If there’s anything I’ve learned driving an electric car (in my case the MG ZS EV) it’s that there really is no such thing as “range”. The range in question varies significantly depending on the destination you are traveling to and the condition of the road (I will explain right away). Still, there is an official number that the car manufacturer publishes and I will refer to it.
The redesigned MG ZS EV comes with larger batteries, and faster charging.
The ZS EV is sold in two versions: A driving range of 320 km/198 miles – equipped with a 50.3 kWh battery, and fast charging with a power of 80 kW.
Driving range of 440 km/ 273 miles – equipped with a 69.9 kWh battery, and fast charging with a power of 93 kW.
The maximum speed of the vehicle is 175 km/h.
Now that we have that out of the way, as a proud MG ZS EV owner, which is a compact SUV made by Chinese automaker SAIC Motor, here is what I learned about the “real range” of the car: the range stated by the car manufacturer is a number that can vary greatly in reality.
It is subject to changes in things like the weather, the road route, the speed and style of the driver, and even the amount of weight of people traveling in the vehicle affecting the weight of the vehicle itself. That being said, when planning one route and considering your given range, you should pay attention to the following point.
100% Range “Number” Keeps Changing
From my experience, even after charging overnight, when the battery is 100% full, the range number that appears on the dashboard display will not always be the same number every time and the range of 100% full battery can be quite wide.
For example: after a full overnight charge, the maximum range can be anything between 260 kilometers to 275, 310, etc. So if you planned to go on a long drive and you charged the car ahead of time to get a maximum range of say 330 kilometers, it is quite possible that when you start the car the next morning you will find that the hundred percent full charge has become 295 km.
Where did those missing 35 kilometers go? Your guess is as good as mine.
Many Factors Affect Your EV Car Range and You Can Use It to Maximize It
Many factors affect the driving range of an electric car. Still, if you use those factors that shorten the range wisely, you can maximize the range significantly and possibly avoid unnecessary stopping and charging along the way.
How Fast Do You Drive Goes a Long Way Range Wise
Driving speed is one of the factors that most influence the vehicle’s range. If we generalize, then traveling over 110 kilometers/ 68 miles per hour greatly shortens the driving range.
The battery works overtime to power the vehicle and uses more energy and thus you see the range decreases significantly. If, however, you drive at a speed between 80-90 kilometers /50-55 miles per hour, the range can, surprisingly, remain constant for much longer.
Driving at moderate speeds while using energy-saving regenerative braking can go a long way range-wise. Just last week I went on a long drive which, according to my plan, required a stop to recharge the battery. Unfortunately (or not) I got stuck in traffic and much to my surprise I managed to reach my destination without having to charge the car and with a lot of excess range.
Weather Affects Range
In general, extreme temperatures, cold or hot, adversely affect range. Extreme temperatures affect the battery and cause it to lose some of its power. Snow, ice, and even rain can increase the rolling resistance of the tires, which require more energy to move the car and use the wipers. The same goes for rising heat temperature that takes from the battery capacity range on a single charge.
How to Maximize the Range in These Situations?
You’re not going to like the answer but the solution, in this case, is to use the heat/ air conditioning system intermittently. In the summer it is easier to drive, at least partly, with the windows and roof open, and in the winter to turn on the heating alternately. This is not an ideal solution but it can help you to avoid additional charging. If you can avoid your trip during extreme weather that would be most ideal.
Driving up or Downhill Is a Gamechanger When It Comes to Range
When I started driving an electric car I couldn’t believe how much the road route affects the range. The truth is that if you drive in the mountains or on a road route with a lot of climbs you will pay for it big time in the range you lose. The reason is that the battery will work much harder to provide energy to overcome gravity and maintain speed. It simply has to produce more energy to power the motor.
The good news?
It also works the other way around.
Meaning, driving downhill essentially recharges the vehicle battery! I talked earlier about regenerative braking. What happens when driving downhill is that the vehicle’s weight and gravity can help generate power through the process of regenerative braking.
When I drive downhill I am always surprised to see the spike in range on the dashboard display – the battery actually charges itself while in motion.
Another thing to consider is the quality of the road: whether smooth or bumpy, in turn, affects the range.
What this means for you is that the route you plan will travel can affect your need to recharge the battery. If you are traveling round trip you can take this into account when calculating the average distance of the trip (driving downhill will restore the range you lost driving uphill). If, on the other hand, the plan is to travel in one direction only, perhaps you should think about avoiding steep inclines or declines if possible and travel in a different less steep route.
In Conclusion
Don’t rely on the listed range that MG ZS EV declares just like you shouldn’t rely on any other electric vehicle manufacturer’s range.
The range varies due to a number of factors, each of which individually can have a huge effect on the vehicle’s range and certainly when you combine them all together. However, we, as well-planned drivers, have the ability to use these mitigating factors to our advantage and maximize the range as much as we possible.