How Driving Habits Can Extend EV Range

The world’s going green, and the driving world’s helping it do so. But one big issue that drivers are still facing is that of ‘range anxiety’. In a combustion engine car, we’re used to being able to drive as far as we want, stopping off at a fuel station to refill within a few minutes, and then continuing. But trips in electric vehicles are having to make people rethink their approach to driving. After all, you can’t just go get a jerry can to refill a stranded EV!

Another key issue is that manufacturers are claiming theoretical maximum ranges that, in the real world, are rarely achievable. And with recharge times often taking more than 8 hours, it’s no surprise that drivers are anxious about how far they can go.

So what can you do to extend your EV range? Here are some great driving habits.

Keep tyres inflated

You might assume that tyres make little difference to range, but you’d be wrong. In fact, fitting the wrong tyres for your EV can reduce your range by up to 20%! Similarly, keeping your tyres properly inflated is a must.

Underinflated tyres increase the resistance of the tyres on the road – what we call “rolling resistance”. Think of your tyres like a balloon: the flatter they get, the more they sag down and touch the road, which in turn means that they resist movement more.

Keeping your tyres at the correct pressure not only increases range, but makes them last longer through reduced wear! It’s a great habit to check your tyres monthly – especially during winter months when they’re more likely to deflate with the colder weather.

Maintain a good, safe speed

As with all vehicles – the faster you go, the more power you need to use. So avoid speeding (of course), and err on the side of slower – you might get to your destination a little bit later, but you’ll also have more chance of being able to get back!

You also use a huge amount of energy in accelerating, so make sure that you accelerate slowly whenever possible.

Utilise regenerative braking appropriately

Regenerative braking converts the forward momentum of your moving vehicle back into electricity by essentially reversing the way the motor functions – so that it works like a generator rather than a motor! It can extend range by up to 20% if used appropriately – but ‘appropriately’ is key here.

If you’re doing lots of stop start city driving, then regenerative braking recaptures a lot of energy effectively. But if you’re driving on a relatively calm motorway, it’s often more effective to turn off regenerative braking and just cruise. Because regenerative braking is proportional to how much you lift your foot off the accelerator pedal, you’ll actually lose a lot of range by tiny amounts of braking while on the motorway.

Get rid of your junk

It might seem like small fry, but even small fries add up when it comes to weight. We’re all guilty of using our car as a shed sometimes – especially in winter when it’s convenient to carry extra boots, winter jackets, and other bulky things for convenience.

But regularly clearing out your car reduces a surprising amount of weight and helps alleviate any range anxiety.

Clean the outside of your car

This might be a surprising one, but the dirtier the outside of your car is, the more your range gets squashed! This is because extra dirt and grime on the body’s surface create more air resistance as your car’s driving.

You don’t necessarily need to wax and polish your car every day (though a freshly-polished car will have less air resistance) but be mindful of it needing a clean if you’re planning a journey that’ll make the range tight.

Heat or cool your car while it’s charging

Most modern EVs are actually quite efficient these days, so you don’t need to worry too much about whether the AC or heater is on. But be mindful of it if you’re needing to conserve energy. Remember that, even though you don’t often ‘pay at the pump’ for electricity, you are paying on your monthly energy bill. So if you don’t need the heated seats & air-con on in mid-September, keep them off.

At a pinch, slow down

If you’re surprised on a journey by not having as much range as you thought, the best thing to do is to slow down. Of course, you have to be within safe driving speeds (so don’t go 20 on a motorway) but slowing down to a reasonable speed will almost always extend your range.

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