Road trips are fast becoming one of the most popular modes of transportation when it comes to holidays. This is perhaps because of the rise in staycations. Obviously, if you want to go on a road trip, then you need a vehicle. More and more people are opting to purchase an electric vehicle, and, depending on its efficiency, this can have an impact on your options in terms of how far you can get and the frequency of charges. Electric vehicles are meant to be designed with efficiency in mind; read on to learn more.
A Background
While electric vehicles are considered to be a lot better for the environment, they do still have an environmental impact. For example, the burning of fossil fuels is what produces the power to charge most electric vehicles in the UK today. Electric cars, despite pushes from environmental groups and even the government, have yet to reach their stride. In terms of efficiency and economy, you shouldn’t be taken in by the range figure.
In the future, the debate surrounding the efficiency of electric cars is likely to be just as storied and in-depth as the debate surrounding traditional fuel vehicles. Regardless of the form of vehicle, generally, you can expect them to follow the same rules, meaning that smaller vehicles tend to compromise on performance but have the best economy and larger vehicles are usually the opposite, having an improved performance but at the sake of economy.
The Efficiency
Most of the time, the efficiency of an electric vehicle is determined by how much electricity it uses to travel a certain distance. You are likely to see figures followed by either a forward slash or the abbreviations kWh or Wh, which stand for kilowatt hours or watt-hours, respectively. As a general rule, the lower the figure is, the less energy it is using per mile, and therefore the car is seen as more efficient.
It can be a little confusing because some manufacturers measure the distance in kilometres and some in miles. There are also manufacturers that reverse the figure mentioned above; instead of listing the kWh or Wh figure first, they list the distance first. In these instances, the higher the figure, the more efficient the car because it means that the car can travel further per unit of electricity.
The miles per kWh, as opposed to kWh per mile, is becoming more common because it is easier to understand because most drives today are already used to measuring the efficiency of traditional fuel vehicles in miles to the gallon or litre. Lastly, kWh and Wh are the most common measures of electric vehicle batteries, but some manufactures do still use Ah, which stands for amp hour.
Working Out The Miles Per kWh
For the most part, you can find the miles per kilowatt hours from the manufacturer’s website or failing that; there are more than enough websites out there that can tell you. However, it is also possible to calculate it yourself. When looking up vehicles, you should be able to calculate this using their battery capacity and range. Although, this does often end up being a little simplistic, providing approximations as opposed to accuracy. Unfortunately, the best way to actually work out the miles per kWh is actually to fully charge the vehicle, drive it until it’s dead, and then see how much electricity it takes to fully recharge the car.
This is how manufacturers work out their figures, although this is done under test conditions and, therefore, might not be the most accurate in real-world applications. For the most part, this does mean that the best way to work this out is actually best worked out when you have already purchased the car. Although saying that, the manufacturer numbers provide a good estimate. Purchasing an electric vehicle is often more expensive than purchasing a traditional fuel vehicle which can make it inaccessible for a lot of people. However, thanks to salary sacrifice with electric cars, it is easier; in fact, LV ElectriX has a lot of information on this. Of course, there are other routes that you can explore if you want to purchase an electric vehicle, like finance options, leasing, or simply trying to find a good deal on a second-hand model.
In Summary
It is important to be aware of the fact that there are a number of factors that can affect the economy of an electric vehicle, such as road conditions, how you drive and where you are driving. The battery of a vehicle and its fuel efficiency, regardless of whether it is an electric vehicle or a traditional fuel vehicle, is heavily dependent on its environment, which is something that you will need to bear in mind.
These figures and information on all aspects of owning and operating an electric vehicle are now readily available thanks to their growing popularity and the internet, so be sure to take advantage of these resources when choosing an electric vehicle.
