Although most modern electric cars offer a range of over 200 km (124+ mi) on full charge (except for a few), that dreaded range anxiety might still creep in when going out somewhere. The range anxiety cannot be ignored if you live in a country where the charging infrastructure is still almost non-existent. And so, Skoda has shared some tips on how to get the most out of electric car batteries, regardless of what EV you own.
Pre-heating
The first tip is, of course, to pre-heat the battery pack, especially while the car is still plugged-in and charging, for obvious reasons. By doing so, you’re not using up the energy from the car’s battery. Modern EVs come with a mobile app that lets you remotely activate pre-heating. The same thing applies to pre-heating the cabin as well.
Efficient heating
The second tip is a kinda continuation of the first one. The heating of the car itself can be done efficiently to keep consumption as low as possible. For example, the steering wheel and seats can be heated or either one, as opposed to heating the entire cabin air. Think of heating/cooling just the bed in your bedroom before sleeping and not the computer, wardrobe, wallclock and everything else. Of course, this is possible if those features are available in your car.
Smart parking
No, this is not about autonomous parking. We are talking about something that is obvious but often ignored for various reasons. To avoid the need to heat or cool the car prior to a journey, we can cleverly choose a parking spot. If possible, one should avoid parking out in the cold or directly under the sun. It’s ideal to put the car in a garage or at least on the leeward side of the house. Let’s remember that good old cliché: “prevention is better can cure”.
Anticipatory driving
In the end, it is the driver who has the biggest influence on an electric car’s range, obviously. Anticipatory driving is important, especially in winter. It is safer and also offers a longer range. So keep a safe distance from the cars ahead, slow down smoothly for corners, and if available, use driver assistance systems such as cruise control/adaptive cruise control to help you drive at a constant speed.
Tyre condition matters
If you live in Europe or places where it snows, your car rims must be shod with winter tyres. However, as you might know, it’s not just the tread that matters. Tyre pressure is equally important: don’t let it drop too low, as this increases energy consumption.
Avoiding unnecessary cargo
Another obvious tip, but kinda important. Unnecessary cargo means, of course, more energy is needed to haul it around. And so, if you recently went on a road trip, but haven’t removed all the items/bags from the car, make sure that you’re not hauling them every day to your office.
Eco mode
Driving modes have become so common these days that you’ll find them even in cheaper, ICE-powered vehicles. One of the modes offered is the Eco mode which limits the motor’s output figures, resulting in lesser energy consumption and more range. I guess the only time this mode is not helpful is when you get a call from your partner that they’re home alone. The point is, use this mode when you’re not in a hurry.
Optional equipment
A lot of modern cars come with LED headlights as standard but offer LED Matrix headlights as an option; however, the latter is said to be more efficient when it comes to energy consumption. Also, the Enyaq iV offers an optional heat pump to reduce consumption compared with conventional electric heating.
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