An electric vehicle’s range is the distance it can travel when its battery is fully charged. The way an EV is driven can increase or decrease its range by more than 20%!
Range is for EVs, what mileage is for petrol/diesel vehicles. Mileage (or ‘average’) is very important for Indians when we go to buy a vehicle. Similarly, an EV’s range is one of the main factors which govern an EV buyer’s decision-making process.
Range anxiety is a commonly discussed problem among EV owners. It refers to the worry an EV driver feels about his/her vehicle’s battery charge being enough for a journey. It can be stressful driving with one eye on the road and the other on the EV’s state-of-charge.
If you’ve got an EV, and you’re wondering what you can do to increase your range, you’ve reached the right place. Here, EVJoints brings you 10 tips to extend your EV’s range:
1) The EV battery doesn’t just power the motor, it also powers all the gadgets & secondary systems including the headlights, air conditioning, radio, etc. When you’re trying to conserve battery charge, switch off any features you don’t need. EVs consume around 16 km of range per hour through the use of ‘secondary systems’ like the air conditioning, heater, wipers or the entertainment system. All these draw energy from the EV’s battery, reducing its overall range.
2) Make sure your tyre pressure is as close to the recommended pressure as possible. Almost all EVs come with a ‘Tyre Pressure Monitoring System’ (TPMS) that alerts you if the tyre pressure is low.
3) Premium electric cars come with a feature called ‘preconditioning’ that allows you to cool or heat your vehicle’s cabin temperature in advance. When preconditioning is on and your car is plugged in, it will draw energy from the grid rather than the car’s battery.
4) Remember to keep up with your EV’s scheduled maintenance. EV users get software updates from time to time. Downloading these updates is vital as it improves the EV’s overall performance including superior battery management, energy efficiency & power delivery. Whenever you visit the service centre, its always advisable to talk with the executives to get the software updates done for your EV. Apart from software updates, wheel alignment & balancing also helps with the range. So, never skip your EV’s scheduled maintenance.
5) Reducing an electric car’s weight is another way to boost its range. Get unnecessary junk out of the trunk, as research says carrying 150 kg of cargo can increase an EV’s energy consumption by 2-3%!
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6) Avoid installing accessories like roof cargo racks, heavy bumper guards, etc on your EV. These accessories hinder the aerodynamics of the vehicle and cause excess energy consumption at higher speeds.
7) Avoid putting your foot down for immediate acceleration when the traffic lights go green. EVs don’t have gears. Rapid acceleration means the motor has to work harder. This takes a toll on your battery. Try speeding up slowly & smoothly to avoid draining your EV’s battery unnecessarily. To know why EV’s don’t have gears, read our blog Why Electric Vehicles don’t have an Engine & Gears?
8) Apart from hard acceleration, an EV being driven consistently at higher speeds also causes a considerable drop in range. So, it is advisable to drive at moderate speeds to extend the EV’s range.
9) All EVs come with multiple riding/driving modes like Eco, City, Sports, etc. Switching on the Eco mode (‘economy’ mode) has many benefits. An EV’s ‘eco’ mode is the most battery-friendly driving mode, which helps to make your driving more efficient. It helps you achieve the maximum distance with the least amount of charge. It even regulates air-conditioning to save energy! Using the Eco mode on long journeys can easily add 20-25 km to your range. ‘Sports’ mode, on the other hand, is much more energy-intensive, as it increases acceleration and makes the throttle very sensitive. If you want to increase your EV’s range, you should use the Sports mode less often.
10) Many electric cars come with ‘cruise control’. Cruise control is a feature that allows the driver to take their foot off the accelerator while the car’s on-board computer maintains its speed. Using cruise control can help increase your EV’s range. Constant driving speeds are highly correlated with higher range.
Conclusion:
At present, range management while driving an EV is important because EV charging stations are not as common as petrol pumps. By following the above mentioned range ‘hacks’, you can get as close as possible to the official range claimed by your EV manufacturer.
