Be The Change

Category: EV Explained

How much EV range is enough? That depends

Wonderful article by Arthur Frederick (Fritz) Hasler, PhD, former leader of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization & Analysis Laboratory »

I’ve owned Nissan LEAFs with ranges of 81 miles, 115 miles, and 150 miles. My first Nissan LEAF had a 24 kWh battery. I now own a Tesla Model 3 Long Range with an EPA range rating of 310 miles and a 75 kWh battery. The longest cross-country trip I dared to make with my 2nd and 3rd Nissan LEAFs was 265 miles. Now I routinely make 1500 mile trips with my Model 3 driving 500 miles/day just like I did with my gasmobile.

The average mileage driven by US car owners is about 40 miles a day, so some experts think an EV range of 200 miles should be adequate for most drivers. I recently met a man who takes this philosophy to the limit. He purchased a cheap, used, 81-mile-rated LEAF with a degraded battery that now has a range of only 40 miles. His commute to work is 10 miles and he was able to get his employer to put in a charger, so the car works fine for his commute. He has another car that he uses if he wants to make longer trips.

 

EVs are 3 times more likely to require assistance due to tire issues than range problems

Next Green Car »

New analysis from LV= Britannia Rescue, a provider of breakdown cover in the UK, shows that electric vehicles (EV) are three times more likely to break down because of tyre or wheel issues, compared to problems with the battery.

LV= Britannia Rescue’s research looked into its breakdown call outs over the last three years. The analysis highlighted that 37% of the time EV drivers get in touch because they have encountered tyre or wheel issues, compared with just 11% for running out of charge.

“Range anxiety has been built up to be a thing for people to be concerned about when it comes to going green, but our data shows that in reality it’s a very rare issue for electric car drivers,” said Henry Topham, Managing Director of LV= Britannia Rescue.

Issues with the tyres or wheels are often associated with the heavier weight of EVs, which can be up to 50% heavier than petrol or diesel models.

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