AUTONEWS

Electric car running low on battery? These steps might "save" you

The range of electric vehicles (EVs) has been increasing alongside technological advancements, as has the network of charging stations. Nevertheless, the prospect of running out of power remains a concern for many.

While a combustion-engine vehicle can simply be refueled by bringing a container of fuel from the nearest gas station, the same is not true for an electric vehicle—which requires a time-consuming recharging process that cannot be performed just anywhere, as it necessitates specific infrastructure.

Consequently, if you run out of power while on the road, your only option is to have the vehicle towed—which can be a major inconvenience.

But what should you do if you see your battery running low and aren't sure you can reach the nearest charging station? Here are some tips to help you avoid hitting absolute zero.

Navigation: Many electric vehicles come with built-in navigation systems tailored for EVs, which can identify the nearest charging stations. Make use of these available tools to determine where you should head to charge.

Driving: Drive at a lower speed, while remaining cautious of other traffic (especially on highways, where you should stay in the far-right lane and avoid driving below 50 km/h). Accelerate slowly and gradually, anticipate traffic slowdowns, and utilize regenerative braking whenever possible. Most vehicles also feature an "Eco" mode, which you should activate.

Use only the essentials: Turn off systems such as climate control, which increase energy consumption. If it’s hot, it is better to drive with the windows open rather than using the air conditioning. Stopping safely: If you are about to run out of charge, rather than continuing until the vehicle comes to a stop on its own in the middle of the road, look for a safe place to pull over. Follow standard breakdown procedures: turn on your hazard lights, engage the parking brake, put on a reflective vest, and set up your warning triangle to alert others to the hazard.

Assistance: An electric vehicle that has run out of battery power will always need to be transported to a charging location; therefore, you should immediately contact roadside assistance to have a tow truck dispatched to your position.

What happens if an EV runs out of charge? If, for whatever reason, you’re on the road and your EV runs out of charge, the best thing to do is to not panic. Just like any issue when on the road, your priority should be to get your car (and, thus, you) somewhere safe. That means popping your hazard lights on and pulling into a lay-by or quiet road where you can pull up on the kerb and park, or in the case of motorways trying to exit or, failing that, using the hard shoulder. This way, you can come to a controlled stop.

Fortunately, when the battery does reach zero, the car doesn’t come to an immediate stop, so you have time to react. In fact, you’ll get plenty of warning before it actually happens, giving you enough time to prepare if you know you won’t be able to get a charge before it happens.

Once it reaches zero, the car itself will gradually lose power, and eventually come to a stop. Your EV should also have safety systems in place which will help you pull over safely.

What to do once your EV has stopped...Just like any stranded car, you should immediately put your hazard lights on once you know your battery will go flat, and do your best to pull over somewhere safe that’s out of the way of other road users. Then, you should contact roadside assistance, who will then have a number of recovery options available.

It’s very important at this stage that you call roadside assistance and don’t attempt to get your EV towed instead. Towing an electric car can cause damage to the drivetrain if done improperly, especially traditional two-wheel towing which can inadvertently cause the motor to generate electricity, which could damage other systems.

Recovery options for EVs with no battery...Unlike petrol cars, EVs need specialist help, as you can’t simply walk to the nearest station and refill the battery yourself. Thankfully, electric car roadside assistance is getting better, and EV drivers now have a few different options available:

Flatbed tow truck...This is by far the most common method of recovery for stranded EVs. As mentioned, towing an electric car isn’t always possible, and it’s much safer and more reliable to put the EV onto a flatbed truck. This way, all four wheels are off the ground and not potentially generating electricity or doing damage to the car’s motor.

Roadside mobile charging...Some providers now offer mobile charging services that can charge your EV on the roadside. Although rare, they are becoming more frequent, designed to charge your car enough for you to drive to a public charging station for a full charge. Think of it as an emergency top-up. 

