How does the use of electrical appliances in an electric car affect the vehicle's range?

I am a regular reader of your excellent columns in the Telegraph, however, the following points do not seem to have been covered. Nothing appears to have been said in the media about the effect of operating the usual electrical services in electric cars, such as heaters and air-conditioning. Indeed, operating these features will probably considerably reduce the operating range of these cars. I think some standard reference data should be provided to show the range of electric cars under ideal constant 30mph level driving (and for the standard 'urban' conditions) with no other electrical services operating, then again with all services operating (i.e. headlights, air-conditioning, heater, radio, satnav) which would show up the range limitations of electric cars.

The approximate lifetime of the batteries, and cost of replacement batteries (inc. fitting) should also be stated. Probably the manufacturers will not like to give these details, but surely these factors are basic info for purchasers for selection purposes, and the different battery types will have quite different capabilities?

Asked on 16 June 2011 by GS, Haywards Heath

Answered by Honest John

I have covered this before. Using the heater in winter reduces the range by 40 per cent. Using the a/c in summer reduces the range by 25 per cent. 'Clever' electric cars like the Nissan Leaf constantly monitor what is being used and make suggestions, but the truth is that electric cars make sense in cities, in towns and in suburbs for short runs from cold starts where internal combustion engines are at their most inefficient and most polluting. For long distance they are a complete red herring. And until Britain ends its reliance on coal-fired power stations, they aren’t quite as green as the greenies would have you believe.

Tags: batteries electric cars range

Similar questions

Nissan Leaf batteries are deteriorating and range is limited - false advertising?

My District Council has leased two Nissan Leaf electric cars as a contribution to a cleaner planet. Nissan calls it a zero emission vehicle with a range of 109 miles. The 'zero emission' is questionable,...

Is poor range from an electric car grounds for rejection?

My wife and I wanted to replace a three year old EV. We went to a dealer and bought a brand new EV which was essentially the same as the old one. The new car was the next generation of the same car advertised...

Can you extend the range of an electric car by driving economically as you can in a petrol or diesel car?

Is it possible to extend driving range in an EV by driving more carefully/slowly similar to how you can gain 10% or so in a petrol or diesel car?

Related models