How do you drive an electric vehicle to increase its range?

Eco-driving on an electric car? This is a completely different story than in an internal combustion car, but offers many more benefits. Moreover, it is worth knowing a few rules on how to expand its range.

Electricity consumption in electric vehicles is much more important than fuel consumption in vehicles with traditional engines. Firstly, because the Polish charging infrastructure is still in its infancy (in our country, only 0,8% of all chargers in the EU!). Second, charging an electric vehicle still takes much longer than refueling an internal combustion vehicle.

For at least these two reasons, it is worth knowing what affects the consumption of electricity in an "electric car", especially since the principles of economical driving here are slightly different from those that you knew until now.

Range of electric vehicles - comfort or range

Both extreme high and low temperatures greatly affect the range of an electric vehicle. Why? The biggest “sinks” of energy in an electric vehicle, in addition to the engine itself, are air conditioning and heating. It is true that the driving style itself affects (more on this in a moment), but still slightly less than the additional sources of energy consumption.

By turning on the air conditioner, we automatically reduce the flight range by several tens of kilometers. How much depends mainly on the intensity of cooling, so in the summer it is worth resorting to rather commonplace tricks. Which? First of all, a very hot car, before turning on the air conditioner, ventilate it well so that the temperature is equal to the air temperature. In hot weather, park the car in shaded areas and cool the car while charging using the so-called cab ventilation mode.

Unfortunately, frost has an even greater impact on the electric vehicle's range. In addition to the fact that we spend energy (and quite a lot) on heating the passenger compartment, the battery capacity drops significantly due to negative temperatures. What can be done to overcome these negative factors? For example, park your electric vehicle in heated garages and do not overheat the interior or reduce the speed of the air blower. It is also worth remembering that accessories such as heated seats, steering wheel and windshield consume a lot of energy.

Electric car - driving style, i.e. the slower the further

It's hard to hide the fact that the city is a favorite destination for electricians. In traffic jams and at low speeds, such a machine consumes the least energy, so its range is automatically increased. You can also add extra kilometers by driving style, more precisely by gentle handling of the accelerator pedal and slower driving. There is a reason the top speed of electric vehicles is more limited than vehicles with conventional combustion units. You will notice how big the difference in instantaneous energy consumption can be between 140 km / h and 110-120 km / h.

So on the road it is worth getting used to the correct lane and moving with the stream (we do not recommend hiding behind trucks, although this is an old way to reduce air resistance), and in return you can break records of kilometers traveled. Even the most disciplined drivers can achieve more than the manufacturer claims!

Electric vehicle range - fighting aerodynamics and rolling resistance

There is a big battle in electric vehicles to reduce air resistance and rolling resistance. It is for this reason that all air intakes in the front of the car are sealed, special plates are installed under the chassis, and the rims are usually very full. Electric tires also use other tires that are narrower and made from a different mixture. A good example of how big this difference can be well known on our streets is the BMW i3. This car uses 19 "wheels, but with tires only 155 mm wide and 70 profiles. But what can we do as drivers? Just keep the correct tire pressure, do not drag trunks and unnecessary things in the trunk unnecessarily.

Electric vehicle - the skillful use of recuperation

In the case of electric vehicles, the range also depends on the efficiency of the braking energy recovery. Of course, not every machine has the so-called Recuperation work as efficiently and according to similar principles. In some vehicles, it is enough to take your foot off the gas pedal for the system to start automatically, in others you need to gently apply the brake, and in others, such as the Hyundai Kona, you can select the recuperation rate. However, in each case, the system works according to the same principles - the engine turns into a generator, and the traditional braking system is just an addition to the braking process. And finally, important notes - the effectiveness of systems, even the most efficient ones, largely depends on the driving style and skillful foresight of what will happen on the road.