The trend of an electrically powered vehicle is on the rise. And the range of an electric scooter is the primary topic for discussion. Why? Because the range of the electric scooter decides if you will reach your destination on time, or do you have to charge in between the ride.
Electric Vehicle (EV) manufacturers are investing heavily in increasing battery capacity, energy density, vehicle efficiency by designing more efficient aerodynamics, lower friction tires etc.
However, there are several factors affecting the driving range of the vehicle, of which some could be under the user’s control while others may not. They are divided into 3 key factors a) Man b) Machine and c) Environment.
- Man How a person drives their EV influences the SOH (State of health) of its battery and its range. Which mode a person prefers to ride (eco mode, normal mode or sports mode), will affect the energy consumption.
Some people drive at a steady speed while others like to speed up when the road is empty and slow down during the traffic. This driving style matters. Harsh accelerations and sudden braking could take a toll on the battery as well.
Usually, the batteries do not like to be charged often. Also, frequently using fast chargers would adversely affect the battery life in turn affecting the driving range. Charging batteries using the chargers provided with slow chargers will be the best for its performance.
2. Machine (Battery) In this category, we discuss the effect of the battery on the range.
For example, based on the type of battery used in the EV, performance may differ. Most of the electric scooters use Lithium-ion or Li-ion batteries.
There are other alternatives that are used according to the vehicle specification and requirements, like:
- Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC)
- Lithium Manganese Oxide (LMO)
- Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP)
To summarize, the chemical composition of the battery pack and consequently the amount of electric charge it can store provide a direct indication of the range of the vehicle.
3. Environment This category comprises factors that a user or driver has no control over.
Most of the time, the estimated driving range does not meet real-life conditions. That is due to the parameters present in the environment that influence the battery’s SOH, range, energy consumption etc.
For example, Where you ride your electric scooter matters a lot, uphill rides use up more energy, which affects the range and the charge tends to drop faster, but while riding downhill the energy consumption is comparatively less.
The surface profile of the road could affect the range of the vehicle as well. More bumpy and kaccha roads will reduce the driving range. Even the traffic conditions on the road matter.
Your EV might give you its best driving range when one rides on less crowded and smooth roads.
Similarly, these vehicles do not give a good range in extreme climatic conditions like extreme temperatures, strong headwinds, etc.
Nesh LIVE connectivity solutions for EV manufacturers retrieves and analyzes various vehicle parameters to provide guidance to maximize the range. Our analytics engine determines the battery’s state of health (SOH) and state of charge (SOC) at any given time. This allows the prediction of range and timely notifications to the user. Additionally, we can also provide alert messages to the user if needed, upon harsh braking, accelerations and over-speeding. Such continuous monitoring of performance helps manufacturers to drive safety and efficiency of their vehicles along with a seamless customer experience. If you need further details about the product, please drop us a note at info@nesh.live to talk to our IoT and automotive expert.
