The autonomy of an electric vehicle is one of the main obsessions of all customers because, frequently, it is insufficient for lengthy trips. Here are eight suggestions to boost it.
Have you ever considered buying an electric car but had reservations about its range and ability to live up to your expectations?
You are not alone in having this issue, as it is now one of the top ones shared by both existing and potential users of this kind of vehicle.
Electric cars have been improving their ability to travel distances on a single charge, and it is now customary to find models exceeding 400 km. Nevertheless, it is vital to understand critical factors affecting an electric car’s autonomy. We will inform you of them.
1. Travel Carefully
A harsh driving style will significantly impact any vehicle’s range while accelerating. This is crucial in electric automobiles but is also quite evident in cars powered by a thermal engine.
Remember that a vehicle’s theoretical range has been estimated under nearly ideal conditions so that any unusual driving will have an impact.
Regenerative braking allows us to use the brake less frequently while increasing energy recovery.
Therefore, if we want to maximize range, the best action is to accelerate gradually and steadily. We should also avoid abrupt forceful braking, which compels us to intensely recover a lot of speed.
2. Maintaining speed
This second guideline is connected to the first since smooth driving and avoiding abrupt speed changes will help us ride more steadily. The electric motor must exert less force to maintain speed, lowering energy usage.
Maintaining consistent driving speed, especially on highways or freeways, is essential. We should plan for overtaking and scenarios that might require us to change our speed. This enables us to benefit from inertia, and ultimately, it is highly likely that we will reach our objective more quickly.
3. Keep your distance
In addition to driving more safely, keeping a safe distance from other cars on the road also makes us use the brakes and, thus, the accelerator less, which reduces the amount of electricity we use and, as a result, extends the range.
Maintaining a more prominent space when passing or overtaking in congested areas is always preferable so that we can adjust our speed beforehand, making us more reliable and effective.
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4. Control of regenerative braking
Electric vehicles have a regenerative braking feature that allows them to recover some energy needed to move the wheels. The following article contains further information about how it functions.
In essence, this method recharges the batteries by recovering the energy lost while we do not accelerate. When we release the accelerator while a gear is engaged, we discover that thermal cars have a retention effect comparable to electric cars’ energy recovery modes.
We can learn to drive to partially replace the brake with a regenerative brake holding since the more significant the holding effect, the greater the energy recovery.
This has two advantages: first, by recuperating more energy, we can travel farther. However, we will use the brakes less frequently and need to change the pads and discs further.
This kind of driving is beneficial when, for instance, you’re approaching a red light or trying to catch up with a slower car on the road.
5. Time-saving route
There are frequently multiple routes that lead to the same place, but not all of them are equally long or effective. It is possible to identify two ways that take the same amount of time and distance to go to a particular location. Still, one of them will allow us to use less energy because it has less or less traffic and tears through the city, slopes, or curves.
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Depending on the peculiarities of the route and the orography, a wise decision may enable us to increase the autonomy significantly, so it is essential to consider. The shortest path is not always the best one. The total time saved is fantastic if you also avoid having to recharge.
6. Smart recharging
The price of recharging differs significantly depending on the location and time of the operation, as we have already stressed numerous times. An electric vehicle owner typically has a personal charging station at home, enabling him to charge his vehicle effectively and economically at night.
However, this has an impact on autonomy as well, albeit more over time. The goal is to increase the battery’s maintenance and durability because its degeneration happens more quickly under some conditions.
We are discussing quick charging, which, if used regularly, diminishes the battery’s autonomy over time, or full charge, which also causes it to suffer more. To maintain the battery’s integrity to a greater extent, it is desirable to perform a standard cost and, where practical, to do so regularly, maintaining the autonomy between 20% and 80% of the total.
7. Climate control when charging
Particularly air conditioning and auxiliary systems in electric vehicles use a lot of energy and can considerably cut down on the range.
A charging station at home can increase range.
Utilizing the recharge time to modify the passenger compartment’s temperature and then keeping it there is an excellent strategy to reduce this effect. This will maximize the car’s work while charging and reduce the demand when we unhook to drive.
8. Reduce surplus weight
It is obvious why moving 1200 kg requires more work than 1300 kg, for instance. Because of this, the more mass that needs to be carried, the more energy our automobile will need to use, and the less autonomy it will have.
It is never a good idea to carry more weight than is necessary because this is true for all cars. We are not requesting that you instruct your brother-in-law to take the bus or abandon your suitcase while traveling but that you always have the necessities with you.
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We will only put what we need in the trunk, and we will be careful not to put any boxes or load supports on the roof or the back because they add weight and act as a sizeable aerodynamic brake, making us use more energy to go the same pace.
9. Regular tire inspection
This advice also applies to any vehicle with wheels because keeping the correct tire pressure will give us access to several advantages.
By lessening the tread’s friction with the asphalt, we can conserve energy without sacrificing performance or safety (optimal grip and braking distance). However, tires with inadequate pressure will increase the contact surface, which will require more energy to overcome.
Also, choosing fuel-efficient tires that are made to lessen this friction will improve range without a decrease in performance.
