Six Tips to Help Extend the Range on Your Electric Car
Drivers can maximize the performance of their electric car batteries by watching their speed, driving more efficiently, taking care of their batteries, and more.
Making the transition from a gas car to an electric vehicle might come with a lot of questions. While the principles of driving are the same, there are some key differences.
The most prominent of these differences involves managing and charging your EV’s electric battery.
Beyond figuring out where and when to charge your electric vehicle, understanding your battery’s performance also matters. Follow these tips if you want to maximize the range of your luxury electric vehicle.
Where Can I Charge My Luxury Elextric Vehicle?
How to Get the Most Out of Your Electric Vehicle Battery
Watch Your Speed
Just like gas engine cars, driving at higher speeds decreases efficiency. When your electric car exceeds 60 MPH, its battery will drain faster than it would at lower speeds.
Similarly, if you press on the gas too aggressively when accelerating, you can burn more electricity than necessary. This is a common problem that many novice EV drivers run into. The electric motors on most fully-electric vehicles offer much smoother acceleration than drivers are accustomed to. Resisting the urge to floor it can save you several miles of range between charges.
Leverage Regenerative Braking
Most modern luxury electric vehicles use a regenerative braking system that sends a small amount of power back to the battery. Understanding this system can help you add a few miles of range to your vehicle. Most newer EV models have seamlessly integrated their regenerative braking system, so making use of it is simple and straightforward.
Be Careful With Your AC and Heating
Extreme temperatures in either direction can negatively impact your battery life. In addition to that, blasting your car’s AC or heating system can drain a lot of power. You may not realize that doing this can drastically reduce your car’s maximum range. But this is often one of the biggest obstacles in getting the most out of your electric vehicle’s battery. Moderate climate-controlled temperatures are best for extending your range.
If your EV has heated seats, you can use this to your advantage by cutting down on cabin heat. It takes much less power to activate seat heating than to heat the entire vehicle.
Find the Most Efficient Route
Many of the leading luxury electric vehicles can help drivers find the most efficient route using their built-in navigation systems. Optimizing your route for extended range may take some getting used to, but it’s often worth it. Remember that the “most efficient” route may not always be the most direct. For instance, you can add a few extra miles of range by avoiding the highway on some trips, and on a round trip, this can save you the need to use a public charger and get you back home on a single charge.
Monitor Your Tires
Some things are consistent whether you drive an electric car or a gas-engine car. Monitoring your tires is one of those things. Under-inflated tires can often go unnoticed, but they will cause your electric car to lose out on some potential range. This is entirely avoidable in most cases, but it’s not something everyone pays attention to often. Luckily, many luxury electric vehicles are now built with automatic tire pressure monitoring systems.
Learn How to Take Care of Your Battery
Lastly, you should understand the science behind the battery itself. Most modern electric vehicles use lithium-ion batteries. This is the same type of battery that powers our laptops and smartphones. Lithium-ion batteries can be damaged by extreme heat. Drivers should try to avoid over-exposing their cars to the sun in hot climates.
Most importantly, drivers should understand how charging affects battery life. It is actually possible to over-charge your electric vehicle battery. Frequently charging your vehicle when it’s not low can cause the battery to deteriorate more quickly. This leads to worse battery performance, and a shorter range in the long term.
At Ray Catena Auto Group, we’re the dealers New York and New Jersey drivers trust when it comes to luxury electric cars. Find your nearest Ray Catena dealership or learn more about which LEVs have the biggest range.
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