10 quick tips for owning an electric car

So we decided to replace our reliable internal combustion engines with zero-emission electric vehicles. Congratulations! You may already know a lot about the environmental benefits of electric vehicles, but you still need to integrate electric vehicle driving into your daily life.

Summary:Here are some tips to help you get the most out of your new car.

1. Know your car settings

Electric vehicles have a number of features that affect performance and energy consumption. For example, a Tesla Model S can go from zero to 100 km/h in 2.5 seconds in ridiculous mode, but that means losing range. Take the time to explore all of the vehicle's capabilities to ensure that your battery is used wisely.

2. Plan your route

There are currently more than 50,000 public chargers nationwide, according to the US Department of Energy. However, it is always important to consider how far your car can go and where you can get more power if you need it.

3. Install the charger at home

The most convenient place to plug it in is in the garage, but if you plug a level 1 cord into a 120-volt outlet, you can only go a few miles on an hour's charge. After a long trip, it can take a whole day to recharge the battery; A 240-volt outlet and a second level charger allow you to charge your battery up to five times faster.

4. Be careful at public charging stations for electric vehicles.

Always follow the golden rule as we all need to use public chargers. You don't want to wait for someone else to unplug it - move the car when it's finished charging.

5. Empty the trunk

Like all cars, electric vehicles are most efficient when they are not overloaded - to get the maximum range on a single charge, remove unnecessary heavy loads from the luggage compartment.

6. Perform Regular Maintenance

In general, electric vehicles are far less labor intensive than gasoline-powered vehicles, but still require basic maintenance. Keep your tires inflated, change air filters regularly and check fluid levels.

7. Be extra careful with battery life in winter

In the cold season, special attention should be paid to feeding. Heating systems consume a lot of energy and batteries are inefficient in cold climates. Preparing the battery before a trip and switching to economy mode is a good way to solve these problems.

8. Take advantage of regenerative braking

Regenerative braking systems in electric vehicles can be very useful in saving freight by recovering much of the energy lost during deceleration. Depending on driving conditions and vehicle dimensions, this can significantly increase autonomy.

9. Take a portable electric car charger with you

For long trips, in emergencies or for convenience, it is recommended to use a portable charger in the car; with a 240-volt outlet, the charging speed from a set of level 1 cables is three times faster.

10. Have fun!

Remember that driving a car that is quiet and emission-free is a lot of fun, so don't forget to enjoy it!