in the 3.5 nitro version and in its brushless Flux version.
Preamble
Before embarking on this kind of comparison, let's just say that the current performance of an RC electric car is equivalent to that of a combustion engine. However, there are a few nuances. An electric car has more torque. Its acceleration is a little on/off. Power arrives immediately, so much so that it can even be brutal, depending on the power of the vehicle. A nitro RC car is smoother and more progressive. And when it comes to top speed, the two are more or less on a par, although once again, the electric car may have the edge depending on its engine and the type of batteries used.
And when it comes to final costs, it's still very difficult to tell them apart. To cut a long story short, an electric car may cost more up front, but it makes up for it over time. But depending on the model, this can be called into question, as battery and charger prices have come down considerably in recent years.
The advantages of nitro RC cars
The advantages of the combustion version may firstly be linked to the acquisition cost. The all-terrain combustion version is available at an average retail price of around €459, compared with around €509.99 for the electric version.
On this point, it's clear that the score is clear cut and the electric can't match.
The Trophy Buggy 3.5 HPI otherwise has the qualities of its faults. The fact that it is a car that emits noise and smoke may be an attraction for enthusiasts of the genre. As a result, this one may prove more fun to use, or even more exciting to undertake because of the more numerous prior adjustments that will need to be made before it can be driven (engine adjustments in particular). You can find our video on this subject on our YouTube channel.
Directly linked to the fact that this is once again a combustion-powered vehicle is the autonomy. Although this hardly exceeds nine minutes with a tank in intensive use, the internal combustion allows you to drive without interruption or almost, and almost continuously by only having to refill the tank.
This won't necessarily be possible with the electric version, as the batteries will have to be changed and recharged, and there will have to be several spares to keep pace with the internal combustion version. It's true that the electric version can achieve a greater range in a single trip with good batteries. But the prospect of driving for 1 hour almost non-stop is likely to involve a higher cost because of the number of batteries required.
Judge for yourself: to be able to drive for an hour on a combustion engine, you need about 8 full tanks of fuel. That's 1 litre of mixture which costs around 15 euros.
For electrics, you'll need at least 3 good Li-Po batteries worth around 40 euros each. And even then, in 2S! Because if you upgrade to 3,4 or 6S, the battery budget can go through the roof!
The disadvantages of nitro RC cars
The number one problem with any thermal model is the noise and the noise pollution which can be prohibitive with regard to the neighbourhood! That's for sure, a thermal is not used just anywhere and at any time!
The second potential concern, and not the least, is engine tuning. Especially if you're a beginner and have never touched a combustion engine in your life. Even if internal combustion engines have become easier to tune over time, they still require a certain amount of expertise that is not easy to master. The combustion engine in the 3.5 Buggy version of the Trophy HPI will therefore require more attention than the brushless motor in the Trophy Buggy Flux version.
Similarly, the internal combustion engine will be more lent to start up and a little less easy to use because of its launcher to handle, and a whole bunch of peripheral elements to check if the engine doesn't start on the first try. Which happens quite often.
To start a combustion engine, you may need to buy a starter bank. You need to equip yourself with a spark plug heater and charger, fuel, at least one spark plug and prepare the air filter beforehand.
Always linked to thermal mode, maintenance is more tedious because of the leaks associated with the presence of the tank and the air filter changes that have to be carried out periodically. That's for sure, thermal is more dirty and less environmentally friendly!
The advantages of electric RC cars
Among the advantages identified, let's start by pointing out that an electric RC car can be used immediately or almost! All you have to do is charge 1 or more batteries, then connect one or more plugs, and you're ready to go. A definite plus for beginners!
No fuel to buy, no air filter to prepare before 1st use, no engine break-in to perform, no carburettor to adjust, the list goes on !
Another advantage that follows naturally from the electric propulsion mode is the absence of consumables to have to repurchase from the engine as and when you use it. You'll be able to say goodbye to the spark plugs you have to replace from time to time on your engine, but also to the air filter foams and the oil associated with them.
The electric motor will also save you from having to buy an exhaust line again (this can be stamped out in the long run), as well as flyweights, springs, bell bearings and a clutch bell.
On another note, let's bet that starting the electric model will be significantly faster and seasier than starting the internal combustion engine. Push a switch and it starts instantly. No worries about engine idle either, as it never stalls!
Another advantage of the electric version is that it has an extra feature that puts the internal combustion vehicle in a class of its own. Its reverse function! Yes, where the Trophy Buggy 3.5 HPI petrol engine will get stuck in an obstacle and require physical intervention to get itself out of the situation, its Flux electric counterpart will manage to get itself out of the situation in most cases thanks to its reverse gear. An undeniable plus for leisure use!
The disadvantages of electric cars
Even when marketed with the RTR label (in other words, in "ready to drive" mode), electric RC cars, just like combustion models for that matter, are rarely completely complete. By this we mean that they are sometimes missing 1 or more batteries that are not supplied, and then a charger.
The Trophy Buggy Flux HPI that we present to you in this Blog is no exception to the rule. It requires the optional presence of 2 Li-Po battery packs of two cells each (Li-Po 2S), in other words 2 packs of 7.4 volts. Then there's the optional good charger. A package that will cost you just over an extra hundred euros to add to the purchase price.
It's almost a draw!
If modelling fuel costs a certain amount to run, Ni-Mh or Li-Po batteries seem better equipped to limit the expense at this level. But in the face of these obvious facts, one question remains unanswered: how long is the life of a Li-Po battery? Batteries that are currently the most widely used. The question remains.
We can still give you some food for thought by saying that some manufacturers predict a lifespan of around 150 to 200 charge cycles for batteries of this type.
Data that will have to be taken with the utmost caution, as it obviously depends on how you charge the batteries in question and the quality of the latter.
Because some very low-end Chinese batteries can fail after twenty or so recharges!
These observations should also be contrasted with the fact that a combustion engine has a limited lifespan over time compared with an electric motor that is virtually indestructible.
As a guide, it should also be remembered that a well-filtered, well-tuned combustion engine fed with good fuel can easily ingest 20 to 25 litres of fuel, or even more. 25 litres of fuel will be more expensive than buying batteries and a good charger.
Which of these 2 modes of propulsion is ultimately the most economical ? That's not an easy question to answer, if not practically impossible...
Each of these 2 modes of propulsion remaining above all a matter of taste and preference. This will be the conclusion.
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