How To Drive An Electric Car: Here's All You Need To Know

With the rise of electric vehicles, many first-time users may wonder how they are different from the traditional ICE vehicles. Unlike the petrol and diesel vehicles, EVs come with unique driving dynamics, seamless gear operation, because there's no manual. If you're new to EVs, in this article we'll guide you with the essentials to drive one. However, before moving ahead, make sure to join the 91Wheels WhatsApp community to never miss out on any automotive updates.

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Basics of an Electric Vehicle

At first glance, an EV looks like a regular car. However, under the hood, there's a lot of difference, instead of internal combustion engines, EVs are powered by battery packs and a motor. But what does this implies?

• No Gears: The internal combustion engine uses a transmission with various gears to optimise power delivery. However, electric vehicles do not require a transmission with multiple gears, instead they use a single gear, due to the high power surge instantly.
• Instant Torque: In traditional petrol and diesel cars, the engine takes time to build up power. EVs on the other hand use an electric motor, which provides you instant torque, the moment you press the accelerator.
• Regenerative Braking: Regenerative braking is one of the most innovative features in electric vehicles, allowing them to convert braking energy into usable power. In an ICE car, when you apply the brakes, the kinetic energy is wasted as heat due to friction between the brake pads and the rotors. But the EVs store it back into the battery.

When it comes to starting an electric vehicle, forget turning keys and cranking the engine, Electric vehicles start with a push button. Here are the detailed steps on how to start an EV:-

• Step 1: Press the brake pedal and hit the start/stop button, it will power up silently.
• Step 2: Use the drive selector to choose your mode( D for drive, R for Reverse, N for Neutral and P for Park).
• You can only change the drive modes while pressing the brake pedal only.

What feels different while driving an EV?

Switching from petrol/diesel to an electric car can be an exciting experience as well as monotonous at the same time, it depends on personal preferences. Here are some prominent differences that you'll notice initially:-

• EVs are quieter than the ICE engines, you can't hear any roars from the motor, the only thing which you can hear is the humming sound of the motor.
• No gearshifts, so you can't feel those jerks of gearshifts, which makes the ride more pleasant.
• Lifting off your leg from the accelerator pedal, the car slows down automatically, due to the regenerative braking.
• In EVs, the moment you hit the accelerator pedal, the car leaps forward with instant torque.

How To Drive Efficiently?

Range Anxiety is one of the biggest concerns in electric vehicles for many people out there. However, here are a few things to keep in mind to maximize the range of your car:-

• While driving an EV, avoid hard acceleration and braking, this helps in conserving energy.
• Use regenerative braking wisely, set it to the optimum level to recover energy more efficiently.
• Use the Air conditioning or heating at the optimum Level, rigorous use can impact range.
• Keep your tyres properly inflated, low tyre pressure can create more rolling resistance, which may result in dropping the range.

Common Mistakes new EV drivers make

Switching to an electric vehicle can be exciting, but new drivers often make common mistakes which can affect your pleasant driving experience. Here're a few mistakes to avoid:-

• Ignoring charging Speed and Infrastructure: electric vehicles charge at different speeds depending upon the type of charger. A fast charger can do it in minutes, while a home charger can take hours.
• Exposing to direct sunlight: Parking your car in direct sunlight can affect your car batteries in the long run.
• Overestimating range: Just like the petrol/diesel cars do not match the claimed mileage, similarly EVs may not always deliver exact claimed range.
• optimised charging: To maintain your cars battery health for a longer duration, it is best to charge it between 20% and 80%. Avoiding extreme levels, both fully draining and frequent 100% charging, helps reduce battery degradation and ensures better performance over time.
• Frequent Fast charging: Frequent use of DC fast charging can impact your EV's battery health in the long run. To preserve battery life, it's best to use a home charger or AC charging whenever possible, as they provide a slower, more balanced charge that keeps the battery healthier over time.

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