Charging an electric car and its range are one of the most important questions regarding electromobility. Meanwhile, it turns out that the number of kilometers an electric car will travel is influenced by ... its user. Find out what range your electric car has and what to do to extend it?
In this article you will learn:
What is the range of an electric car?
What affects the range of an electric car?
How many km will an electric car travel?
How to increase the range of an electric car?
Does higher charging power increase range?
The first electric car was built in 1882. So why did we have to wait almost 150 years for electric cars to slowly start to enter mass production? One answer turned out to be the need to develop technologies that would allow such vehicles to travel several hundred kilometers.
What affects the range of an electric car?
The first answer is, of course, the capacity of its batteries. It is expressed in kWh (kilowatt-hour). The academic definition is that a 1 kWh cell can power a 1,000 W load for one hour. In practice, just remember that the more kWh the battery has, the longer the range of the electric car.
However, the battery capacity is not enough. Although it is a fixed value, the energy consumption varies. This in turn depends on many factors, mainly on the driving style, but also on the outside temperature. Later in the article we will explain how to increase the range of an electric car.
How many km will an electric car travel?
At the outset, it is important to note that all manufacturer data, as with combustion engine vehicles, refers to driving at optimal speeds and under optimal conditions. In conventionally powered cars, changing speed or other factors can change fuel consumption per 100 km by around 25%. Meanwhile, in the case of electric vehicles, the differences can reach 50% or even more, which can be a problem with a shorter range from the factory.
Based on the data collected by vehicle users, you can clearly answer the question of how many kilometers Tesla will travel? As much as 652 kilometers, which earned it first place in the rankings. The next Chevrolet Volt and Hyundai Kona on the podium covered almost 600 km. For comparison, one of the most popular electric cars, the Nissan Leaf, will travel up to 385 kilometers on batteries (this is according to the manufacturer). The ranges of electric locomotives are not impressive compared to vehicles with internal combustion engines. In addition, charging an electric car takes longer than refueling at a gas station.
How to increase the range of an electric car?
The rule is simple: the lower the energy consumption, the more kilometers you can travel on a single charge of an electric car. One of the most important factors is therefore the speed at which you move. Driving fast uses more energy, as does rapid acceleration.
Ambient temperature also affects the range of an electric car in two ways:
- at lower temperatures, the efficiency of batteries decreases,
- low and high temperatures require the activation of heating or cooling systems for the vehicle interior and cells, which also consume energy.
Unfortunately, we have no influence on weather conditions, but we can save energy by turning on the air conditioning in summer or by heating the interior less intensively in winter. Also, do not forget to check the tire pressure, as the rolling resistance of the wheels depends on it.
Does higher charging power increase range?
It should be made clear that the power of the charger that charges an electric car has absolutely no effect on its range or battery capacity. The most powerful 22 kW Wallbox will not improve the range of your electric car, but it will charge the cells faster. On the other hand, charging with a home Wallbox is one of the most gentle charging methods when it comes to the lifespan of your battery.