Regardless of which recovery option is used, once you’re recovered and safe, your next immediate step should be to give your car a charge to about 80%, whether that’s at a public charging station or at home if possible.

Why you shouldn’t let your EV battery drain to 0%...Obviously it goes without saying that you should avoid hitting 0% whilst driving, as it can be unsafe. But you equally shouldn’t let your battery ever get to 0% before giving it a charge. This is because of the way that EV batteries work. Essentially, longer charges, especially when starting from close to 0%, puts a lot of strain on the battery, which can cause it to degrade a lot quicker over time.

This equally means you should never charge completely to 100%. Instead, the sweet spot for charging is between 20% to 80%. Not only will this keep your battery – arguably the most important component of an EV – healthier for longer, but it also takes less time than to charge from 0% to 100%.

How to avoid running out of charge...Fortunately, running out of charge is rare, and it’s easy enough to avoid. Here are our top tips for avoiding hitting 0% charge in an EV:

Plan charging stops in advance...There are loads of apps that can be used to pre-plan where you’re going to stop for a charge before you set off, and with over 82,000 public EV charging stations in the UK, getting access to one shouldn’t be a problem.

That said, always make sure to have back-up options available, just in case your preferred choice is in use by another driver. Also, if you’re planning to use rapid chargers, make sure you’ve checked ahead of time that your EV can actually make use of rapid charging speeds. Even if your car can still connect to it, if your EV can’t charge at those speeds (50+ kW) you could be stopping someone else who could take advantage of the faster rate.

Charge smart at home...Charging at home is undoubtedly the best way to keep an electric car charged. By plugging in overnight, you can wake up to a fully charged cat in the morning and start your journey with the maximum number of miles available. This is much better than setting off with low charge, which increases the risk of running out altogether!

There are plenty of other benefits to having a home EV charger installed as well, such as getting access to cheaper overnight charging, especially if you install a charger with smart charging functionality.

Know you EV’s limits...When you buy an electric car, you should be told, or be able to find out, what its maximum range is, which should tell you how far you can drive it before needing to recharge. But don’t always take this at face value.

The figure you’ll usually be quoted will have been determined by the WLTP, or the Worldwide Harmonised Testing Procedure. Simply put, it’s a test designed to determine the fyuel or energy consumption, and emissions, of a car, be it petrol, diesel, or electric.

Among this, the car’s maximum range will be tested. However, the test is done in a controlled laboratory environment, under assumed ideal conditions, including road surface, weather, driving speed, and so on. As a result, the WLTP gives you an idea of what the range is, but what you may end up with can vary drastically depending on factors like the weather, how you drive, whether you’re on motorways or not, the age of the car etc.

That’s why cars listed in our vehicle guides include both the WLTP – i.e. “official” - range of an EV, our own “confidence range”. As a general rule of thumb, take off about 15% of the WLTP range and you’ll have a much more realistic idea of the car’s actual range in real-world conditions.

Take advantage of regenerative braking...Regen braking is a handy piece of tech that you’ll find in virtually any modern electric car. Essentially, it allows the car to take the energy that’s typically used when you brake and use it to slightly recharge the battery. As well as giving your battery a little boost whenever you brake, it makes the car overall more efficient as less energy is lost or wasted.

That doesn’t mean you can complete a journey entirely with regen braking, as the charge isn’t going to be enough to counter the amount lost from driving the car. But it will reduce your overall energy consumption, so it’s worth using it when you can.

There’s no need to worry about running out of charge...The key takeaway from this should be that yes, the idea of running out of charge on the road is a scary prospect. But it’s not something that happens often, and if it does it isn’t the end of the world as there are plenty of recovery options.

If it is something that still concerns you, deciding against going electric isn’t the solution. Instead, you just need to get used to a little bit more planning than you might normally need to do with a petrol/diesel car to keep your car charged before, during, and after your journey. And if you need them, we have plenty of tips for optimising your EV’s range!