Managing the range of your EV is a key part of owning an Electric Car. In this post we set you up with some great tools. But the first thing we need to do is check ourselves
We ask you to consider your driving needs; do you have a daily commute and know the largest distances you expect to drive regularly? It is also wise to consider the way you drive. Do you like to zip around corners or cruise around at lower speeds? The type of roads and the conditions you are driving in also impact your range.
Driving Style: Persistently aggressive driving is bad for your battery and your range. While the cars are great to zip around in, if you need to get the most of your charge we suggest using the "eco" mode and driving conservatively most of the time.
Temperature: Very cold conditions below 3 degrees can have a short term effect on the range of up to 20%. Consider garaging your car if you need all your range through winter.
Roof racks and bike racks: A bike rack behind the car has minimal effect on range. Roof racks can eat up about 10% of your efficiency and bikes on top up to 20%. If you are carrying stuff be prepared for your trip and remove the racks afterwards.
Know we know the "human story" there are a couple of tools we find invaluable for planning the longer trip
As you drive your electric car you will become familiar with the local chargers and their location. If you need to plan a trip and see if the charger is compatible with your car, a searchable database of all available chargers is available at https://www.plugshare.com/. We recommend you create an account and enter in your car details. That way you can easily search the chargers that your car can use. Be a good Plugshare citizen and log in when you are charging, it helps the next people know the charger is working and available.
There is also a website and App called "A Better Route Planner" Once you have entered your vehicle you can plot a journey on the map and it tells you the best places to stop and charge to get to your destination the quickest way you can. Its viewable at https://abetterrouteplanner.com/
With these two apps in your phone, it will set you up for the longest of road trips.
Viva la EV
