Once you purchase an electric vehicle (“EV”), you will have to relearn almost every aspect of driving as EVs are fundamentally different from ordinary gas-powered vehicles. Rather than a combustion engine powered by fossil fuels, electric vehicles rely on rechargeable lithium-ion battery packs coupled with electric motors to generate movement.
The size of the battery pack and the amount of power it can hold after a single charge will depend on the make of the vehicle, with some EVs having modest, two-digit ranges while others have as much as 400 miles of range. But regardless of the initial range an electric vehicle holds, there are a couple of things you could do to maximize it.
For starters, you should know that weather has a completely different effect on electric vehicles compared to traditional gas-powered cars. With the latter, cold weather just means your AC has to work harder, but when electric vehicles are actively affected by cold, they lose up to 25% of their rated range at freezing temperatures. The Idaho National Labs also found that compared to 77 degrees Celcius, freezing temperatures reduce the efficiency of fast charging by up to 35%. You can remediate this by parking your EV indoors when temperatures drop. If you do not have the space, a covering would suffice.
Heating and cooling the interior of an EV, regardless of the weather, is an entirely different ball game. With traditional gas-powered cars, the waste heat generated by the combustion engine and belt-driven accessories that compress refrigerant are responsible for heating and cooling respectively, but electric vehicles rely on electricity to do both.
According to a 2019 AAA study on five EV models, 20-degree weather can consume up to 41% of an EV’s range in heating. Similarly, an air conditioner used on a 95-degree day reduced the range by 17%. EV makers are constantly working to solve this issue; Nissan’s Leaf has a heat pump system similar to home mini-split HVAC units, and Jaguar has designed an award-winning heat pump that harvests heat from the system to cool the battery and motor.
You can also take advantage of regenerative braking to slowly recharge your battery. Most EVs are equipped with regeneration technology that allows the electric motors to generate power when the vehicle slows. Set your EV to the highest regen setting and try as much as you can to brake by lifting off the accelerator to take advantage of this feature.
Do not forget to keep an eye on your EV’s battery as well, especially if it is an older model. Like all lithium-ion batteries, EV batteries gradually lose their capacity over time, so think twice about buying a secondhand EV if you need a vehicle with plenty of range.
Luckily, as more players such as Net Element (NASDAQ: NETE) enter the electric vehicle industry, the massive innovation and investment is bringing down costs and improving every aspect of EV technology, so range worries could soon be a thing of the past.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Net Element (NASDAQ: NETE) are available in the company’s newsroom at http://ibn.fm/NETE
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