You might not have heard of range anxiety, but if you drive an electric car you may have felt it.
Range anxiety refers to an EV driver’s worry that their battery will run out before the destination, or a suitable charging point, is reached. Basically, it’s the fear of running out of charge while on the road.
Drivers of petrol cars can typically run for a fair few kilometres on an almost-empty tank, knowing they’ll stumble upon a gas station sooner or later. For EV drivers, charging stations aren’t quite as frequent – yet – so seeing your battery drop might make you anxious.
To help you hit the road in your EV without fear, we’ve put together a few tips on how to battle range anxiety.
1. Charge your electric vehicle at home
Having a dedicated wall mounted charger (or just a standard wall socket charger) for your EV means you can plug in overnight, so you’ll be fully charged before hitting the road. While they’re a bit of an investment up front, wall-mounted chargers can charge up to eight times faster than a regular outlet.
There’s also no replacement for convenience. While charging is pretty speedy at a public station (like one of our Zero charging stations), charging your EV overnight means most days the typical EV driver won’t need to even think about charging anywhere else. It’s almost as simple as plugging your phone onto charge before bed – which means if you are on an EV plan you’ll get off peak rates!
Imagine waking up every day with a full tank of petrol without anywhere near the cost – this is the reality for EV owners.
2. Use apps to track EV charging stations
With the help of apps like Plugshare, you can find your nearest EV charging station in seconds. So, if you ever find yourself getting low, it’s quick and easy to find somewhere to charge up.
And if you’re keen to take advantage of the Zero network, the app allows you to not only charge up, but find where the nearest Zero charging station is.
3. Plan ahead
Before you even hit the road, plan ahead and figure out where you can tie in your charge with a lunch, coffee or supermarket stop. There’s a handy app to help you do that: The Power Trip. It predicts how much charge you’ll use during your trip, and helps you plan your journey around your charging needs. There are some great deals and discounts to be had, too! Before you even hit the road, plan ahead and figure out where you can tie in your charge with a lunch, coffee or supermarket stop. There’s a handy app to help you do that: The Power Trip. It predicts how much charge you’ll use during your trip, and helps you plan your journey around your charging needs. There are some great deals and discounts to be had, too!
Like getting to know petrol stations in your city, you’ll know where the EV chargers live before long – and which ones suit you best.
If ‘planning ahead’ sounds like life admin you’d rather not deal with daily – know that most modern EVs have ranges that are plenty for quick, short trips over the day without necessarily needing an away-from-home top up.
4. Pace yourself
In the same way driving fast in a petrol car burns through gas, speeding in an electric car drains your battery in a flash. So aside from being a whole lot safer, easing up on the accelerator will extend your electric car’s range, giving you more time to make it to the next charging stop or your destination. Cruise control can help with that, too. A constant speed with less brake action will buy you more range on the open road. In the same way driving fast in a petrol car burns through gas, speeding in an electric car drains your battery in a flash. So aside from being a whole lot safer, easing up on the accelerator will extend your electric car’s range, giving you more time to make it to the next charging stop or your destination. Cruise control can help with that, too. A constant speed with less brake action will buy you more range on the open road.
But let’s change gears (or not, in the case of most EVs). If you’re new to the world of electric cars, then you might like to know that unlike petrol or diesel models, an EV doesn’t suffer from the poor fuel economy in stop-start inner city driving situations.
There’s little to no loss in range when at a stop sign or red light. Then there’s the regenerative braking technology that comes with many EVs – which gives charge back into the battery from kinetic energy generated from the motor operating in reverse. It’s pretty smart and it works well in busy traffic areas.
5. It’s the little things
Small things like switching off your air con, killing the radio, and unplugging your phone can help save on power if you’re running low. While they aren’t likely to save you stacks, turning them off could buy you that extra 500m that makes all the difference.
Side note, the weight and drag on the vehicle makes the motor work harder like any vehicle, so if you’re finding your range is lower and you’ve not unpacked the boot, you might find some spare kms there.
We’d also suggest checking your tyres routinely. They should be inflated properly and be in good condition to travel smoothly and safely.
6. Stay in tip-top shape
Range can be impacted by many things, which can be hard to discover. Make sure you keep your EV well maintained according to the vehicle’s guidelines via your service centre or mechanic. Letting your EV’s servicing go can create bigger issues later for your range and other performance aspects too. Like any other car, it’s always better to stay ahead of small problems growing into large ones.
You will also want to stay up to date with software. The cool thing about electric vehicles is that manufacturers release improvements, that can be installed to your car wirelessly with a companion app.
7. Eco mode, engage!
If you own or you’re looking to buy an EV, check for eco or ‘range’ mode features that extend the driving distance of the vehicle. The car does this by adjusting certain parameters including torque and cabin functions like climate control. Each EV is different, so you’ll want to chat to your dealer or do model-specific homework online.
What to know more about electric vehicles?
Check out our EV Hub and our EV Plan to get the information you need to kickstart your EV journey.
