Despite the vast difference in their power trains, EVs are still like gas-powered vehicles in the sense that aggressive driving and high speeds can have . But how you drive is far from the only factor making an impact on how much electricity remains in your EV’s battery. For one thing, few people are simply driving along without using any accessories. And if they’re listening to tunes on the infotainment system or running the A/C to keep things cool, they’re pulling energy from the battery for those systems to work. In other words, there’s less energy available for driving range.
Consider the numbers from ,the company a major charging network in the U.K. Using data that included details from actual EVs, Gridserve researchers looked at common auto accessories and measured how much range was lost for each hour they were in use. For example, using the average EV’s air-conditioner for an hour reduced its range by 7.5 miles overall. Running the heater on cold days cut vehicle range by 5.7 miles.
The electrical draw from other individual sources are much smaller. Heating seats instead of the whole cabin, for instance, shaves .3 miles of range of an EV’s total for each hour they’re being heated for. But it all adds up to the point where the typical accessory load for an EV, including its HVAC system, can knock a total of 10 miles off your range after an hour of operation.
More details about what’s draining your EV battery
Increasing the weight you carry decreases range as well, since the batteries have to do more work to move more pounds. Just look at the Ford F-150 Lightning (may it rest in peace). When AAA loaded up a Lightning by placing 1,400 pounds worth of sandbags in its bed, all that extra weight led to a 24.5% fall-off in the truck’s range.
An EV’s aerodynamics are also important. Even a small active air skirt can improve EV range, and bigger improvements can add even more miles. Of course, the opposite also has an effect. Like a gas-powered vehicle with the a bulky EV drains more of its battery pushing through the wind than a sleek and slippery one. a provider of aftermarket upgrades for Tesla vehicles, helps to quantify that situation with an independent test of a Tesla Model 3. By using its products to reduce aerodynamic drag by 21%, the Model 3’s range increased by more than 13% at a steady speed of 70 mph.
You shouldn’t forget about EV tires, either. Equipping your ride with the wrong ones can massively impact its range, as EV tires usually have vehicle-specific designs. swapped the standard tires of a VW e-Golf for performance-focused Michelin Pilot Sport 4S rubber. As these tires were mounted on larger wheels and used stickier rubber, the car’s range fell from about 140 miles to under 100. Granted, even with all of this extra drain, the can go very far on a single charge. For them, losing a few miles might not make much of a difference.