How to adapt to driving a fully-electric car

If you’re thinking about switching to an electric car for the first time, it’s definitely worth thinking about what this might mean for you in terms of adapting to the change. When you’ve been driving a gas car all your life, suddenly switching to a car that’s powered solely by electricity can be tricky. However, it’s not nearly as difficult nor as daunting as you might imagine it to be. So don’t rule it out until you’ve learned more about what it takes.

We’re going to go into more depth regarding what it’s like to own and drive an electric car so that you can have a very clear and comprehensive idea of what’s coming your way. The sooner you learn about these things, the greater your understanding will be and the quicker you’ll end up adopting when you finally become an electric car owner.

In the end, we’re all going to be driving electric cars because that’s the direction the industry will start to go in over the years and decades ahead of us. Electric cars and hybrids are already rising in popularity, so why not get in on the ground floor early and avoid having to adapt later? It’s often best to adopt things quickly and be ahead of the curver rather than left chasing it. So read on now if you want to learn more about what your experience as an electric car owner will be like and how you will need to adapt.

Not worrying all the time

There are some people who spend all their time worrying about when their car will run out of energy and what will happen. In reality, this is not something that you have to worry about at all if you plan out your journeys correctly, and that’s something we’ll talk about more later on. So you need to make sure you don’t fall into the trap of being over cautious. It’s something that happens far too much among new electric vehicle drivers, so don’t make the same mistake others have already made.

More planning when travelling long distances

When you’re going a long way in your electric vehicle, you need to make sure that you plan it out better. Although you can probably go further than you think in an electric car, you still need to know how far you’re going so that you can make sure you don’t end up running out of energy before you reach your next charging point. In reality, it’s a case of using common sense.

Not having to do as much maintenance

One of the very best things about trading in your old car and replacing it with a fully electric model is that you become able to spend less time maintaining your vehicle. It’s definitely one of the very best things about owning this type of car. Most of what goes on under the hood is very smooth. It comes down to the fact that these vehicles function cleanly and smoothly, so less mess and fewer problems are created inside your car. It makes your life that much easier, so embrace that fact.

Becoming a smarter driver

Driving smart is really important because it’s all about conserving energy and keeping your car in good shape. This is something that’s useful even if you drive a gas car. By making sure that you’re able to conserve energy and not waste too much of it, you will make your life as an electric car driver much less stressful, so try to keep this in mind going forward.

Getting to grips with the various modes

There are so many modes and settings found inside your electric car. Of course, this is also the case for many gas cars, so it might not be too hard to adapt to it. However, the modes can be confusing when you have never driven this kind of car before. You should be sure to keep hold of the manual and to read through it completely. When you do that, you will find it so much easier to understand all those buttons and modes on the dash.

Understanding the impact of the temperature

Climate control is one important part of looking after your electric vehicle. For a start, you’re going to use up energy in your battery much faster if you’re using your in-car heating or air cooling. That’s why many electric vehicle car owners use these things very sparingly. You should also try not to store the car in a hot spot because this can eventually damage the battery if you’re not careful.

Dealing with people asking questions

As soon as anyone finds out that you drive an electric car, you’re going to get a lot of questions about what it’s like and what your experiences of it are. You should get used to this sooner rather than later because it’s going to happen a lot. It can be a little annoying when you’re constantly battling against the same old ignorant views and misinformation. And many electric drivers can get defensive about the whole situation as as result of this.

Caring for that vital battery

The main thing that you need to care for in your electric car is your battery. This is where all the value is and this is what makes it run. There is not much more to worry about in the car and there is very little maintenance to do, as we’ve already mentioned above. However, you should try to make it a priority to care for your battery because they can be very costly to replace if they get damage. It’s something to learn about and remain attentive to.

Finding out which destinations and locations offer free charging stations

There are places all over the country and increasingly all over the world that offer free charging for electric vehicles. If you’re heading to a particular place or destination, you should do some research into the charging options before you go. It will help you plan things out and ensure that you know where the best place to charge your car will be. It might even help you decide where you want to go if you find that the charging options are better in one place than another. So try to keep that in mind.

Safe driving standards are no different

When it comes to driving your car safely and making sure that you don’t get involved in accidents on the road, the difference between driving an electric car and a gas car are pretty much non-existent. You need to be careful the way you always have to, so don’t assume that things have to be different. Find more info on accidents and how you can avoid them. But all this applies no matter what car you’re driving. There’s no reason to believe driving an electric car is less safe than driving any other type of car on the road.

Collecting data from your car

Electric vehicles are very high-tech, and you need to make the most of that fact if you want to get the most out of it and drive your vehicle in the right way. It’s important to get into the habit of collecting data from your car so that you can learn how it’s performing, what it’s capable of and how you can drive it better going forward. One of the most important things to measure is the efficiency of your driving. You can then see where you’re falling short and how to make improvements.

Learning to coast when you can

Your charge will last a lot longer if you get into the habit of cruising when you’re on the road. It might be something that you can’t do all the time and in all situations, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do it when you can. By learning to coast along at a steady rate, you will remove the need for constant changes in speed and unnecessary braking. The big advantage of this is it stops your battery from going flat earlier than you would want it to.

Making use of HOV lanes in certain places

In some states in the US, it’s possible for you to use HOV (high occupancy vehicle) lanes if you’re driving a car powered by electricity. It’s something that can be great because it will allow you to bypass traffic in many situations. Do some research and find out whether this is something that you can do in your part of the world. It might help you to save you a lot of time. It’s one of the many ways in which driving an electric car is being made more attractive.

Driving an electric car might not be the ideal fit for everyone out there, but you definitely shouldn’t dismiss the prospect until you’ve actually tried it. It’s a great way to save yourself some money and do something positive for the environment at the same time. The adaptations might seem big, but you’ll quickly get into the right kinds of habits.

** This is a collaborative post