With all the recent discussions and developments around electric vehicles in the fleet sector, it is easy to forget that many drivers have limited knowledge about how electric cars and vans work.
Fuelcards.com has created a quick guide for employees who might be driving EVs soon to help get them up to speed.
What fuel do electric vehicles run on?
Lithium-ion batteries are often used in EVs, which are clustered together and then connected to a motor that powers the wheels. The automobile or van must be charged through a cable linked to mains energy in order to charge the batteries.
Batteries come in a variety of sizes, and their capacity is measured in Kilowatt Hours (kWh). The larger the battery pack and, in general, the greater the range, the higher the kWh number.
How do you plug in an electric vehicle?
Lithium-ion batteries are often used in EVs, which are clustered together and then connected to a motor that powers the wheels. The car or van must be charged through a cable linked to mains energy in order to charge the batteries.
Batteries come in a variety of sizes, and their capacity is measured in Kilowatt Hours (kWh). The larger the battery pack and, in general, the greater the range, the higher the kWh number.
How long does it take to fully charge an electric vehicle?
The easiest approach to charge an electric vehicle is to do it overnight and then top up throughout the day if necessary. If you charge at home with simply a cable connected to a wall outlet, it will most likely charge at 3.7kW. This can take a long time: a 40kWh battery will take nearly 11 hours to charge (40kWh, 3.7kW = around 10 hours 50 minutes).
You can boost the power supply to 7kW and cut the charging time in half by installing a specialised home charger.
There are even higher-capacity chargers on the road, with ratings of 22kW (less than two hours for a 40kWh battery), 50kW (less than an hour for a 40kWh battery), and 150kW (less than 15 minutes for a 40kWh battery).
How far can you travel with one charge?
In general, the larger the battery, the longer the range, and for cars now with batteries of up to 100kWh, this is the same as a potential range of around 400 miles, though how far you can travel on one full charge is affected by the same factors as petrol or diesel vehicles: size and weight, route, speed, weather (though EV range can be affected by cold weather), and how the vehicle is driven.
Do EVs have a distinct driving style?
As EVs only have one forward gear, it is typically a matter of choosing drive and then driving as you would in an automatic. However, EVs have a few distinct characteristics. One advantage of batteries is that they provide a quick boost, as opposed to gasoline or diesel engines, which sometimes require higher engine speed to do so. As a result, the majority of them accelerate quickly at first.
The second major difference is that most EVs have regenerative braking, which charges the battery when you let off of the throttle. This means they will slow down fast even if you do not hit the brake pedal – however, the amount of slowing on some models can vary.
Now that you are up to speed with the efficient approach to fuelling your fleet, why not get in touch with us today and find out how fuel cards can benefit your business.