Hints & Tricks
How to extend the range of electric vehicles
If you have opted for an electric rental car, you may already be very familiar with this type of drive, but it may also be completely new territory for you. In principle, an electric car drives like an ordinary vehicle with automatic transmission. Apart from the different way of energy absorption, an electric vehicle differs from models with an internal combustion engine especially in terms of range. It is usually somewhat smaller and can vary greatly.
The stated range for your electric rental car is based on the values of the WLTP protocol, a standardized global measurement method. When planning your trip, please note that various conditions may negatively affect the WLTP range:
- Driving on motorways and over mountain passes
- Weather conditions (hot and cold)
- The load of the car (number of passengers and weight of the luggage)
- Driving style
By following a few tips, you can noticeably increase your electric range:
Adapt driving style
With electric vehicles, the range can be actively influenced specifically by the driving style. We recommend avoiding unnecessarily strong acceleration. Especially on the highway, less is more: If you drive at 100 km/h instead of the maximum speed of 120 km/h, you will arrive at your destination only slightly later, but you will have considerably more residual energy in the battery.
Use recuperation
Whenever possible, use the vehicle's recuperation system for deceleration. With this function, the vehicle brakes itself through a built-in resistance (stronger or weaker depending on the setting) and recharges the battery by recovering energy. As soon as you take your foot off the accelerator, recuperation kicks in. It is often sufficient for the required deceleration, so that active braking is not at all or only rarely necessary.
Use Eco Mode
Most electric car models have different driving modes. Eco mode (or similar) is recommended for relaxed driving in traffic and offers more than enough power. The potential energy savings are up to 10 percent.
Use heating and air conditioning wisely
The heating in winter and the air conditioning in summer are among the biggest energy consumers in electric vehicles. Of course, they don't have to freeze or sweat, but the more efficiently they heat and cool, the more this has a positive effect on the range.