How to increase electric car range: tips and tricks
By using a number of helpful techniques, you can learn how to optimize the range of your electric car.
This article applies to all electric models.
Table of Content
Increase EV range through route planning What’s the best temperature for electric cars? What is EV pre-climate and pre-condition and how does it work? How to increase EV range and drive more efficiently What is regenerative braking and how does it work? What affects the range of an electric car?
Increase EV range through route planning
Why is route planning important?
Effective route planning is crucial for electric car drivers to maximize range. By planning your route in advance, you not only ensure the availability of sufficient charging stations along the way but also avoid high energy-consuming routes such as hilly terrain, wet roads or areas with heavy traffic.
Porsche range: how it works in your Porsche
The Porsche Charging Planner is integrated into your car’s navigation system and plans your routes, including necessary charging stops. You can also plan a route with relevant charging stops in the My Porsche app and send it to your car. Discover everything about the Porsche Charging Planner here.
Stopping for charging breaks at fast-charging stations is particularly helpful, allowing your car’s battery to be efficiently charged while you also take a short break. Planning your route helps cut down unnecessary detours, optimizes energy consumption and leads to stress-free and energy-efficient drives.
What’s the best temperature for electric cars?
Choosing the right temperature for your EV
The car’s temperature has a significant impact on the range of an EV because it consumes more energy at extreme temperatures. The optimal temperature is approximately 68-72 degrees. In very cold weather, the battery needs to heat up to operate optimally, which means additional energy costs. Similarly, the air conditioning system requires a substantial amount of energy to cool the interior when temperatures outside are high.
Tip: Seat heating is a more energy efficient method than heating the whole cabin.
To optimize energy consumption and extend the range of electric cars, it’s a good idea to precondition the car during the charging process before starting a journey. For more, see the following section on pre-climate and pre-condition.
What is EV pre-climate and pre-condition and how does it work?
What does pre-climatizing and pre-conditioning an EV mean?
Pre-climatizing an electric car is a feature that brings the battery and cabin to an optimal temperature in advance of starting your journey. Pre-conditioning an electric car is a feature that brings the battery to an optimal temperature in advance of arriving at a charging stop. Both can help save energy and maximize range in cold or extremely hot weather conditions in particular. This is because a pre-warmed or pre-cooled battery operates more efficiently and enables better charging performance, while cabin comfort is ensured without additional energy consumption during the drive.
How preconditioning works in your Porsche
For optimal pre-climatization of your electric car, you should ideally preheat or precool it while it is still connected to the power grid, depending on the weather conditions and your personal needs. You can easily do so using the My Porsche app.
If possible, park your car in a spot where it is protected from the weather, such as in the shade or in an underground car park.
For home charging, you can set departure timers in the car or through the My Porsche app, which will automatically bring the temperature in your car to the optimal level. Learn how to set a departure timer in the car or through the My Porsche app:
Use this feature to actively manage your car's preconditioning to increase your range.
For charging on the go, use the Porsche Charging Planner.
How to increase EV range and drive more efficiently
Changing your driving behavior to improve EV range
Moderating your driving style can significantly reduce the energy consumption of an electric car which, in turn, helps to maximize its range. You can avoid spikes of battery-draining energy consumption by accelerating gently and driving smoothly.
How to drive an EV more efficiently
Maintaining a constant and moderate speed helps conserve the battery and improves range. Using cruise control on long-distance trips is also advisable as it helps you maintain a steady speed. Additionally, avoid rapid acceleration and sudden braking to save energy. Smooth transitions while driving use energy more efficiently and help preserve the battery.
What is regenerative braking and how does it work?
What is regenerative braking?
Regenerative braking is a process where an electric car feeds kinetic energy, generated during braking or coasting, back into the battery. Rather than losing this energy as heat – as with conventional braking systems – the car converts it into electrical energy, which is then stored for later use. Regeneration helps reduce energy consumption as some of the braking energy is reused. This means that the car's range is extended and efficiency is increased since less new energy needs to be drawn from the battery.
How to use regenerative braking
Gentle braking feeds energy back into the battery which increases range. If you're driving in city traffic or driving downhill, where frequent braking is a necessity, it makes sense to take advantage of regeneration.