Find Dealers
View dealers around Make a new search
Search to complete Delete
Tyres Selector Tyres Selector
My Garage : Make a new search
Electric car range

What can affect electric car range?

Tips & Advice for Car, SUV & Van tyres

The energy consumption of your battery does not only depend on the mileage. There are other factors that can affect electric car range. What are they and how can some be optimised? This is what we're going to tell you in this article.

The capacity of your battery decreases over time

Your EV's battery has a maximum range which is relative to its capacity. But what not everyone knows is that this capacity declines over time. This decay can be more or less significant depending on the make and model of your car. 

The good news is that it can be delayed by avoiding daily use of fast charging or by avoiding, when possible, exposing the vehicle to heat or cold for too long. 

The outside temperature affects electric car range

Riding in hot or cold weather is a factor that affects your electric car range. Why? Because keeping the battery and the driver at an optimal temperature consumes energy.

  • In cold weather, energy is used to warm you up in the cabin, but also to prevent the battery from malfunctioning due to low temperatures.
  • In hot weather, air conditioning to cool you down also consumes energy. The same goes for cooling the battery so that it does not overheat.
Cold weather affects electric car range.

Speed affects your EV range

The faster you drive, the more it affects your electric car range. This is due to the so-called "force of drag" which is more or less important depending on the aerodynamics of your vehicle. Note that this phenomenon is not linear: consumption accelerates as speed increases.

Fortunately, progress has been made on the design of electric vehicles, which are now more aerodynamic and therefore generate less drag. However, manufacturers are still optimising their designs to make their vehicles less massive.

Rolling resistance can reduce electric car range

Rolling resistance is an essential element for EVs. When your tyre rolls over a surface, friction is a resistance that requires energy to overcome. The greater the resistance, the more energy it takes and therefore affects the range of your electric car. That's why a tyre that is optimised to reduce this resistance can improve your EV range.

Rolling resistance and regenerative braking

Electric cars have the particularity of being able to recover energy when braking thanks to the regenerative braking system. It works like a bicycle dynamo: the wheels turn the motor and the rotation of the motor recharges the battery.

But if the rolling resistance is high, the tyre absorbs some of this energy that should be transmitted to the battery to recharge it. Hence the importance for an EV to have tyres with optimised rolling resistance.

Choose tyres that increase electric car range

michelin e primacy g1 0590 compositing jante v1 20201021 nj

Thanks to our many years of innovation, all of our tyre ranges are EV compatible with an optimised rolling resistance. The choice of range should be made according to your use.

If you want to prioritise your electric car range, we have energy efficient tyres that are particularly adapted for this purpose: MICHELIN e.Primacy (which is a summer tyre) and MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV.

 

MICHELIN e.Primacy is specially designed to improve electric car range

Tyres that also reduce ecological impact

On an electric vehicle, abrasion (the emission of particles linked to the friction of the tyres on the road) is greater than with a combustion vehicle because it is heavier.

Choosing the right tyres for an EV is therefore of paramount importance to the environment. In addition to being optimised for rolling resistance and therefore preserving your electric car range, MICHELIN tyres are optimised to reduce abrasion.

According to the ADAC study of March 2022(1) which compares the abrasion of nearly one hundred tyres, MICHELIN obtained the best ranking on this environmental aspect with a 28% lower particle emission than the competing brands(2) while still offering a strong performance.

A correct pressure improves electric car range

If choosing the right tyres can have a positive impact on your battery life and the environment, it also requires that they are kept at the correct tyre pressure. Indeed, it determines the performance for which they were designed and therefore help you improve electric car range.

This recommended pressure (indicated in the driver's door and sometimes in the fuel filler flap) allows an optimised rolling resistance, less abrasion, better safety and will make your tyre last longer.

Your driving style can affect EV range

Driving style is another factor that can affect energy consumption, even more so on an EV than on a combustion vehicle. Sporty driving, for example, will consume more energy.

Think about anticipating braking and using regenerative braking as much as possible instead of the brakes, in order to store as much energy as possible in the battery and extend electric car range.

Sporty driving consumes more energy and therefore reduces electric car range

The surface

The surface you ride on can also affect EV range. Obviously, driving in the mountains will have a greater impact on the battery than driving on a flat, straight road.

On a motorway, it is recommended not to drive too fast since speed, as explained above with the force of drag, accelerates the consumption of the battery. Your speed and the distance you can travel should be adjusted according to the distance to the next charging point.

Find the perfect tyre

Enter your vehicle or tyre size
We're searching for your tyre... Wait few seconds we're processing your photo

LEGAL NOTICES

(1) Tyre abrasion: Wear and burden on the environment / ADAC e.V. | 81360 München / December 2021

(2) Internal calculation based on 2021 ADAC study, updated on March 2022. For all ranges tested, MICHELIN tyres lose an average of 95g/1000 kms compared to an average of 122,3g/1000kms for the premium competitors tested, i.e. 28% less.

 

You are using an unsupported web browser
You are using a website browser that is not supported by this website. This means that some functionnality may not work as intented. This may result in strange behaviors when browsing round. Use or updgrade/install one of the following browsers to take full advantage of this website