General
An electric vehicle, also called an EV, uses one or more electric motors or traction motors for propulsion. The energy used for driving an EV is stored in the battery and the battery is charged at a charge station (at home, at the office or in public).
Driving an EV is even more straightforward than a conventional car. The gear stick is the same as an automatic transmission, so you only have to select Drive or Reverse to go. You will not use the brake pedal as often because the car uses a regenerative braking system that slows down the car when you take your foot off the accelerator.
Regarding comfort, safety and technology the equipment is the same. Added features can also help you manage your journey, like a connected navigation system with charge points availability on the road, or smartphone application to control your charge from your phone, and much more.
The number of kilometres depends on the battery size and efficiency of the vehicle. You can drive 200 to 250 on a fully charged battery with a capacity of 40 kWh. But, if you drive sensibly, you can go even further. Vehicles with a 64-kWh battery have a range of 350-400 kilometres.
Speed drains the most power from your battery, so remember to keep to the speed limits. There are also other factors that may influence your driving range:
- high or low temperatures (resulting in continuous operation of the air conditioning/heating)
- driving with a strong headwind
- a fully loaded car
- driving uphill for a long period of time
To charge your electric vehicle, you will require a recharging station, a charging cable, and a charging card.
An electric vehicle requires less maintenance. This is due to the engine's reduced number of moving parts compared to a conventional combustion motor, which therefore leads to reduced wear. Moreover, oil changes are a thing of the past and the vehicle does not have an exhaust or gears. In addition, the brakes are less susceptible to wear thanks to the regenerative braking capacity.