Let’s see what song you will sing in the winter – this is how owners of internal combustion vehicles tend to whine about those who bought an electric car. “It’s better for me,” says the owner of “VW Id4 GTX” Guntars Brušs, reports the newspaper “Kurzemes vvarms”.
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Your electric Volkswagen he bought with state support last summer. “I’m just learning what and how to do,” he emphasizes, but he is very satisfied with his electric car. The difference in the distance that can be driven on a full charge is 100 kilometers. “I can drive around 400 kilometers in summer, 300 in winter. You get used to it. The battery runs out, so put it down and charge it,” says Guntars.
That is why he has not changed his daily driving habits. Without spending the whole day on the wheels, if someone’s battery is low, it is probably more noticeable that instead of two hundred, they can only drive one hundred.
It is not true what people have said that in winter electric cars should not be defrosted or warmed up. “Wake up in the morning, press not only the coffee machine button, but also the phone application when starting the car. When you go out, the car is warm, the windows are defrosted. The function can also be set automatically. An electric car is even required to do this, because the battery needs to be heated,” he points out. It takes about 20 minutes.
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Guntar thinks that the warm-up eats very little. “While driving, I don’t feel that anything has fallen off from the morning heating. You will even be able to drive more kilometers than if you get into a cold car with a cold battery,” says the owner. Driving in recovery mode is even easier in winter. “With a normal car, you have to think how to brake, but with this one – let off the gas, and it starts by itself,” said G. Bruš.
He has not done any research on how many extra kilometers are accumulated from braking.
Charging prices have fallen a bit again, it is profitable to drive. When driving a longer distance, time and charging options should be calculated on the route, planning where, for example, you will eat, where you will walk while the car is ready to drive on. “I think it’s the future,” says Guntars and hopes that as the number of electric cars grows, there will be more charging points.
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For reference
What to consider when driving an electric car in winter
– Switch on the interior heating function before you disconnect the machine from the electricity supply in the morning. When heating the cabin while the car is connected to the charging port, it will draw electricity from the supply, not the battery.
– Charging the battery through recuperation depends on the amount of kinetic energy, that is, on how intense the deceleration is during braking and on how long it lasts. Those who want the maximum recuperative effect should brake with the brake pedal partially depressed and generally avoid rapid deceleration where possible in order to lose less energy and mileage reserves during braking.
– For most electric cars, the battery is located under the car, which means that their center of gravity is lower. This specific feature gives electric cars better traction, so they will be more comfortable driving on a snowy road.
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– At the same time, it should be remembered that most electric cars are heavier than cars with internal combustion engines, so when driving on an icy road, you should choose a lower driving speed, because the car could be more difficult to maneuver.
– Although an electric car has fewer moving parts and technical fluids, one of the elements that still requires regular maintenance is the brake system. The steering system, air conditioner and wheel rims also require maintenance. In general, the general technical inspection of these vehicles should be carried out at similar intervals as for cars with an internal combustion engine.
Source: “Moller Auto”
Photo: (Photo: Egon Sieverts/”Kurzeme’s name“)
