As a driving instructor, you may be considering making the switch to an electric vehicle (EV). Or maybe you already have, but are concerned that one charge may not last for a whole day of lessons. While it’s sometimes possible to work a rapid charge into your lunch hour, for example, this isn’t always convenient – or even possible.
But is the range anxiety justified? Here we’ll look at whether the charge on your electric car should last the whole day, or if you’ll need to charge the EV between lessons.
Will one EV charge be enough to last a day of instruction?
While charging between pupils is inconvenient, instructors should predominantly have enough range for an 8-hour day of lessons. There are a few reasons for this.
Range is improving all the time
Battery technology is a big focus for car manufacturers, as nations work towards fossil fuel reduction targets. As such, range is continually improving.
If you’re an AA franchisee, here are the ranges of the EVs we provide:
- Corsa-e: 222 miles
- Peugeot e-208: 225 miles
- Peugeot e-2008: 214 miles
Though these are admittedly maximum ranges, driving instructors are actually among the most likely to get close to the maximum range figure. Next, we’ll look at why.
EVs are better suited to urban driving
Electric cars are at their most efficient at lower speeds, making them perfectly suited to urban driving. This also means that they’re ideally suited to driving lessons, which are mostly conducted on slower roads, with a high incidence of manoeuvres.
Driving on faster roads is the type of driving most likely to burn through your charge. And while more advanced learners may be taken out on dual carriageways – and even sometimes motorways – this is far from typical.
Range anxiety tends to be a bigger issue with trainers, who teach prospective driving instructors. This involves covering greater areas, and spending more time on motorways and A-roads.
Pupils won’t need to use ancillary features
Many of the features which drain the battery won’t be used during lessons. For example, the pupil should have no need for auto-pilot, cruise control and auto-parking. In addition to not using the car’s autonomous features, they also won’t have the radio on, and they don’t really need heated seats.
Tips for maximising range
Want to hit your maximum range? Here are a few tips for getting the most out of your EV’s charge.
Avoid harsh acceleration and braking
Rapid acceleration causes a greater drain on the battery, and harsh braking means you won’t be making the most of the car’s regenerative braking. Not only should you be encouraging your pupil to drive more smoothly, but you should put this into practice too.
Keep your tyres at the right pressure
Just like with petrol and diesel vehicles, making sure that your tyres are correctly inflated will help maximise efficiency. This is because tyres which aren’t at the optimum pressure will have greater rolling resistance, which means you won’t travel quite as far as a correctly inflated vehicle on the same charge.
Go easy on the heating
Provided it’s comfortable to do so, turn your climate control down, or even off. And heated seats are a nice-to-have, not a need-to-have. Any heating will cause additional drain on the battery, so it’s better that the cockpit isn’t tropical.
Travel light
You don’t really need a boot full of stuff while out on lessons, so keep the car lean. It’s estimated that carrying an additional 40kg of cargo could increase your energy consumption by 1-2%. While you may need to carry around some things while driving the car privately, it’s best to keep your professional and private usage separate.