An electric vehicle’s range is the distance it can cover on the battery before needing a recharge. If you or someone you know has kept an EV, you’d know that range anxiety is a real thing, and most EV owners experience it, especially in the beginning. Although the EV charging infrastructure is rapidly expanding, there’s still a long way to go in terms of supporting infrastructure.
Teslas often come with a pretty good range exceeding 300 miles (483km), but it ultimately depends on a lot of external and internal factors like the weather conditions, your driving pattern, and more. To make things easier, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best tips you can get to increase your EV’s range.
Since Tesla is one of the most popular companies offering EVs, the following tips are tailored for that. If your EV is made by some other manufacturer, you may find some of these features under a different name. Let’s get into it.
Keep your software updated
Since an EV has no engine, but an electric motor controlled by a computer, the performance and feature updates are usually rolled out over the air. All you need to do is park the car, and connect it to a fast and reliable internet so the updates can get downloaded and installed quickly and your EV is ready for usage again.
In addition to these mandatory upgrades, various manufacturers including Tesla offer some optional upgrades to boost your car’s performance that you can purchase separately. Again, you’d need a good internet connection for this.
Consider upgrading to Comcast Xfinity because of its multiple speed and unlimited data, so you can download even the large updates without worrying about overage charges.
Take care of your tires
Most people tend to ignore tires when it comes to any performance upgrade or to increase the efficiency of their car. But tires are very important as they’re the only parts of the car that are constantly in touch with the ground surface. Your road grip and comfort are directly impacted by the tires. Tesla installs pretty good tires, but even the best tires can get worn out fast if not maintained properly.
Be sure to periodically check the tread on your tires and see if a tire needs to be replaced. Also, physically inspect the wear and tear on the tires and ensure that wear and tear is uniform across the tires. This will improve your road grip, reduce the amount of energy wasted, and consequently increase your EV’s range.
Charge your EV regularly
Charge your EV regularly and maintain the battery in an optimal range that’s not too full or too depleted. The dynamics of a car battery are similar to the batteries used in smartphones and other battery-powered appliances and are governed by the same rules. To keep your battery healthy for a long time, you’ll need to proactively take care of it. You’ll get more mileage out of a healthy battery than that of an exhausted one.
Change your driving habits
At any moment, the range is an estimation of the battery power left that can take you up to a specific distance. Since it’s only a projection and can vary depending on your driving pattern. If you keep flooring your car, naturally, your range will be drastically affected. But if you drive it with a lighter foot, you can get a better range out of the battery. Tesla has a feature called “Speed Assist” that notifies you when you’ve approached the permissible speed limit.
Use the brake less often
Driving an electric car is an altogether different experience than a gasoline-powered one. Most car manufacturers install a regenerating motor that stores the energy produced by the tires to recharge the battery. Here, the regen motor provides the necessary friction to stop the car instead of a brake, and your battery gets charged too.
The friction produced is enough to substitute for normal pedal braking. It’s almost like driving with one pedal. When you want the car to stop, simply lift your foot off the pedal and your car will start slowing down. Instead of using brakes where the energy is wasted, you can try letting the regen motor brake for you and increase your EV’s range.
Disable Sentry mode
Teslas come with a lot of value-added features that add to the comfort and security of your vehicle like the Sentry Mode. So, your car won’t ever turn off and use its sensors and cameras to detect when a potentially malicious actor tries to get close to the car or open it. The car will then save the footage and alert you so you can take timely action. Since it stays alert whenever your car is parked, it takes a toll on the EV’s range. You can save some more energy by disabling the feature when you don’t necessarily need it.
Conclusion
This concludes some of the best tips you can follow to increase your EV’s range. An EV’s range depends on a lot of factors including the weather conditions, the battery’s health, and your driving, but it can be optimized for best results by following the above-mentioned tips.
