How to Calculate the Range of an Electric Car

Electric vehicles have the ability to improve both energy security and air quality. Many people are concerned about the range of electric cars.

Range anxiety refers to a driver’s fear of being stranded by a low electric vehicle battery. Uncertainty regarding remaining battery capacity is still a frightening concept for buyers.

Table of Contents

How to Calculate the Range of an Electric Car

Assessment of the remaining EV battery SoC and the vehicle’s range in relation to the destination will help in the adoption of EV sub-systems accurately.

It will be necessary to devise methods for correctly estimating the amount of energy a battery has accessible at any given time.

You must factor each electric vehicle component’s varied efficiency into the upgraded algorithms. You should also consider the changing ambient conditions in which the vehicle and its occupants travel.

Simple theoretical models of the traction motor for losses and efficiency calculations can be used as assumptions in energy estimation and datasheets.

If there are no stop signs or traffic jams on the route, it causes an overestimation of the distance.

Choosing a car that matches your needs is crucial if you’re considering switching to an electric vehicle.

Many other variables can affect your driving range, such as wheel size, number of passengers, terrain, aggressive driving, and even driving into headwinds.

Because most calculators cover only a few factors, the results can only be estimated. Your actual mileage will vary.

However, calculators will help you get an idea of how much range your car will need on an average day.

How to Determine the Traction Power

Selecting a driving route or route segment is important to determine the traction power.

You can use Google Maps to gather information such as latitude, longitude, and speed limit to calculate the distance between two locations.

Average Travel Speed and Time for the Route

In estimating the vehicle’s speed, the speed restriction and expected nominal acceleration are considered for each sector.

It is based on the behavior of drivers and the acceleration capabilities of electric vehicles. When calculating the projected speed for each route segment, the constant acceleration for that route segment might be considered.

There is little chance of making an error when using Google Maps’ constant acceleration feature because the route portions are often brief.

When calculating segment time, divide the total length of each segment by the Electric Vehicle velocity up to the segment’s speed limit to get the total time for that segment.

Potential Shifts in the World’s Energy Supply

If you know where you’re starting and ending, you can calculate how much elevation you’ll gain or lose on each route section. The traction power of a vehicle can be calculated using gravity.

Emission or Production of Kinetic Energy

Calculating kinetic energy is as simple as multiplying a segment’s velocity by 3.5 to get the total energy.

The EV’s aerodynamic shape directly impacts its power because of the drag. When calculating a vehicle’s true speed range, the wind’s speed and direction must also be considered.

The effects of wind speed and direction must be considered to measure a vehicle’s relative speed accurately. When settling on a course, you should consider the Electric Vehicle’s entire journey.

Rolling Resistance

Rolling resistance is a useful method of treatment.

Tires can be used to compute the power of rolling resistance. It can be affected by various factors. Consider the tires’ pressure and the road’s pavement’s characteristics.

Since you know the tires are in great shape, you’ll presume they’ll maintain their set pressure during the journey.

On the other hand, the qualities of the road surface have a significant impact on rolling resistance. When compared to a dry version of the same road, rolling resistance is 10% higher.

Making the conversion to electric vehicles can be fraught with anxiety, as many worry about running out of power or the vehicle’s limited range. The battery life is the primary concern.

The typical commute in the UK is 6.8 miles long and takes 23.3 minutes to accomplish.

Since the typical electric vehicle in the UK can travel 200.23 miles on a single charge, this means that you could drive from London to Leeds eight times before recharging your vehicle.

You can use a calculator that can assist you in determining which electric vehicle in the United States best suits your requirements.

In most cases, people mentioned charging facilities as their primary concern when deciding whether or not to purchase an electric vehicle. However, EV charging stations in the United States are expected to continue to expand.

Grants from the federal government make it possible to install chargers at the workplace for free. Consider the current availability of charging stations in your area before deciding.

Factors Affecting the Range of an Electric Car

The range of an electric car in the United States is affected by different factors, including:

Temperature
Speed and driving style
Climate control

1. Temperature

The operating temperature of an automobile plays a considerable role in determining its range, with extremes making a significant difference.

All WLTP numbers begin to diverge when applied in real-world driving situations using an ambient temperature of 23C as a baseline.

You need to pay heed to how fast you can go and how well you can drive an electric vehicle.

2. Speed and Driving Style

Speed and driving style affect range, with slower speeds consuming less electricity than faster ones. If you reduce your vehicle’s speed by just 10 mph, you can save up to 14% on your monthly fuel costs.

Regenerative braking on city streets means that vehicles can go longer distances on a single charge than automobiles that travel on highways.

Fuel efficiency is negatively affected by aggressive braking and acceleration. You use an average speed of 17 mph on city streets, 57 mph on highways, and 29 mph on mixed roads.

3. Climate Control

Using climate control to raise or lower the interior temperature drains the battery.

As a result, the temperature outside and the use of climate control systems can impact EV range by keeping the driver and passengers comfortable inside the car under extreme weather conditions.

Because of concerns over electric vehicles’ range, there hasn’t been much of a market for them in the United States.

The range of electric vehicles is no longer as problematic as it once was.

Range anxiety has been reduced to the level of a nagging concern now that vehicles with a realistic range of 400 kilometers or more are available on the market.

Driving style, engine mode, and outside temperature affect how rapidly a battery’s charge is lost. The range can be reduced if more people and items are crammed into a smaller cabin.

Headlights are a good example. Hyundai’s Eco mode on the Kona Electric does a lot of the work for you when it comes to power conservation.

The fuel gauge and DTE in a car are no more difficult to learn than that on a motorcycle. You can choose the sight glass or the dipstick when there are no gas stations.

With the abundance of gas stations and fuel gauges that only show empty when there is still gas in the tank, owning a car makes life much simpler.

Considering an Electric Vehicle – Hyundai’s Kona

The upper right quadrant of Kona’s instrument binnacle shows the vehicle’s range in kilometers. To put it simply, it’s like a modern internal combustion vehicle’s Distance to Empty (DTE).

The range of the Kona can be established by using algorithms to alter onboard sensors.

You can be confident that the electric vehicle will get you there with a remaining range of 100 kilometers and a destination of 50 kilometers.

However, this will only be possible if your driving style is consistent, the terrain is relatively flat, and you don’t use the car’s headlights, wipers, or other electrically powered amenities.

An extrapolated average is employed to determine the range. You must know how much of the vehicle’s battery capacity is left and how far it has traveled on that charge to predict its range accurately.

30kWh of the 64kWh battery capacity of the Hyundai Kona Electric has been used for 210 kilometers.

When the distance traveled is divided by the power used, you get the actual range of the electric vehicle. The distance to empty is computed by multiplying the remaining battery charge by 238 km.

A rise or fall in this value can be automatically triggered by the previous session’s energy expenditure or trip distance.

The Improvement of Electric Car Efficiency

The Kona is at its most efficient speed at 90 kilometers per hour. The top speed is limited to 90 mph, and the air conditioning is shut off when the Hyundai is in Eco mode.

If you’ve been driving your Electric Vehicle hard for the past 50km, the computer will extrapolate that you will continue to drive the car aggressively for the next 50km or more and calculate the range based on that high-consumption scenario.

Because of this, the remaining range may drop from 150 kilometers to 100 kilometers or less, depending on the model of the car.

It’s like drawing a trend line, with the endpoint being the area where the battery’s charge has been totally depleted.

Ideal Range Calculator

There is an excellent range calculator on Jaguar’s website that can demonstrate how the Jaguar I-range PACEs might fluctuate in response to the present weather conditions.

The online calculator doesn’t consider factors such as location. If you’ve been descending for the past 20 minutes, the computer will predict a range of 250 km for the vehicle.

As a result of a headwind, your car’s range can be reduced so much that you won’t be able to make it to your destination.

The driver will have to slow down, turn off battery-draining accessories, and pray that the car’s range drops from 250 kilometers to 150 kilometers after it reaches the mountain’s foot.

You should be able to reach overnight accommodations with a recharger or, at the absolute least, an outlet if the procedure is successful.

When the fuel warning light comes on, an internal combustion vehicle’s range is often increased by 100 kilometers or more.

If you have a late-sixties, Ford Cortina, you will no longer be unable to drive for 30 seconds once the gas gauge reaches “E.”

There has been an improvement in the ability of electric vehicle manufacturers to anticipate the range of the vehicles.

Tesla has deployed a new algorithm to improve the accuracy of its electric vehicle range estimations, which considers elevation and temperature.

Cars equipped with satellite navigation can provide an incredibly precise estimate of the remaining range of their vehicles.

Based on the route data, which includes the mileage and driving style, and topography, the EQC can accurately calculate the range.

If the distance to the destination is too great for a single battery charge, Tesla models will select a route serviced by Tesla Superchargers as their preferred way of transportation.

Batteries and charging stations are becoming more widely available, making the sight glass and dipstick for electric automobiles obsolete.

How to Calculate the Range of an Electric Car

Important Things to Remember

The vehicle’s maximum range can be affected by driving conditions and driving style. If you drive more gently, you’ll get more mileage out of your battery.
High temperatures have the potential to restrict operating range.
Driving in extremely cold weather necessitates the use of lights and wipers. Therefore, it reduces the available fuel.
Drive cautiously to get the most out of your vehicle.
Slow down and let your speed fade away on the uphill.
When driving, don’t carry any unneeded items with you.
Maximize your car’s efficiency by making use of its energy-saving features.