What “Range” should I be looking for when I lease my next EV?

What “Range” should I be looking for when I lease my next EV?

Firstly, a big thank-you to Andrew Lacey at Listers/Worcester Audi  for sending through pictures of their latest demonstrator – the electric Audi Q4 estate. As a leasing broker, not a lender or supplier, we rely on leading dealerships to provide our customers with leading discount and quality customer service.
Andrew is one of our EV-experts over at Audi and has helped us to supply a number of Audi e-Tron SUVs and Sportbacks already. We are hoping the Q4 (a smaller SUV EV) will be even more popular for our personal and business contract hire customers.

The phenomenal growth of EVs has not been without some challenges and obstacles. As we move through 2021, EVs are now a key feature of the  Goodwood festival of speed  and now EVs have a stand-alone show via the team at  Fully-Charged  a website dedicated to all things electric cars, vans and energy! The gathering momentum is incredible and even those of us in the industry are shocked by the seismic growth of all things electric, in particular the fact that EVs are now considered to be cool and fashionable.

Part of this is down to manufacturers using luxury vehicles to showcase their electric proposition coupled with a handful of performance vehicles which have blistering 0-62 times. Suddenly Tesla is one of the foremost brands across the world, having only offered mass-adoption vehicles for just a few years. Brands like Porsche are showcasing their product via unbelievable options in the form of the Taycan Saloon and Taycan Cross Turismo. With rumours of a Maycan and Cayenne version, drivers across the world will have the chance to enjoy some leading EV product. The big challenge is now how manufacturers produce more affordable EVs which are a genuine day-to-day motoring solution.

However, just because EVs are now become more accepted, does this mean all of the challenges have dissipated? One of the leading reasons for not moving into an electric car was than the range of the vehicle was insufficient and would not be adequate for a personal or business lease customer. However, what we stress to many customers is to move away from their prior notions of vehicle range as set by combustion engines; many modern vehicle offer 400-600 miles on a full tank of petrol or diesel.

These are the capabilities we have become accustomed to and it has resulted in some nervousness and trepidation about making the move into an EV. But do we need to look at EVs and combustion engines in the same way? We would suggest not, particularly where the driver is having a home charging unit or has regular access to charging at the workplace. When you are exploring the range, the easiest thing is to: 1) understand your annual mileage and break this down into the daily commute/ regular journeys; and 2) consider the longest journey you would regularly take in any one year.

If you are covering 5,000 miles per annum, this equates to just over 100 miles per week. In contrast a driver covering 25,000 miles will need a car to drive around 525 miles per week. As you will see, these are two very different obligations. In addition, we appreciate some drivers will regularly take part in long journeys in excess of 200 miles (and to more sparsely built locations). These distances are crucial in understanding how your next green car will operate for you.

Is the Range the only think I should consider?

When you have understood your own driving requirements, you then need to consider a vehicle’s maximum range. So should I use the manufacturers recommendations/CAP data? The team at e-Car Lease suggest something a little different. We actually analyse a vehicle’s winter and summer variances coupled with the differences brought about by motorway and urban driving styles. Unlike combustions engines, EVs will use much more energy covering higher speeds on a longer journeys in comparison to stop/start city driving. We tend to avoid a flat “x miles on full charge” approach for the range as this isn’t completely accurate.

By providing a balanced range breakdown, we hope that customers make a much more informed decision. Additionally, we also ask customers to take into account the fact that a “full charge” is often rare with EVs and they need to consider the range on 80/85% where more rapid charging (DC) is being utilised. These ranges are well documented in our “lythium” range calculator on the e-Car Lease website.

It’s not just “Range” which should be held so crucial to a new electric car purchase/lease. We also suggest that the drivers identifies two key statistics – 1) the maximum AC charging rate of the car; and 2) the maximum DC charging rate of the car. Many EVs have different charging capabilities and some charge 2, 3 and even 4 times the speed of other options. The extent to which this is crucial will depend on what you expect to charge with regularly i.e. are you using a 7.4kW home charging unit or a rapid 350kW DC solution at service stations.

Just because you are connected to a high-performance charging solution, does not necessarily equate to quick charging. If your vehicle has an 11kW onboard charger, it will only charge at a maximum of 11kW AC. If you connect the car to a quicker 22kW AC charge point, the car will still only charge at the 11kW rate. In the same way, each vehicle will have a maximum charging rate for rapid charge point solutions (DC charging).

These two elements need to be understood quite confidently by consumers to avoid the prospect of taking a car which is no longer suitable for their needs or requirements. In particular, with a leasing contract being set for 2, 3 or 4 years, these are long-term commitments for any personal or business customer, so we implore our customers to do the necessary research. Finding the “best-price” on an electric car leasing deal is only part of the equation!