The promises of energy independence and benefits to the environment have always contended with the range limitation concerns inherent of all electric vehicles. As automakers produce electric vehicles while city infrastructures have yet to provide proper availability of charging stations, skeptics question its practicality.
But how have the believers, those who purchased EVs, felt? According to a study by the U.K. Technology Strategy Board (TSB), a study among 340 ultralow-emission vehicle and EV vehicle adopters has shown that initial range anxiety concerns have mitigated by a significant 35 percent in a matter of three months.
During the three month duration, these drivers have learned to compensate for their vehicle’s weakness by consciously driving more efficiently, planning their trip routes, and by simply getting familiar and understanding their vehicle’s capabilities.
As owners get more comfortable with their EVs, their confidence allows them to charge their cars less often, letting their batteries deplete a bit more before feeling the need to find a socket. Moreover, 83 percent of participants feel that their electric vehicles easily meet their daily driving needs.
Studies in North America are positive as well. BMW and the University of California conducted a survey amongst Mini-E drivers in the United States and gathered similar findings. However, one major differing observation in the Mini-E survey is that the participants also owned a conventional second car capable of longer trips.
The consensus from the UK survey also admit that a farther range would go a long way (pun intended), suggesting a range of approximately 200 miles would drastically improve the practicality of electric vehicles.
[Source: Cnet]