What is range anxiety?

Range anxiety is a term that is heard more and more these days as the swing towards electric vehicles continues at a greater pace.

But range anxiety is not limited to just electric vehicles.  It is a general term that relates to a drivers fear that their vehicle has insufficient energy storage (petrol, diesel or electricity) to cover the required distance and reach the intended destination.

The reason that is has become so popular is naturally because electric vehicles do have a limited range before their energy runs out and they require charging.

While a petrol or diesel vehicles only requires a minute or two to fill up at the pumps before the driver can continue on their way, an electric vehicle can take several hours to fully charge. In an electric vehicle that has a range of around 200 miles, that means that a round trip to and from a location that is say 95 miles away, will leave a lot of drivers suffering from range anxiety and worried that they will not have enough energy to safely get there and back without needing ‘a top up’.

Range anxiety is a psychological barrier that is often attributed as the number one reason why many drivers do not want to yet make the switch from fossil fuel to electric vehicles. The fear of being left stranded with 0% energy in an EV has and will continue to limit people from making the switch.

However…

If you regularly need to travel 201 miles in a single journey and your electric vehicle only has a range of 200 miles then Electric Vehicles may not be suitable for you (just yet). But the average commute round trip is estimated to be around 23 miles while the distance for some of the longer work day commutes in the UK is around 40 – 45 miles.  So most drivers could go pretty much an entire week on a single charge.  And with vehicle charging points fitted in your driveway or garage, you could charge your car up every night while you sleep. Meaning that every day, you would only be using a fraction of your cars electric range.

To charge an electric vehicle at home costs on average £9.20 (though electricity prices are always changing).  By charging your electric car overnight, you can keep your car fully charged should you suddenly need to drive long distance. An average domestic electricity rate in the UK is around 17p per kWh (though energy prices are constantly fluctuating).

If you require a car for shorter, more regular commutes to work and have easy access to charging stations or have a private garage, driveway or parking space that allows electric vehicle charging points to be fitted, then switching to an electric vehicle is a sensible and realistic option.

Range anxiety may be a more prominent worry for EV owners but it is still evident with those who rely on petrol power.  The Petrol shortages that swept across the UK in September/October this year were enough for many drivers to worry about being able to get to where they were going without having to stop and wait multiple hours before being fully filled up again (sound familiar?). Proper planning and knowing the limits of range are enough to allow most to confidently move past range anxiety.  Electric vehicles are the future and with manufacturer warranties that cover batteries for up to 100,000 miles and a stronger electric charging network growing everyday, there has never been a better time to consider the switch from petrol to electric.