Increasing range: how to cover more kilometres in an electric car

• Stay cool: steady acceleration and braking conserves battery power.
• Pro tip: you can recuperate energy with one-pedal driving.
• Conscious heating and cooling: by using the air conditioning and heating unit mindfully, you can use energy more efficiently.
• Protect the battery: smart charging can extend the life of the battery, thereby maintaining good range in the long term.
• Check tyre pressure: The right tyre pressure and little ballast in the vehicle improve efficiency.

The trick for getting more range is to save energy by being smart. Anticipatory driving, where you brake gently and accelerate steadily, is particularly worthwhile for electric cars. An aggressive, jerky driving style puts a strain on the heart of your electric car: the battery. How? Sudden braking and excessively fast acceleration heat up the battery, which then requires more energy to cool it. In our article “Driving an electric car: tips for a successful first journey,” you’ll find more smart tips if you’re new to using e-vehicles.

One-pedal driving is the top insider tip for maximising the range of your electric car. You can use the braking and acceleration process to boost the efficiency and range of your electric car. The magic word is recuperation. With most electric cars, energy flows back into the battery every time you take your foot off the accelerator and the car slows down.

You can take advantage of this with what is known as one-pedal driving. With this driving technique, you control the speed with your right foot using the accelerator pedal alone, while the recuperation system ensures braking. At first, the braking force can be surprisingly strong, so you’ll need a little practice. Most electric cars let you adjust the recuperation levels in the on-board computer.

Two things that challenge your car battery are directly related to comfort: Air conditioning unit and heating. We don't want to do without these amenities. But how can you still maximise your range?

• In winter, it may be worth using the seat or steering wheel heating instead of the entire vehicle heating. You can also heat the interior before driving off. This saves a lot of energy without you having to freeze.
• In summer, it helps to park the car in the shade or switch on the air conditioning unit while charging so that it is nice and cool before you start driving. You can find more tips and tricks on how to keep your electric car fit in summer in our article "Electric car in the heat: This keeps you cool and your battery efficient".

Most new e-cars have an eco mode that’s specially optimised for maximum efficiency. In eco mode, the engine power is curbed,which means that both the top speed and acceleration are reduced. In addition, the air-conditioning and heating capacity is often reduced. Thanks to this trick, you can increase your range by up to ten percent.

A little tip: with a little practice, you can also set cruise control manually: unlike one-pedal driving, thisdeactivatesthe recuperation. Instead, let the car cruise freely to harness the kinetic energy. This saves energy and extends the range of your vehicle, particularly on steep roads. In eco mode, some electric cars apply this technology automatically.

How you charge your electric car not only affects the range, but also the service life of the battery. Just like with a mobile phone, it is worthwhile not constantly charging the battery to 100 per cent. Around 80 per cent is ideal for daily use - this protects the battery and prevents a loss of capacity in the long term.

Modern chargers and apps help you to find the optimum charging behaviour. One exciting topic in this area is bidirectional charging. In our article "Bidirectional charging: the future of electromobility explained simply", you can find out how to turn your electric car into a rolling power bank.

It sounds technical, but it's actually quite simple: Tyre pressure plays a decisive role in rolling resistance and therefore in the energy consumption of your electric car. If the tyre pressure is too low, the rolling resistance increases – and your range decreases. It is therefore worth checking regularly via the on-board computer whether the tyres have the recommended pressure.

One last tip: Avoid unnecessary ballast. Every extra kilo in the car boot or on the roof increases the vehicle's weight and drag, so only take what you need!