Which electric car has the longest range?

Which electric car has the longest range?

Buying or leasing a new electric car is very much the hot topic; the “green” future is very much here. Almost overnight customers, personal and business, are moving from combustion engines into pure electric vehicles. To be clear, when we refer to an electric vehicle (“EV”) we mean a car which has no engine and which emits zero emissions. Sometimes you will see reference to low emission or eco-cars which are actually hybrid or plug-in hybrid technology.

In those instances, the engine will operate in conjunction with, or instead of, the electric aspect. The team at e-car lease are very much about zero emission vehicles only. If you want anything with an engine, you need to speak to our sister team at CarLease UK !

So are EV’s offering enough range now? An old concern for many drivers historically, there has been some concern that modern EVs do not offer the practicality many drivers need. However, the world is moving very quickly and there is now a wide-number of options for a personal, business or salary sacrifice driver to choose from.

To help showcase the extent of adequate ranges, our data partners, the EV-Database, have produced a handy sheet with a list of every vehicle (new and future) which customers can enjoy –   As you will note, the average range is now a whopping 198 miles for an EV. To put this is in some perspective, if you were to cover 190 miles per day you would be covering 950 miles per week and a further 3,800 miles per month.

Presuming no time off or holidays and this equates to 45,000 of pure electric driving every year. When our average contract is around 10,000 miles per annum, you quickly get to the conclusion that the average EV-range is more than enough.

But is there just one range?  The notion of range is something which is now being understood more adequately. Many manufacturers, leasing brokers and car dealerships advertise with a headline range. While based on a more thorough WLTP calculation, we do suggest that this is a little ill-conceived and unrealistic.

Because of the way in which EVs operate, you will notice from looking at vehicles on our website that there are different “real world” conditions being presented to you together with the corresponding impact on the vehicle’s range. One of the main influences on range is the weather. In colder/winter climates your EV will operate less efficiently than in warmer weather. This is more poignant in situations where the vehicle starts in the cold weather and is not connected to a charge point.

The vehicle will use the energy in the battery to reach an ambient temperature and this is less efficient. In more “freezing” temperatures, the EV will generally work less efficiently. In the same way, driving styles and behaviour will influence the range of a vehicle. Drivers with motorway and higher speed driving do not have the same ranges as their slower driving urban counterparts. EVs are incredible in stop/start situations and where vehicle speeds to not exceed 30/40mph.

Add to that acceleration, in that those drivers who sharply accelerate will experience less efficient motoring. Just because many EVs are quick, doesn’t mean you have to experience their terminal velocities! For this reason our website will show you a more enhanced range for every vehicle. For example, please see below:

Are there enough charge points for UK drivers? 

But are there enough charge points for me, or the business, to access? The availability of any charge point is quite clearly indicate on the UK’s leading Charge Point map – Zap Map

As you will see on their website (and below), there are some 25,500+ devices in the UK, with over 700 added in the last 30 days. What we say to customers at the outset is to organise the charging infrastructure at their home address first.

If you have a domicile with off-road parking, utilising a dedicated home charge point is the easiest and simplest way to ensure a positive EV experience. With many energy companies now offering reduced rates for charging overnight – often quoted around 5p kWh – it is a sensible solution. Where you do not have charging at home, this can present more logistical challenges. If you have a charging infrastructure  at work, this does assist but we do understand the UK is still developing on that front.

Many bigger businesses and corporates are adopting a charging approach but this is more slowly being adopted by the SMEs. What we find is that when MDs and owners of an SME take an EV for themselves (and there are a good tax reasons for doing so), they are more likely to invest in their business premises. Before you make a purchase or leasing decision, make sure you are comfortable with your charging arrangements.