How to get the most distance in your EV. Or, how to get the furthest for your power bill. This topic is inspired by 5 Itallians who drove a Tesla a record 1,078 km on a single charge (https://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/tesla-1000-km/). Employing simple stategies to extend your vehicle range comes from the automotive sport of hypermiling - going the furthest on a tank of gas. But the strategies are relevent to electric cars as well, maybe more so with the onboard energy usage monitoring that provides real time data.
ENERGY EFFICIENT DRIVING TIPS
1. Tires. Select the safest tire for your needs. Low rolling resistance, all seasons or, my choice - summers in the summer and winters in the winter. Then, ensure that the tires are inflated to the manufacturers specifications. Do not over-inflate your tires.
2. Close your windows (open windows cause addition drag as you become a bit like a parachute).
3. Empty your car of excess stuff. The less weight, the less energy to push it.
4. If your EV has a mode for extra regenerative breaking (B mode on a Leaf), use it.
5. If your EV has ECO mode (little old lady driving mode), use it.
6. Drive "nice." Accelerate s-l-o-w-l-y and plan ahead to decelerate to avoid the use of your brakes.
7. Avoid the use of your heater and air conditioner, which consume precious energy. Electric heated steering wheels and seats can keep you very comfortable and use significantly less energy.
8. If your EV has a screen that records your current energy usage, you can monitor your consumption in real time. But keep your eyes on the road.
9. Maximize the usage of regenerative breaking. Some vehicles like my Nissan leaf, eliminate RB when the battery is full or close to full. This prevents you from overcharging (damaging) the battery by driving down a long hill after a full fill, but you don't get the advantages of RB until the battery is drawn down a bit. Different years of the Leaf have different methods for charging to 80% (original Leaf setting), where you ALWAYS have RB.
10. And this is very important, drive slowly. Wind resistance is an energy hog and the slower you drive, the more you slide through the air and the further you will go. BUT, please be respectful of speed limits. It is dangerous to drive below the posted speed limit, and not legal. Here are some of the results I achieved by driving down some roads on Salt Spring, late at night, when it was safe to do so.
1. Tires. Select the safest tire for your needs. Low rolling resistance, all seasons or, my choice - summers in the summer and winters in the winter. Then, ensure that the tires are inflated to the manufacturers specifications. Do not over-inflate your tires.
2. Close your windows (open windows cause addition drag as you become a bit like a parachute).
3. Empty your car of excess stuff. The less weight, the less energy to push it.
4. If your EV has a mode for extra regenerative breaking (B mode on a Leaf), use it.
5. If your EV has ECO mode (little old lady driving mode), use it.
6. Drive "nice." Accelerate s-l-o-w-l-y and plan ahead to decelerate to avoid the use of your brakes.
7. Avoid the use of your heater and air conditioner, which consume precious energy. Electric heated steering wheels and seats can keep you very comfortable and use significantly less energy.
8. If your EV has a screen that records your current energy usage, you can monitor your consumption in real time. But keep your eyes on the road.
9. Maximize the usage of regenerative breaking. Some vehicles like my Nissan leaf, eliminate RB when the battery is full or close to full. This prevents you from overcharging (damaging) the battery by driving down a long hill after a full fill, but you don't get the advantages of RB until the battery is drawn down a bit. Different years of the Leaf have different methods for charging to 80% (original Leaf setting), where you ALWAYS have RB.
10. And this is very important, drive slowly. Wind resistance is an energy hog and the slower you drive, the more you slide through the air and the further you will go. BUT, please be respectful of speed limits. It is dangerous to drive below the posted speed limit, and not legal. Here are some of the results I achieved by driving down some roads on Salt Spring, late at night, when it was safe to do so.
