In recent weeks, there have been variable driving conditions in many parts of the country, to put it mildly. First, the snow has subsided. Then the rain has taken over – before it has started to snow again.
This has occasionally resulted in difficult driving conditions.
Many claim that an electric car is just like an ordinary car with a fossil engine, except that the engine is electric. That’s not quite right.
Electric cars have some peculiarities that they do not share with their fossil relatives. These are especially important to think about when the driving conditions are difficult and the road surface is slippery.
One key word is weight. Electric cars have a battery that causes a weight increase of several hundred kilograms. A heavy car that skids is more difficult to stop than a light car that skids. That is why electric cars often stand further out in the ditch than other, similar cars.
This is the only one that managed to compete against the electric cars last year
WEIGHT: An electric car battery weighs a few hundred kilograms – for better or for worse.
All power at once
But there is also more than the weight that you should keep in mind when driving an electric car on smooth roads. This is what Nils Sødal, who is a senior communications advisor at NAF, says.
– In an electric car, you get all the power from the engine at once. That’s why you have to be easier on the gas. Too hard gas makes you spin and anti-spin doesn’t work as it should and helps you up the hill or loose from the hole. Most people get used to it quite quickly once they have got an electric car.
GOOD ADVICE: Nils Sødal from NAF gives electric drivers good advice on the winter road. Photo: NAF.
As mentioned, electric cars are heavier than fossil cars because of the battery pack.
– This adds weight and means that you have to drive a little slower on smooth roads than you would with the fossil car. Although all new cars are packed with electronics to help you on the slippery road, the laws of physics apply if you start to slide properly.
These electric cars went the longest in the winter test
Weight can also be an advantage
– Adjust the speed according to the guide. It’s a good idea to drive slower than you think is slow enough. This applies regardless of whether the car runs on electricity or petrol / diesel. On the other hand, the battery pack can be an advantage that you don’t have in petrol and diesel cars. This is located at the bottom of the car and gives you better pressure on the drive wheels. Therefore, it can be easier to get up hills and the like with an electric car than a fossil car.
Sødal points out that you should also be aware of the regeneration that electric cars do:
– The electric cars brake by themselves. This is called regeneration and creates electricity when you roll down a hill. How the cars regenerate and how many settings you have for it varies from car to car.
This is how it went when we went to the mountains with an electric SUV
REGENERATION: Electric cars regenerate to produce electricity. This can present some challenges.
Can lock the wheels
– If it is very slippery, we recommend that you turn the regeneration as low as possible or completely off. Imagine that you are driving on a really potholed road and come into a bend. The regeneration in the car is at the most powerful level. You let off the gas as you approach the bend and the car starts to brake. Then it’s easy to slip out of the way.
– This does not mean that you should turn off the regeneration all winter. But when it’s really slippery, it’s a good idea to have it as low as possible or completely off, says Sødal.
Also read: This trick could be worth its weight in gold for anyone with an electric car now
Video: You must check this on your car now
