Best Driving Practices to Extend EV Range
- Drive Smoothly and Gently: Avoid sudden acceleration, hard braking, and jerky steering. Smooth driving lowers energy consumption and helps preserve battery life. Using the vehicle’s Eco mode, if available, further promotes efficient driving behavior.
- Maintain Moderate and Steady Speeds: Driving at lower speeds, especially in city conditions, maximizes range. High speeds and aggressive acceleration drain the battery faster. On highways, avoid speeding and rapid changes in speed.
- Maximize Regenerative Braking: Enable the highest regenerative braking setting your EV offers. This system recovers kinetic energy during deceleration or downhill driving and converts it back into battery charge, potentially increasing range by 10-15% in city driving.
- Control Climate Systems Efficiently: Minimize the use of air conditioning and heating, as climate control systems consume significant energy. Preconditioning the cabin (heating or cooling) while the vehicle is plugged in reduces battery load while driving.
- Keep Tires Properly Inflated: Maintaining correct tire pressure reduces rolling resistance and improves efficiency. Check tire pressure regularly to avoid unnecessary energy loss.
- Reduce Excess Weight and Drag: Remove unnecessary cargo and roof racks, which add weight and increase aerodynamic drag. Lighter vehicles require less energy to move.
- Choose Efficient Routes and Terrain: Opt for routes with fewer hills and less stop-and-go traffic when possible. Avoiding steep climbs helps reduce battery drain.
- Charge Strategically: Avoid charging to 100% routinely; charging to about 80% can help prolong battery health. If a full charge is needed, time it so that the battery is fully charged just before departure, minimizing battery strain during idle time.
By integrating these strategies into regular driving habits, EV owners can consistently extend their vehicle’s effective range, mitigate range anxiety, and enhance overall driving enjoyment and battery longevity.
Original article by NenPower, If reposted, please credit the source: https://nenpower.com/blog/what-are-the-best-driving-practices-to-extend-the-range-of-an-ev/
