Range anxiety can be an impediment to purchasing electric vehicles, yet advances in battery and efficiency technologies are alleviating buyers’ concerns of driving too far between charges.
Similar to gas cars’ EPA fuel-efficiency estimates, an electric vehicle’s official range estimate is determined through standard testing. Real world EV drivers can increase this figure by employing eco-driving techniques like avoiding hard acceleration and maximising regenerative braking.
The Size of the Battery
A battery size is one of the primary factors determining an electric vehicle’s driving range, offering more energy for increased EPA-estimated driving range estimates. But larger batteries don’t necessarily equal more driving range as other factors also impact real world EV driving distance beyond just battery size.
Factors to consider include acceleration and topography of an electric vehicle; when an EV accelerates quickly or aggressively uses its brakes, its battery drains more rapidly; steep inclines require more energy than flat roads; even cold weather driving has an effect on range; the internal heating requires energy that could otherwise be used for driving purposes.
Charging an EV in different ways can have a dramatic effect on its range. Plugging into a home charging station daily, particularly at nighttime, can help avoid range anxiety by providing drivers with a full battery each morning when starting their day off right. For those without access to home charging stations or who cannot install one themselves, destination charging at work or other convenient locations may also provide effective relief from range anxiety.
New EV owners should understand both how far their vehicle can travel on one charge and the frequency with which it must be recharged. A common misperception among many EV drivers is that an EV must be plugged in nightly in order to remain fully charged; in reality, full charges take about eight hours.
Finally, it should be remembered that rechargeable batteries degrade over time. While this shouldn’t be taken as a major concern, its effects will certainly have an impact on an EV’s driving range; on average 2.3% of its capacity is lost annually and an EV with a 280-mile driving range after seven years will likely only provide 226 miles of driving range – though drivers should consider these issues carefully when purchasing their electric car or van.
Driving Style
Driving an electric vehicle (EV) has a dramatic effect on its range. Aggressive driving uses energy more quickly, decreasing its driving range significantly. Hard acceleration, frequent braking and revving to impress friends all deplete batteries more rapidly. Conversely, fuel-efficient driving saves energy, increases range, decreases operating costs and extends battery lifespan significantly.
As noted above, one key factor affecting an electric vehicle’s range is how much energy is consumed when charging. To facilitate comparison between vehicles, the Environmental Protection Agency measures efficiency using Kilowatt Hours Per 100 Miles (kWh/100) ratings that take into account charging losses as well.
Most EV drivers quickly adjust their driving patterns in order to optimize efficiency and range. Although initially challenging, many quickly adapt to driving an EV.
Speed of an EV’s travel is another crucial component to its range. While city driving typically occurs at relatively slow speeds, highway speeds often pose the most demanding test for most vehicles and an EV’s consumption during acceleration is higher than comparable gasoline-powered models.
Finally, uphill and downhill driving will have an effect on an EV’s range as well. Climbing hills requires more energy to accomplish; therefore, its battery will drain faster. Conversely, descending hills requires significantly less power consumption and allows it to recharge much quicker.
Early adopters of electric vehicles were often concerned that their battery charge might run out. With modern models capable of lasting 400+ miles on a single charge, it’s become less of an issue and far less likely for an EV driver to come close to running out.
Given all of the choices available to EV shoppers, finding their ideal model has never been more important. By planning carefully and being honest about driving habits, finding an EV that best meets individual needs should not be hard at all.
Temperature
Many are shocked to learn that an electric vehicle’s range can decrease by almost half when being driven in extremely cold weather, due to increased energy use in maintaining battery temperature, heating the cabin, running defrosters and other power-intensive systems. Luckily, lithium-ion battery advancements now enable most light duty EVs to travel over 200 miles on one charge!
But unlike gas-powered vehicle’s MPG ratings that can be determined through laboratory testing, an electric car’s range should only be taken as an approximate guideline in real-life conditions; its actual performance depends on many variables including terrain, passenger load, speed, driver behavior and outdoor temperature.
Example: An electric vehicle’s optimal performance occurs on city streets, while highway speeds will reduce its range because regenerative braking cannot help recover energy that would otherwise be lost through friction.
Therefore, to optimize your EV’s range and save energy when driving is to stick solely to highways and slow down when reaching highway speeds. Furthermore, to further shorten driving distance avoid excessive acceleration or deceleration which uses up more energy when acceleration or deceleration occur simultaneously.
Keep in mind when estimating your EV’s range that using portable heaters or air conditioners will significantly increase energy use compared to when running at normal temperatures, since they require electrical energy for operation, draining the battery while they’re active.
Even with these challenges in mind, electric vehicles remain viable means for long-distance transportation in winter weather. When planning ahead and selecting vehicles with efficient climate control systems, range loss is less likely. Meanwhile, scientists are striving to develop alternative battery chemistries that don’t experience performance degradation as easily when exposed to extreme temperatures than lithium-ion systems do.
Road Conditions
There are numerous factors that impact an electric vehicle range, but many people are surprised to learn that road conditions can have just as great an effect as battery size or driving style on its performance. When traversing hills or steeper inclines, for instance, more energy must be expended than expected and less distance can be covered before power runs out – it is therefore essential that drivers understand these differences in order to select an EV that best fits their lifestyle and driving habits.
One of the primary concerns of electric vehicle owners is running out of charge. To give peace of mind to owners, premium EVs often give warning if your remaining range drops low, and help find and connect to chargers as soon as necessary for full recharging.
Temperature can also have an immense effect on an electric vehicle’s range. Lithium-ion batteries tend not to perform as well in cold weather, although most EVs feature systems to maintain optimal conditions while still enabling their functionality. Most of the loss in range due to temperature comes from using energy for heating or air conditioning services on board the vehicle itself.
An electric vehicle (EV) uses less energy when driven, since its motor doesn’t need to work as hard. On the downside, as speed increases an EV’s fuel efficiency decreases due to aerodynamic drag.
As technology behind electric vehicles advances, their available range is rapidly catching up to their gasoline counterparts. Models such as the ZOE can now drive up to 395 km on the WLTP* cycle – comparable to midrange ICE vehicles like Nissan Leaf or Renault Twingo Electric. Furthermore, more affordable EVs may soon offer even longer ranges, further narrowing the gap between them and internal combustion vehicles.