Have you ever thought about an EV road trip?
When it comes to electric vehicles, pulling off a road trip isn’t the first thing that comes to anyone’s mind. There have always been concerns around the range anxiety and highway performance of an EV.
However, as the charging infrastructure tends to improve around the country and the EVs develop each day to extend their range, we’re definitely in for a new way to go road-trippin'. Let us try to understand how an EV road trip for you can turn out to be amazing.
You Might Also Like: Top 4 EV-Ready Countries in the World.
Here are some tips, if you are thinking about going on an EV road trip soon.
1. Know Your EV Car Battery Well
Before going on an EV road trip in your car, make sure you are familiar with your car’s battery pack. Your electric vehicle’s range depends on your car’s battery and is clearly mentioned in your car’s manual.
On the contrary, an EV tends to have a better mileage in city/traffic conditions rather than on highways. Driving at a consistent speed works amazingly for an internal combustion engine, but not for an EV.
Moreover, your EV’s battery also gets impacted by the weather. In a test conducted, it was found that EVs tend to perform better in temperate weather rather than cold weather. In the test, EVs lost an average of 18.5% of their temperatures at -2 degrees celsius.
Hence, take each and everything into account keeping in mind the real-life road conditions.
2. Plan Before You Hit The Road
Before you hit the road, ensure that you go through the route once. The highways that you take up should have minimal obstacles to drain your car’s battery.
Make sure you take care of the charging stations on the way and if they allow private cars to be charged at their facilities. Search for ‘EV charging stations’ on Google Maps after you’ve determined your route.
In case there’s confusion, it is always better to call these establishments beforehand and confirm whether they allow private cars to be charged here. One major hack is to go for roads and ways that are downhill to generate regenerative energy by braking, instead of roads that require more power from your car.
Suggested For You: Here's What You Should Know About Surge Pricing
3. Driving Style Matters
Your driving style makes a lot of difference. One hack that makes sense is, to try looking for roads that have more downhill roads. This way you can end up generating more energy with the help of regenerative braking.
Secondly, while driving, make sure you don’t frequently change speeds and brake too hard suddenly, it can make your battery die down faster. Moreover, similar to IC engines, electric motors do tend to consume power when idling too.
4. Look For Sources Along The Way
When it comes to charging an EV during your road trip, there are other ways apart from an EV charging station that you can look into.
It is always advisable to be on the lookout for restaurants, cafes and halts on the highways where you can charge your EVs. Moreover, make sure that you call these places beforehand and ask if it’d be feasible to charge your electric car there.
Another source to charge your EVs is to do so at the place you are staying. It usually doesn’t cost anything to charge your vehicles in these establishments.
Planning An Intercity Trip? Try BluSmart Intercity EVs
Planning an Intercity ride with an EV anytime soon? Don’t let range anxiety get the better of you.
With newer EVs launching gradually, the range of these vehicles is improving and it is being ensured that they are ready to take on challenges that Indian roads have to throw at them.
Looking forward to an EV road trip experience? Try a BluSmart Intercity ride and head to popular locations such as Jaipur, Chandigarh and more in a spanky new EV. The offering is currently available for BluPrive members only.