Shorter heating time is better
If you want to drive as far as possible with an EV without charging, you have to drive faster at lower temperatures than at an optimal outside temperature. That sounds illogical, but there is an explanation.
The striking claim comes from Geotab, although we thank Carscoops for the tip. Geotab bases its conclusions on the data of 350,000 different journeys with 500 unspecified electric sedans, plus 2.8 million (!) journeys with 2,000 different electric vans. A total of 550,000 driving hours would have been analysed. Geotab therefore does not happen overnight.
For the comparison, a battery pack of 65 kWh has been calculated for both body shapes. In the most favorable case, the electric sedan will travel 620 kilometers, according to Geotab. But to achieve that, you have to drive at a constant speed of 31 km/h. At 0 degrees Celsius, the same car can last up to 427 km, according to the data. To achieve that, you have to drive almost twice as fast: 60 km / h. We see a similar picture with the electric delivery vans. For optimal range at 20 degrees you have to drive even slower here at 24 km/h, around freezing point that will be about 40 km/h. Those who want to see for themselves can play with temperatures and speeds on the GeoTab website.
The researchers’ explanation is that heating the car costs so much energy that it simply pays off to be on the road for a shorter period of time at lower temperatures. This once again proves that it is smart to properly preheat an EV, lower the temperature by a degree where possible and, if present, use the seat heating as a supplement.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl