Electric Car Driving Range

By John Gartner · March 14, 2010

The primary job of the Nissan Leaf's instrument cluster, like all EVs, is to inform drivers about the battery's state of charge, and the expected number of miles left before a charge is required.

Concerns about plug-in vehicles becoming stranded by running out of battery power while traveling have been dubbed "range anxiety." It’s something like the anxious feeling of seeing your gas tank below E—and not being sure if you’re going to make it to the gas station.

Pure electric vehicles obviously do not have a gas tank, so their driving range is limited to the number of miles provided by the battery pack alone. The rule of thumb is that vehicle batteries provide approximately 4 miles of driving range for each "usable" kilowatt-hour of energy stored. So, look at the battery size of the plug-in vehicles listed on this site and multiply it times four.

But rules are made to be broken, and usually will be. Driving fast and cold weather conditions, for example, will reduce range. And the total amount of storage quoted by plug-in vehicle manufacturers doesn’t mean all those kilowatt-hours are usable. Auto manufacturers place extra battery capacity in the vehicle because the pack will last longer if it’s never fully charged or discharged.

Within Range

The all-electric Nissan Leaf—with its 24 kWh battery pack—can go around 100 miles before the batteries must be recharged. City driving, with its frequent stops—which recharge the battery through regenerative braking—and low speeds, can extend the traveling distance, while driving at highway speeds with few stops will substantially reduce the range.

Plug-in hybrids have smaller battery packs that allow between 10 and 50 miles of driving on electric power before the gasoline engine—and small fuel tank—takes over and extends the range. The total range of plug-in hybrids and "extended range" vehicles such as the Chevrolet Volt will be around 300 miles, again depending on how and where you drive. By comparison, a typical sedan like the Chevrolet Malibu can surpass 500 miles in driving range, while the Toyota Prius hybrid can go for approximately 600 miles between refills.

Going Further

Adopting the same "hypermiling" driving techniques that are the passion of many hybrid vehicle owners—such as slowly taking off from a stop, coasting down hills, and driving within the speed limit—can extend the driving range well beyond these estimates. As in life, pacing yourself when behind the wheel will give you more energy for later.

To alleviate any potential anxiety about running out of power, plug-in vehicle manufacturers provide information on dashboard displays to estimate how many miles you have left, and where you can recharge. For example, the Nissan Leaf will provide a graphic about the charge state and warnings as the batteries deplete. When you're out and about and the battery runs low, the GPS system will point out the nearest publicly available charge spots. For those who like to plan ahead, online maps are available that detail the locations of charge spots, which will be in parking garages, at shopping malls, movie theaters, and at parking garages and lots. (PluginCars.com will have our own station finder later this year.)

Comments

· Anonymous · 2 years ago

This could cause a change in what AAA is towing a car for - a tow to the nearest charge station! AAA may get more members because of "range anxiety" - just to get some assurance of help in spite of the various charge state, low charge warning, and GPS high technology systems.

· Anonymous · 2 years ago

from experience never use an EV past half range or the stress on the battery will cost in the long run.
going dead flat in a lifepo4 battery can kill one or more cells so the battery management system has to shut down altogether the battery so the user will be stranded. (been there done that)

· abasile · 2 years ago

We live in the mountains about 1.5 hours east of Los Angeles, at over 6000 feet elevation, and are excited about potentially swapping one of our vehicles for an EV such as the LEAF or Focus EV. Most of our drives are no longer than 50 or 60 miles. However, we have two significant questions about range:

1. How quickly could we expect a 22 minute, 16 mile drive up 5000 feet in elevation to deplete EV batteries? That describes our drive home from shopping "down the hill".

2. We do not have a garage, and winter temperatures where we live are often in the 20s, 30s, and 40s. For that matter, summer nighttime temperatures are sometimes in the 40s. How much a reduction in range might we expect in cold weather?

· Tom Moloughney · 2 years ago

I do not have any LEAF experience, but I have been driving a MINI-E for 13 months now so I can speak with experience of that. The 16 mile 5000ft ascent will be a taxing on the range, no doubt about that. If I were to "guess" based on what I have experienced with the MINI-E I would say you would use about 30 to 40% more charge than if you were driving on flat ground. The good news is when you first leave your home and drive down, you will probably arrive there with the car still at 100% charged due to the regenerative braking. It would be better if you had a reverse commute and were driving 16 miles downhill to get home though. Your speed as you drive up the mountain is also a big factor so you may need to slow it down a bit on days that you have a lower charge % as you begin the climb.

As for the temperature, personally I would feel a lot better about the leaf if it had an active thermal management system, but it will not (at least the first generation models). However, the good news is you will be able to preheat the cabin and batteries while you are still plugged into the grid. Therefore you will be able to leave your home with 100% SOC and a warm cabin and battery pack and this will definitely help to reduce the effect of the cold on your range. To guess how much impact the weather will have would be only a blind guess because we have no data from the leaf. I can tell you the cold can reduce my range as much as 25% on very cold days, but I cannot preheat the car and batteries like the Leaf will be able to and that should make a big difference.

· abasile · 2 years ago

Thank you, Tom. As for the drive up the mountain, I was worried that the batteries might get depleted extraordinarily fast, and it sounds like that might not be the case based on your experience. I would be very happy to be able to make the 32 mile round trip down the mountain and back up with only a modest net reduction in range compared to driving 32 miles on flat ground. I'm not crazy about having to slow down and use the turnouts to let faster cars by (the speed limit on that road is 55), but would do so if necessary to save enough juice to get home!

It also helps knowing that the Leaf will allow one to preheat the cabin and batteries. :-)

· Fireball Roberts (not verified) · 2 years ago

Let's talk frankly....The REAL problem with any all electric car is "range anxiety". I live in S. California where traffic jams are a way of life. How could anybody consider a limited range vehicle with the very real possibilty of being stranded on a busy freeway in bumper to bumper traffic??? What are your options ...carry spare 1,000 lb batteries?
An expensive flat bed is your only choice. This makes the Leaf a cute novelty for suburban drivers who can count on no unexpected traffic jams. Technology simply is not there yet!!!!

· ex-EV1 driver · 2 years ago

@Fireball Roberts,
I'll respond to your little seagull strike to keep the record straight.
Actually freeway traffic jams are not where "range anxiety" happens. An EV doesn't consume power when it is stopped and very little when it slugging along slowly. It actually gets more range in traffic jams than driving at fast highway speed limits.
Clearly, today, there are places that an EV, especially limited range ones as are being mass produced today, aren't the right choice for. For commuting or local errands, however, they are excellent today. In the future, when they get real-world ranges over about 120 miles and fast charging and convenience charging is deployed more, they will be excellent for nearly all normal use except for long-distance trips.
It will take a 300 mile/charge, quick charging battery pack like Tesla's Model S will have to practically replace the ICE for that use.

· Tom Moloughney · 2 years ago

Roberts: Lets talk truthfully...Range anxiety lives in the minds of people that don't drive electric cars, just ask anyone that does have one. The REAL problem now is that they cost more than their ICE counterparts which will prevent people that want them from buying them. Sure the range could be improved, and it will, but that isn't the biggest hurdle that EV's face right now.

Millions of people get stranded on "busy freeways" every year driving gasoline powered cars because they ran out of fuel (according to AAA), so what's the difference? If you aren't smart enough to check your fuel gauge and know you can't make your destination it doesn't matter what fuel you're using, you're a fool and you are going to be stranded.

However the example you used was a poor one because electric cars aren't likely to run out of energy in bumper to bumper freeway traffic. Electric cars aren't like gas cars that are wasting energy as they sit in traffic, they use very little energy in low speed, bumper to bumper traffic and could actually drive further in that environment than if they were driving 75 miles per hour on an empty freeway.

The cute novelty for suburban drivers is also completely backwards, as they are much better suited for people living in urban areas rather than the suburbs were destinations are greater distances and the range could be a factor.

We would love to have you contribute here, but you should at lease know a little about what you are writing or you will continue to look very foolish with comments that have no truth to them

· EVNow · 2 years ago

@Fireball Roberts "I live in S. California where traffic jams are a way of life. "

LOL. You don't understand EVs. The problem is not jams, but the very high speeds some people want to drive at in S. California. Speed is what kills range. EVs do ok in Low speed, traffic jams - since they don't use any charge when "idling". Checkout S. California Leaf owners with thousands of miles of experience. None of them have ever run out of juice struck in a traffic jam in the highway.

· Anonymous (not verified) · 1 year ago

Is this guy telling the truth?
I received an inquiry about the charging cord from your Nissan Leaf being unplugged while parked in Garage 10.

Currently we do not permit vehicles to hook up to garage receptacles because they’re not UL listed for this purpose.

We are studying the need to install electric vehicle chargers in our facilities. At this point, it appears the numbers may justify the expense by 2015.

· dgpcolorado · 1 year ago

@Anonymous, I think the "UL listed" stuff is bogus since the EVSE supplied with the LEAF is UL listed.

However, whether a standard 120 V outlet is suitable for LEAF charging depends on how the circuit is wired. A 120 V circuit with good wiring and a 15 Amp breaker should be able to handle the 12 Amp continuous draw so long as the EVSE is the only load. But many 120 V circuits have multiple plugs and using two at a time with significant loads would trip the breaker. For LEAF charging use, the EVSE load should be the only one on the circuit. That may have been what the concern was.

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Electric Car Driving Range

Within Range

Going Further

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