I have been using Hero Electric Scooter (See Review) for about 2 months now and have learned some new things about an Electric Vehicle (EV) gradually. One of major concerns with the Electric Vehicles, Electric Cars and Electric Scooters is the range.
What Is Range Of An Electric Vehicle?
Range of an electric vehicle is the distance it can travel on a full charge. The range varies significantly depending on your driving habits, driving conditions, charging habits and load on the electric vehicle.
In this article I will share some general tips which you can follow to increase or improve the range of your electric car or electric scooter.
- Accelerate Gently – This is a general tip which will increase the range of most Electric Vehicles in City driving conditions with turns, signals and high traffic. The reason is simple, too much acceleration drains battery faster and more power is lost in case of braking in city driving conditions as city driving is more stop-and-go type of driving.
- Charge Battery Everyday – Battery experts may not like the idea of charging very frequently, but in automobile batteries and Electric vehicle batteries, its best to keep them close to full charge. This ensures smooth ride and better motor performance and better range.
- Optimum Tyre Pressure – All Electric vehicles have recommended tyre pressure listed in the user manual. Please remember it and get the pressure checked once in a week or fortnight. This will ensure that you are not running the Electric Vehicle with un-necessary drag, it improves the range as well as handling.
- Timely Service – Although the service of an electric vehicle is not as extensive as of a conventional engine vehicle which involves engine maintenance, yet servicing of Electric Vehicle is important. Usually in service, the authorized service-operator will check battery health, electrical and inspect motor for any problems, inspect brakes and lubrication of bearings etc. Getting your Electric Vehicle serviced on time will ensure a smooth ride with improved range.
- Loose Some Weight – I am not asking you to loose weight, I am suggesting you to remove extra stuff from the Electric vehicle which might be lying around for long time in the boot space unattended. Removing few Kg from the car will ease the load on the electric car / scooter.
- Keep The Charger In Good Health – It may not sound very important, but good health of charger is very important for good health of batteries. Keep the charger clean and wires properly. The wires should not entangle too much. Keep the charger clean of excessive dust or moisture. A bad charger may damage battery health hurting the range of your electric vehicle.
- Load Capacity – Read the user manual of your Electric car or electric scooter for the rated load capacity of the same. Try to keep the load on your electric vehicle within or up to the load carrying capacity. Overloading the vehicle can adversely affect the motor, batteries and may permanently reduce the range by damaging them even after you reduce the load afterwards.
- Electrical Accessories – Avoid adding too much electric accessories as they consume the battery and reduce the range of your EV. Get the electrical accessories fitted by a trained technician or from the authorized centers to avoid any damage to the electrical circuitry of your Electrical Car / Scooter.
- Highway Driving – In an electric car, keep the glass windows closed on high speed highway driving for better aerodynamics and less air-drag. This will help to improve the range of your electric vehicle.
- City Driving – Avoid sudden acceleration and braking, rather go slow in congested driving conditions and maintain a continuous speed for uniform load on battery, less braking losses and improved range.
There may be many more which might have not come to my mind, please share the same through comments below. You might also like to check out some Tips To Improve Mileage Of Your Petrol / Diesel Cars and Scooters from CarBlogIndia Technology Articles Section.
