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Sustainable driving:
How far can you really travel in an electric car?

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January 31, 2020
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Electric cars have often been dubbed the future of the motoring industry, but are they really worth the money?

The vast majority of road users, are naturally, still using petrol and diesel engines, largely due to the lack of incentive to buy an electric or hybrid vehicle.

While some might be deterred by the lofty price of EV’s, a large barrier will also be the scepticism over just how far you can travel on a single charge?

The battery life of an EV has generally improved alongside technology. The first ‘mainstream’ electric cars were the Renault Zoe and the Nissan Leaf, which at the time were revolutionary, with both having a range of around 100 miles. While the updated versions of those cars will last for around twice the distance, coming in at around 200 miles on a single charge.

Other cars on the EV market worth looking into are the Hyundai Kona and the Kia e-Niro which according to their manufacturers can travel up to 270 miles, while the Audi e-tron comes in at 240 miles. Of course the market leader is Tesla, whose cars can go over 300 miles between charges and the 2020 Tesla Roadster set to be released later this year, is claimed to be able to travel 620 miles on a single charge.

In terms of how long it takes for a car to charge, the average EV takes 30 minutes to reach around 80% battery capacity if the driver manages to find a fast charger, otherwise it will take considerably longer.

No matter what the manufacturers say electric vehicles are only able to provide around 85 per cent of the range compared to what manufacturers claim they can do, according to Buyacar.

When traveling in extreme weather be sure to keep an eye on your battery level as bad conditions can knock miles off an electric car’s range. This is because really hot or cold temperatures affect the efficiency of the car’s batteries. Using the headlights at night will use up battery more quickly, too, while strong headwinds can also reduce a car’s range.

Whether you have an electric car, a hybrid car or a petrol/diesel engine Adrian Flux can offer an insurance deal right for you.

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