Currently, the majority of EV owners live in metropolises and large cities with appropriate public and private charging infrastructure. Given the current energy cost for charging automobiles, one should expect to pay between Rs. 1 and Rs. 2 per kilometer, compared to Rs. 7 to Rs. 10 on ICE cars. That is, when compared to ICE car owners, some variances in ranges inside city borders do not pinch the pocket of electric owners. Given the circumstances, the question arises as to whether range anxiety, rather than the number of charges along highways, should be the primary worry in city driving situations. What if those chargers are still in good working order? How quickly we can charge our autos along the highways?
The term “Range Anxiety” was coined when electric cars offered low driving ranges. Unfortunately, “range anxiety” has ingrained itself in our thoughts, and range will be a preoccupation for the foreseeable future. On a full charge, today’s electric automobiles have quite healthy driving ranges of 200 – 350 km. This is more than enough for any city dweller.
The day will not be far off when 500, 600, and 800 km EVs will be available for purchase. Mainstream EVs have a variety of battery options, with only highway runners paying extra for the 750 km battery. City dwellers will continue with their less expensive 500-kilometer vehicles. Range anxiety in the city is exaggerated and irrelevant, even with a Tiago EV with its 200 km range. If anything, it demonstrates poor planning in terms of how you charge your cars. Range anxiety on Indian highways, on the other hand, is a very real phenomenon, since there are almost no charging stations on Indian highways.
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When driving fast, the range decreases dramatically. A speed of 80-90 kmph is better for an EV’s range than a speed of 120 kmph. As a result, EVs are rarely seen on the expressway’s right/fast lane. For a complete breakdown of zero charges, one will need the help of a professional. Electric cars, unlike gasoline-powered vehicles, cannot be quickly charged. Today, “Highway Anxiety” may be a more relevant term.
In most situations, range anxiety is related to highway driving. There may be times when a person has only one point of fuel remaining in their car and is forced to drive 60 kilometers due to unforeseen circumstances. People become nervous during these moments. For gas-powered car owners, it’s as simple as going to the gas pump, filling up the tank, and driving away. However, EV users will have to spend a significant amount of time charging their vehicle, which becomes troublesome when they live in apartments that may not have chargers available. After all, we are humans, and we tend to be unprepared most of the time. Switching to EVs will necessitate some behavioral changes; else, one would undoubtedly experience anxiety. Furthermore, batteries have a limited cycle life, and the issue will become apparent later in an EV’s life.
Highway anxiety and range anxiety is a reality for electric cars. One way to curb these anxieties is to implement charging infrastructure rapidly. The range can be doubled or tripled based on battery capacity overnight but this will, in turn, become cost-ineffective. Although the availability of infrastructure to charge on highways, accurate numbers of range in real-time driving scenarios, and the time required to charge the drained battery are the underlying causes of concern, this anxiety can be considerably decreased by a minor adjustment in the design of EV cars.
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