Much like in a petrol or diesel car, how you drive governs the range of an electric vehicle. But what other factors need to be considered?
This piece appears in the Sydney Morning Herald (15-Oct) and The Age (16-Oct) as part of our documentary, Drive: Electric – airing Sunday 16-October-2022 at 3pm on Nine.
The current crop of full electric cars on sale in Australia offer an average range of around 430km. For urban dwellers, this is more than enough for most days, up to a week even, but if you are heading out on a country run, can this range be guaranteed?
Just as adding weight, carrying loads on the roof, or towing will impact the efficiency of a petrol or diesel car, these will impact the range of an EV. The same goes for a heavy right foot, as aggressive acceleration will use more energy just like it will chew more fuel.
Extreme temperatures, at both ends of the scale, will also impact an electric vehicle with energy needed to warm the battery to its operating temp during winter, and air conditioners drawing more power to cool the car in summer.
The benefit of an electric car is these can be set to precondition before you drive anywhere, even while the car is parked. Heading back to a cool cabin on a midsummer’s day is worth a few less kilometres between charges in our book!
Where a traditional petrol or diesel engine will operate more efficiently on long highway runs, an electric car tends to work better around town. Here, energy recaptured during braking is used to charge the battery, making a stop-start run in peak hour far more energy friendly than a sustained drive at highway speeds.
And just like a bigger fuel tank will extend your time between service station visits, a bigger battery will give an EV longer range. As noted the average is a bit over 400km, with the current range leader the 625km BMW i7 Limousine.
As to what lies in store, we’re already seeing claims of over 700km from EVs in other markets, and the Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX concept car has managed an impressive 1000km run from a 100kWh battery.
Can you drive from Melbourne to Sydney on a single charge? Not today, but it won’t be long.
You can learn more by watching the Drive: Electric documentary this Sunday 16 October at 3pm on Nine. The video will be available here and on 9Now after it airs.
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