What to know about maximising the range of your electric vehicle

If you're among the many Australians who have bought an electric vehicle this year, maximising the range of your new ride might be on your mind.

EVs have improved greatly in terms of range but still use more energy during longer freeway-type drives, and while charging an EV is significantly cheaper than refuelling with petrol or diesel, there's still money to be saved by using them efficiently.

Experts say getting the most out of an EV battery isn't that different to getting good value from a tank of fuel, but there are some key differences to be aware of.

Regenerative braking and one-pedal driving

The one big advantage EVs have is the ability to create their own power via regenerative braking.

"When [an EV] goes into slowdown, then it's actually acting as a generator," says Australian Electric Vehicle Association technical convenor Michael Day, based in Epping, NSW, on Dharug country.

Regenerative braking can be turned on and off, but he says newer EVs have it turned on by default.

You can also take advantage of regenerative braking by practising one-pedal driving, which actually involves using the brake as little as possible.

"You just ease on and ease off the accelerator pedal," says Electric Vehicle Council senior policy manager Bjorn Siem, who works in Meanjin/Brisbane.

"It's a little bit strange to begin with … but once you get used to it, it's brilliant."

Mr Day uses one-pedal braking "all the time".

"Not in an unsafe way … you tend to be able to moderate the momentum of the car better with the throttle and then use the brakes as an emergency stop when you really need to," he says.

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Curb the urge to take off fast

For new owners, some of the fun of EVs is their "get up and go", Mr Day says.

But as with combustion-engine cars, avoiding the temptation to make a fast getaway at every set of traffic lights can go a long way to using less battery power and preserving your EV's range.

"Most electric vehicles … can get off the line quite quickly," Mr Day says.

"But … you don't need to do that."

Make freeway driving more efficient

Where you're driving can also affect your EV's range, says RACV motoring editor Terry Martin, who lives in South Gippsland on Gunaikurnai and Bunurong country.

"EVs are better suited to stop-start driving in the city, when the car can recover energy through regenerative braking and so forth," he says.

"When you're out on the freeway driving, they're less efficient … you're sapping a lot of energy from the battery so your range will diminish more quickly."

However, the experts say using your EV's cruise control, autopilot and/or eco mode can help avoid peaks and dips in acceleration that can drain your battery.

If you're running low on charge during a long drive and you're not sure you'll make it to a charger, Mr Siem says "the best thing to do is actually just slow down".

"Even from 100 [kilometres per hour] to 90 makes a big difference," he says.

"If you really need to eke it out, then going down to 70 will actually give you a lot more range."

Turning off your air con and other unnecessary add-ons can help too, but speed is "by far" the biggest drain, Mr Siem says.

Tyre pressure, weight and aerodynamic drag

Outside of speed, tyre pressure is probably the biggest drain on EV charge, Mr Siem says.

"[If] tyres are significantly deflated and they will produce a lot of drag; they won't roll as efficiently, so they will use a lot more energy," he says.

He recommends keeping them to the manufacturer's recommended pressure and checking them once a month.

Mr Martin says avoiding excess weight and aerodynamic drag can also help.

"The more … you're carrying around, the more energy you're using," he says. "Make sure you're not carrying around things that you don't need."

He says anything that adds drag, like roof racks, also drains power.

Preserving battery life and charging cheaply

Treating your battery well is another way to help preserve your range in the longer term.

"Batteries nowadays are pretty capable, so as long as you're sensible … they'll actually last really well," Mr Day says.

Most manufacturers recommend keeping EV batteries at between 20 to 80 per cent capacity, he says, unless you're going on a long trip and need maximum charge.

"[Manufacturers say] charge at home on a destination charger because that's a nice, slow, gentle charge. Avoid going too low, avoid going too high, avoid charging too fast if you can," he says.

And to power up as cheaply as possible, Mr Day recommends charging at home using solar power, or an electricity plan with cheap rates when you're able to plug in.

"If you've got a solar system then … that's gold standard," he says.

"When it's sunny, I'm basically charging … I used to pay $3,000 a year in fuel. With my electric vehicle running almost exclusively off solar … it cost me $100."