[Early_Adopter]

In the recent past, one of the hot topics that is being discussed in informal chat groups, is all about how many kilometres one can drive on a single charge of an EV car. The new owners, mostly city dwellers, are anxiously discussing about if their car is giving 220kM range on a single charge or should it be 230kM? Was the AC on or was it just the blower on? How many watt-hours the HID or LED lamps consume? Will my car give 20kM more range if I drive at 50-60kM per hour speed rather than 80kM per hour?

IMHO, while some of us successfully transitioned from ICE vehicles to owning the new age EVs, our mindsets remained in the ICE age - pun intended

Currently, most EV car owners are based in metros and large cities where the charging infrastructure (both public and private) is quite adequate. Given the current prices of electricity tariff for charging the cars, one incurs anywhere between Rs. 1 to Rs. 2 per kilometre, compared to Rs. 7 to Rs 10 per kilometre on ICE cars. That means, some variations in the ranges within the city limits does not pinch the pocket for EV owners when compared to the ICE car owners.

So, I wonder if the Range Anxiety is for real, especially in city driving conditions?

Instead, shouldn't we worry about more number of chargers along the highways? Shouldn't we worry more about if these chargers are in working condition? Shouldn't we worry about how fast we can charge our cars along the highways?

In summary, shouldn't the narrative shift from Range Anxiety to Highway Charging Anxiety?

IMHO, a subtle shift in the narrative will go a long way in shaping the way the whole ecosystem develops which is at a nascent stage right now.

Please do not troll - am a newbie here. Wrote this post to hear diverse views from this very august group of auto enthusiasts.

Cheers

[GTO]

An excellent thread .

The term "Range Anxiety" was coined when the (lame) EVs on offer had tiny driving ranges. Think Nissan Leaf abroad with serious range issues in the cold, or the Revas in India. Unfortunately, "range anxiety" has stuck itself in our minds and just like Indians are generally obsessed with "fuel economy" in ICE cars, so will range be an obsession for years to come.

Today's EVs offer very healthy driving ranges of 200 - 350 km on a full charge. This is more than enough for anyone in the city. Heck, my modified Civic used to do merely 300 odd km on a full tank of petrol. And the OEMs are continuously pushing the envelope. The day is not too far when we will see 500, 600 & 800 km EVs on sale. Eventually, I see mainstream EVs being offered with multiple battery options, and only highway runners will pay extra for the 750 km battery. Urban folk will stick to their cheaper <500 km units.

Range Anxiety in the city is overrated and no longer relevant, not even with a Tiago EV and its 200 km range. If anything, it shows poor planning of how you charge your cars. On the other hand, range anxiety on Indian highways is a very real thing, primarily because:

- Almost zero charging facilities on Indian highways

- If you drive fast, the range drops like crazy. 80 - 90 kmph is better for an EV's range than 120 kmph. That's why I rarely ever see EVs in the right / fast lane of the expressway.

- Complete breakdown on zero charge and you can't really fill up quickly like in a petrol / diesel car. You'll need professional help.

I totally agree with the premise of this thread. "Highway Anxiety" is perhaps a more relevant term today.

[Kannan]

In most cases, the range anxiety might be for highway driving. At least mine is that.

But I have had situations where I would have just one point of fuel left in my car, and all of a sudden I have to drive some 60KMs due to unplanned situations. These are the times where we get anxious. For me, it's as simple as going to the fuel pump, getting the car topped up and then driving away. Wheres for EV owners they have to spend some considerable time charging the car and this get's complicated especially when they are apartment dwellers where there may not have chargers available. We are humans after all and we generally have the tendency to not be prepared all the time.

My mild OCD always makes sure I top up when the level hits 3 points in the fuel level indicator, whereas I have friends who will not fill up until unless there is only one point left and then there are few who will fill only when the fuel level indicator starts to blink!. When they switch to EV, they will require some change in the habit, else they surely will put themselves in anxiety.
Also, batteries have a limited cycle and the problem will start to creep in at the later stage of the EV's lifetime.

[Bibendum90949]

Till the EV becomes mainstream, the anxieties associated with it are inevitable. As of now, EV for city use is pretty much sorted I guess.

But for an interstate highway run, one needs to plan it meticulously. Besides, the distance one can cover in an hour is considerably lesser as against ICE which translates to more travelling time in a trip. For me, that's the impractical and worrying side of it more than the range issue. Two to three hours more in a 600 kms/11 hours trip otherwise is massive. So, we all have to wait for the tech to move forward before we see mass market EV cars than can do 600-700 kms with a single charge.

[androdev]

At the current level of availability and adoption in India, the only anxiety we have is cost+reliability.

Bike market is very much ready for EV adoption but given the lack of transparency in terms of technology (is the drivetrain a cheap imported Chinese kit?) and long term reliability, most of us are in wait and watch mode. Same applies to urban commuter cars.

[Kosfactor]

Charging infrastructure can be implemented rapidly , Range can be doubled or tripled based on battery capacity overnight - Cost is the real problem.

Right now only the save polar bear customer is ready to pay more for an EV that is less useful than the equivalent ICE car, when the cost becomes equal to the ICE vehicle one can expect other concerns to become less relevant.

[gkveda]

Yes, highway anxiety and range anxiety exists and it's a reality for EVs. Although infrastructure availability to charge on highways, accurate figures of range in real-time driving scenarios and time taken to charge the drained battery are the root causes for the anxiety, I personally think this anxiety can greatly be reduced by slight change in the design of EV cars.

There can be a stand by battery fixed in the car with lower range (may be 50 kms) which will basically serve like the reserve function in two wheelers.

