Interest is growing for electric vehicles as each new model year comes out. However, despite its popularity, people are still hesitant about committing to an EV just yet. What is holding them back? Range anxiety is the main reason people aren’t ready for the upgrade to electric power. According to Choose EV, finding the right one that suits your specific needs would help. 

What do we mean by range anxiety?

Range anxiety is when an EV owner knows the car’s battery is getting low and they still have a good distance to go to get to their destination. With gas-powered cars, the anxiety isn’t there as much because there are tons of fuel stations all over the country, so you’re likely to find one and get gassed up before you get stranded on the side of the road. 

When you’re dealing with an electric vehicle, however, you have to seek out a charging station to top off the battery so you can continue driving. While you can easily find them in some areas, you may not be so lucky in others. They’re just not as readily available as gas stations. 

So, you can see why it would worry some drivers if they find that their battery is getting low and they’re not finding a charging station as quickly as they would like. To help alleviate some of the anxiety, there are plenty of smartphone apps and navigational tools within your vehicle that you can use to find charging stations near your location. There might be a few close to you that you didn’t even know were there. 

What are considered good and bad EV ranges?

You would think that the longer the range, the better off you’ll be with your EV choice. However, there’s more to it than that. Your unique situation needs to be considered to determine what’s good for you because long-range EV models are typically more expensive. 

If you don’t travel all that much every week, would a 400-mile range suit you? If you can get by with 250-miles or so, why pay money for the extra range you might never need? In that case, according to Kelley Blue Book, you could go for a Chevy Bolt EV with a range of 259-miles that goes for approximately $37,890. 

The Hyundai Kona Electric is another lower-range model that you can get for $38,565. With this subcompact SUV, you can get 201 hp and an acceleration of 6.4 seconds for a 0 to 60 mph run. 

On the other hand, if you need the longer range, you’re better off with something that will offer 330+ miles, like the Tesla Model S, which is one of the best on the market. This will get you 373 miles on a charged battery, but it will cost you around $81,990. If you’re looking for an SUV instead, the Tesla Model X is a good choice. This one offers 371 miles of range and will run you about $89,990.

What factors can affect an EV’s range?

While automakers claim some decent ranges for their models, it isn’t always going to get that same amount when you take it out onto the road. There are a few factors that affect the amount of range you’ll actually get. The path you ultimately take will affect it in different ways. Driving downhill, the speed of the car, and the traffic you encounter all factor into the final result. 

The closest measurement we can receive is going by what EPA sets the range at. They use the SAE J1634 test procedure that accounts for as many variables as possible. While even that isn’t perfect, it’s still a good baseline to plan your journey by. 

The electric battery has come a long way with the automotive industry. Since its introduction, we’ve made many strides, and the next few years will see even more advances. It’s predicted that 300 miles will soon be the average range, and we could likely see over 400 miles by the year 2028.