Taking the hassle away: EV range explained

Electric and Plug in Hybrid Range Explained 

We feel it important to draw your attention to the difference between official range figures and real life driving.  In other words, the range produced on advertisements, brochures and even in the car when charged are not usually what you would achieve in real world driving.  

 What effects the range? 

 There are many things that can effect the range a battery will provide, some that you can control and others you cannot.  For example: 

• Use of electrical items such as heated seats 

• Outside temperature 

• Level of climate control 

• Type of driving (stop start, motorway, etc) 

• Driving style and acceleration speed 

• Speeds during the journey 

• Gradients of the road 

 As you can see there are many factors to consider.  Our best advice is to NOT expect to achieve the range advertised, but to expect between 65% and 85% depending on the time of year. 

 Battery Degradation 

 Something else to consider is that, just like your mobile phone, batteries become less effective over time.  There is not clear guidance because it depends how well the battery is cared for.  Just like a mobile phone, over charging or under charging will effect battery life.  One way to check the battery power left in the car is to fully charge it see just how many miles are available (compared to advertised figures).  For example, if a car is advertised with a 250 mile range and there are only 200 miles available on a full charge, you can see the batteries have lost 20% of their power. 

We are happy to assist you in making the right decision by fulling charging the car and even allowing you an extended test drive to compare miles driven to miles of range lost.