But, stand by battery will

1. Not be utilised by the car when main battery has ability to move the car
2. When main battery is completely drained and not able to drive the movement, a small switch should be able to draw current from standby.
3. While charging, stand by battery is automatically charged along with main battery
4. When stand by battery is being used, the speed limit should be there for maximum range and other loading accessories would not function.
5. Standby battery is easily replaceable (similar to ICE battery)

This will greatly reduce the anxiety when car is running on main battery.

[padmrajravi]

Agree with this. Highway anxiety is the real problem. What if there are a few cars in my line when I go for charging during my highway drive? With low EV adoption, this is not a problem currently, but I think this will happen in the next 1-2 years. In an ICE car, even if there are 10 cars ahead of me, I will still be out in 30 minutes. This thought is the reason why I have decided to wait and watch.

As people pointed out in earlier posts, the cost is also a problem. EVs cost approximately 30 percent more than the equivalent ICE cars today. EVs do make up for it through their refinement though. In any case, there is no EV that meets my criteria of a 7 seater highway car today.

[AkMar]

Originally Posted by Kannan

But I have had situations where I would have just one point of fuel left in my car, and all of a sudden I have to drive some 60KMs due to unplanned situations. For me, it's as simple as going to the fuel pump, getting the car topped up and then driving away. Wheres for EV owners they have to spend some considerable time charging the car

Originally Posted by padmrajravi

Highway anxiety is the real problem. What if there are a few cars in my line when I go for charging during my highway drive? In an ICE car, even if there are 10 cars ahead of me, I will still be out in 30 minutes.

The above statements are the real challenge for EVs. Till some solution is found, I will be hesitant to buy an EV as my primary car. And since I cannot afford multiple cars, EVs will have to wait.

[GutsyGibbon]

Originally Posted by Bibendum90949

But for an interstate highway run, one needs to plan it meticulously.

Connected EV does the trip planning for you. It knows how many charging stalls are free, and how long the charging session would last. The expected arrival time, and the amount of remaining charge (after reaching destination) it estimates is pretty accurate. It also preconditions the battery for fast charging based on the time of arrival at the charger.

[Early_Adopter]

Originally Posted by gkveda

There can be a stand by battery fixed in the car with lower range (may be 50 kms) which will basically serve like the reserve function in two wheelers

That's a very interesting thought process indeed! I hope the EV makers are listening!

While I am absolutely confident that this solution will be eventually implemented in EVs, the additional battery will add almost 30-50kg of weight and probably Rs. 1 to 2 Lakhs to the cost - under the current battery technology constraints.

So, instead of passing on the additional cost of such standby battery to the consumer, why not the policy makers, the auto manufacturers and large conglomerates, focus on building reliable and widely available highway charging infrastructure that will make the EV ownership experience lot more superior?

Finally, I guess, it will be an optimal mix of larger batteries, more charging infra and lower prices that will play out.

[Naetik30]

The international EV scene has slowly moved from Range anxiety to ABC (Always Be Charging), especially for highway drives. Ofcourse highway drives will need a good amount of planning for the next few years for EV owners.

I am not an EV owner and am on the fence on what car to buy next. This is one of the most confusing times to upgrade from a Mid size sedan (7+ yr old Verna in my case with 1.2 Laks+ Km on the ODO). No good upgrade options within budget + The few with minor compromises have a year long wait list + The world at the cusp of a shift to EVs.

[alpha1]

There are issues within the city too:
1) the charging points are less, and
2) not everyone in the city has a luxury of having accessible charging at their parking (yet).
3) The nearest charging point may have a long queue, and long duration of charging. (Hah, ... remember why people don't prefer CNG in spite of all the cost advantages it offers)

***

Why don't manufacturers add a small ICE engine (say 10 bhp) in the electric vehicle that allows it to take care of emergencies - at least till the EV charging infra is well in place in India. The cost of adding all this would be less than 50K INR

[kosjam]

Originally Posted by gkveda

Yes, highway anxiety and range anxiety exists and it's a reality for EVs. Although infrastructure availability to charge on highways, accurate figures of range in real-time driving scenarios and time taken to charge the drained battery are the root causes for the anxiety, I personally think this anxiety can greatly be reduced by slight change in the design of EV cars.

There can be a stand by battery fixed in the car with lower range (may be 50 kms) which will basically serve like the reserve function in two wheelers.

But, stand by battery will

1. Not be utilised by the car when main battery has ability to move the car
2. When main battery is completely drained and not able to drive the movement, a small switch should be able to draw current from standby.
3. While charging, stand by battery is automatically charged along with main battery
4. When stand by battery is being used, the speed limit should be there for maximum range and other loading accessories would not function.
5. Standby battery is easily replaceable (similar to ICE battery)

This will greatly reduce the anxiety when car is running on main battery.

while in concept this is a good idea, but rather than having a separate physical battery, it is more space efficient and energy efficient to have the separation on the software side rather than the hardware side, so that if say the battery is 40 kwh, 35 kwh should be the normal battery, where are the final 5kwh is the reserve, which is the case right now. Once the battery charge reaches 15 percent or so, most EV BMS reduce max allowed speeds, reduce AC cooling capability to achieve the same results as you just pointed out.

Your solution should be actually applied by RSA, which will carry such a battery with them when they get a call from an EV owner needing additional assistance due to battery drain.

[2000rpm]

No amount of range can solve the highway anxiety until the charging times drop below 10 mins for a decent level of top-up.

Even with a 800 km range EV, I cant buy the same because of way parking infrastructure is available in a city like Mumbai. When the charging times go below 10 mins, then life will become like CNG pumps now. (inconvenient but manageable with passengers having to get down and stuff)