Driving as efficiently as possible is arguably more important for EV drivers because they cannot take advantage of the vast fuel filling station network spread across the globe. When your EV is needs a top-up, you may have to wait for hours as it charges, or if you don’t pay close attention to your range, you will be stranded and it could be more difficult to power an EV back up again than it would for an ICE vehicle.
That’s why the techniques we used to know under the umbrella of hypermiling, once the reserve of efficiency fanatics (most of which used to drive hybrids in North America and diesels in Europe), are now more of a requirement for EV drivers than the were for ICE vehicles. And while we would all like there to be no learning curve and no need to adapt when switching from ICE to EV, the plain truth is some changes are needed - some return to ICE after owning an EV...
What are the techniques that EV drivers should implement in order to maximize their range? They are a collection of common sense advice that we’ve had for decades, and which can be applied to all vehicles regardless of what may power them, although some are EV-specific.
This excerpt from a recent Fifth Gear episode lists all of the most important ways to improve EV efficiency and range, and it even applies them to see how big a difference they make. Two runs are performed in the same EV, a Nissan Leaf, which after the second run (the one that took all the tips into account) recorded almost 40 percent better efficiency.
The difference in the real world may vary and it will probably not be so significant - they were probably a bit too inefficient on the first run, although that could also reflect someone’s driving style, so for those drivers with a heavy right foot, just lifting off the go pedal and coasting where possible will already yield remarkable results.
Source: Fifth Gear / YouTube