EV Battery Range: Tips for Improvement

Posted on: Apr 6, 2022 | | Written by:

EV Battery Range: Tips for Improvement

Electric vehicles have become the future of the automobile industry. This is a global trend and has gained particular popularity, especially in recent years. This is a major step towards maintaining a sustainable approach in keeping the ecological balance intact. To promote the sales of these electric vehicles, the government of our country has even reduced its taxes and car insurance premium too. In this particular article, we will focus on certain tips and tactics that have been discovered to be helpful in improving the battery range of these electric vehicles.

Although the modern generation electric vehicles have significantly improved on their overage range with more efficient, bigger and better battery packs, still there is no harm in nursing it every mile. That is why are presenting to you five foolproof tips for optimizing your EV battery range and making sure you get the most out of it.

But, before we begin, let’s clarify that some of these tricks can be pure common sense. You can spike up the range just by minutely altering your driving style. You can quickly accelerate your speed and then release the pedal slightly. Try to avoid becoming a lead-foot and maintain the speed limits. You can even optimize the performance of the regenerative braking system, by using the brakes less frequently and allowing the vehicle itself to perform the job. Try to maintain a plain route, without any sharply steep inclines. With every possible chance, you get, try to turn down climate control. You will definitely gain more range if you use the car heater or the air conditioning system less often.

Five tips to improve the EV battery range:

1. Checking the tyre pressure:

Although your vehicle possesses the built-in tyre pressure warning signal, that only gets activated only when it becomes significantly low. So, it is best to get the tyre pressure checked quite frequently, at least once every month. The optimum and ideal tyre pressure remains mentioned in the manual. The statistics reveal that an under-inflated tyre may result in a 0.2% drop in the overall mileage calculated for each pound of every square inch.

Moreover, it causes more damage to the tyres causing enhanced wear and tear. This can also happen with the over-inflated tyres, due to enhanced exposure, and even reduces the grip. So, it is best to maintain the ideal tyre pressure and use only the recommended brand and type of tyre as suggested by the manufacturer.

2. Checking the wheel alignment:

Always ensure that your vehicle has proper wheel alignment. If it gets out of alignment, you will experience a pull on either side during a straight drive. This becomes even more prominent during using hard brakes. Either one or all the wheels of your vehicles might exhibit a certain degree of tilt or toe-in.

Proper alignment ensures the wheel of the concerned vehicle should lie on the road as flat as possible while driving, ensuring a better grip. Poorly aligned wheels cause harm to the wheels and reduce the battery capacity too.

3. Use lesser accessories:

Although your EV remains loaded with a host of cute accessories, it is best to use them as little as possible, to gain on the battery range. The simple calculation reveals that the more accessories you use in the car, it will consume more power, lowering your range on the road. The biggest of these is the car heaters or the air conditioners.

An AAA survey has confirmed that the EV battery range drops up to 17% while using the air conditioner on a 36o C day. During cold temperatures, if you use the heater, the drop reaches a whopping 41%. If you want a comfortable EV ride during chilly winters maintaining optimum battery performance range, ensure to park it in the garage, pre-heat it before starting and then use the heated steering wheels and seats. In summers, you can wind down your windows a bit and let the cool breeze cool you.

4. Futile resistance:

Every electric vehicle is specifically designed for reducing wind resistance. The less resistance your electric car makes while slicing through the wind, the better battery range you gain. Therefore, if you do anything that causes damage to your vehicle’s original shape and looks, it will surely reduce the battery performance.

A roof rack is capable of affecting the wind resistance and causes a reduction of the fuel efficiency to up to 25%. Moreover, the roof racks on lighter vehicles reduce fuel consumption to up to 0.8%. Ensure not to alter your vehicle’s aerodynamics and retain the originality in this respect.

5. Drive smoothly and use cruise control:

As mentioned earlier, being a lead-foot is smashing for electric vehicles. This is even unnecessary in this context because it accelerates quickly and ensures smooth drives. But, that does not imply you will have to accelerate too slowly from 0 km/hr to average highway speed. To ensure optimum battery performance, it is best to accelerate quickly and then lift off the pedal to some extent.

Conclusion

From the above discussion, you must have got a clear idea about enjoying and experiencing optimum battery range out of your electric vehicle. Try to maintain these steps and enjoy. Ensure to get proper car insurance for the overall safety and security of your vehicle.

Disclaimer: The above information is for illustrative purpose only. For more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales.

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