Auto advice: How can I make the most of the range on my electric car?
Our motoring editor answers your questions on how to maximise battery life on EVs
"Easing gently on and off the accelerator can have a big impact on your range." Stock image
Your driving style can have a huge impact on the amount of range you get from an electric car and many of the fuel-saving techniques used on a petrol or diesel car work just as well when it comes to saving energy.
How can I avoid range anxiety?
Easing gently on and off the accelerator can have a big impact on your range and will allow you to make the most of the regenerative braking system.
Avoid sudden increases and decreases in your speed and use cruise control when on long, flat, straight stretches such as a motorway. Only carry what you need in the car, so remove all non-essential items from your interior and the boot.
What impact will my speed have on my range?
Reducing your speed, particularly on motorways from 120kmh to 100kmh will result in a much slower decrease in your range and crucially will add very little to your journey time.
Most EVs come with a variety of driving modes, generally labelled Sport, Normal and Eco, so opting for the Eco mode will help extend your range as it switches off or reduces power to non-critical features for maximum efficiency.
How do I get the best out of the battery?
It really depends on the type of battery, but a general rule is that many electric car batteries benefit from not being fully charged regularly as this can cause the capacity to reduce over time.
So just keeping your battery topped up between 20-80pc is a good rule of thumb. To encourage this, fast chargers slow down quite considerably once you reach 80pc: the last 20pc of charge can take almost as long as the first 80pc to achieve.
Are there any alternatives to putting on the air conditioning?
Air conditioning is a major drain on your range, so if you can avoid using it do. If you have heated seats and a heated steering wheel then use them as heating yourself will drain your battery much slower than heating a whole car. Look out also for an EV with a heat pump as this makes heating and cooling your battery more energy efficient.
Top Tip: When charging overnight you can schedule preconditioning for the time you’re setting off, this allows you to pre-heat the car’s cabin, before you start your journey, using mains electricity and not the car’s battery.
Got a question? Email sundaymotors@independent.ie
.jpg)
