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22-Dec-2012

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Go Easy for Maximum Range in Electric Car

University of Sunderland in the UK found there are trends linking age and driving efficiency that can vary form 0.46 km to 1.89 km per percent of battery charge.

Drivers of petrol and diesel cars are usually aware that driving at high speed, harsh acceleration and hard braking all contribute to lowering their fuel economy. Scientists can readily explain in terms of the thermodynamics of the internal combustion engine why driving such a car more smoothly and at gentler speeds will increase significantly the distance that might be travelled on a single tank of fuel. But, what about electric vehicles (EVs)?

A study published this month in the International Journal of Electric and Hybrid Vehicles from researchers at the University of Sunderland, UK, might provide an answer to that question. Mike Knowles, Helen Scott and David Baglee of the Institute for Automotive and Manufacturing Advanced Practice (AMAP) asked a number of drivers of different ages to take an EV around a standard route and monitored their driving style and energy consumption.

They found that efficiency could vary from 0.46 km to 1.89 km per percent of battery charge depending on driving style with the greatest efficiency. The team found that there are trends between age and efficiency and that these trends are dependent on the type of driving involved. The research is based on a small sample and the trends that emerge now warrant further investigation, the team says.

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