Ultimate Electric Vehicle Buyer's Guide

EVs regeneratively brake - just like hybrids. When you&#;re not powering on - like, when you&#;re coasting - the electric powertrain becomes a generator and pumps fat electrons back into the battery, thereby reclaiming kinetic energy that would otherwise be lost to the environment in a conventional car. Which is a pretty clever thermodynamics hack.

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But how an electric vehicle feels to drive is also different. There&#;s a fundamental difference in the way they accelerate, go around corners and stop. The change in how their mass moves through time and space (compared with combustion vehicles especially) is noticeable - if you&#;re paying attention.

HANDLING

Handling is such a broad topic. But EVs tend to handle, not necessarily better or worse, but differently to the cars you&#;re probably used to driving, particularly if you&#;re new to EVs.

You could A) be talking about mundane real-world driving (like in a big fat Kia Sorento 7-seat SUV), or B) you could be talking about on-the-limit handling on, say, a racetrack with a really fast car (like the Hyundai i30 Fastback N).

In normal driving, you&#;re talking about how it feels around corners at normal speeds.

But in performance driving, you&#;re talking about how the vehicle behaves at- or close-to the limits of handling - and then how it handles when you go beyond the limit. In this report, we&#;re (generally) talking about the latter. But we&#;ll also touch on the daily driving you&#;re likely to do in an EV in regular traffic conditions.

In order to do that, let&#;s address some of the key factors relating to EV handling, starting with&#;

FRICTION

Pushing an object across the floor requires a certain amount of energy: It&#;s hard because of friction. Once it&#;s moving, it requires slightly less energy, because the coefficient of friction is less.

This level of friction can also vary depending on the materials themselves. So an EV, like a combustion car, will use more energy getting itself going from standstill than when it&#;s already moving.

Nothing particularly new here, except that the nature of EVs generally being about 25 per cent heavier than the equivalent comparable combustion vehicle means there is naturally more weight pushing down on the tyres, meaning there is going to be more friction between the tyres and the road surface.

The caveat here is that some carmakers will fit skinnier tyres to their EVs in order to reduce rolling resistance, to get better range out of the vehicle&#;s battery. So wider tyres would help the overall handling of the vehicle, except you&#;re limited to things like wheel profile, the amount of space in the wheelarch, the size of the brakes and those wheels fitting over the brake rotors etc. You&#;re also probably not inclined to go modifying the vehicle because that can void your warranty.

So, how come wider tyres grip the road better?

GRIP

Wider tyres are definitely better, which is why performance cars get them, because clearly area matters.

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Grip is not just about friction. Tyres function because of an interlocking of the rubber tread blocks with the surface of the road. The weight of the vehicle pushes down on the tyre and makes it conform to the bitumen. That&#;s grip.

If you have enough mass of vehicle and the tyre width is sufficiently soft, then you&#;ll make more rubber interlock with the road - therefore you have more grip.

The softer the tyre, the more grip you have because you have a greater area of rubber interlocking with the road and therefore more friction. However, it will mean those tyres wear quicker - nothing is free.

ECO TYRES

Eco tyres are one of the limiting factors to the way electric vehicles grip the road. They&#;re viewed by the carmaker as an easy variable to improve range (because range is what sells).

They do this by reducing rolling resistance, by limiting the softness of the rubber compound and offering a more narrow contact patch, thereby offering less rubber interlocking; less friction; less grip. They do the same thing on small cars and hybrids and small SUVs to sell you on fuel economy.

Tyres are designed to suffer absolute hell. They contain large amounts of silica to reduce rolling resistance and then reduce the amount of energy in the battery needed to drive the vehicle forward. Unfortunately, grip takes a hit by doing this, meaning in an emergency driving situation like swerving, for example, you get to the grip limit sooner than a regular tyre with greater rolling resistance.

This isn&#;t the only engineering compromise on EVs, of course. But it is one of the easiest to solve by simply putting a new set of tyres on that aren&#;t in that eco category and offer a softer compound. The best way to keep your range as high as possible is to maintain optimal tyre pressures.

One option could be to keep the original set of eco tyres for summer, when the roads are generally gripper and it rains less often, and switch to your softer, grippier tyres during winter for when it&#;s cold and wet.

Testimonials 

Lynn W. purchased a used Nissan LEAF that still has around 80 miles of range on a single charge. She recommends calculating your daily mileage because an extended range on the battery may not be needed by everyone. She charges at home on a standard 120-volt outlet and estimates her average electricity costs to be the equivalent of paying $1.25/gallon of gas, which is appealing for those concerned about rising gas prices.

Keith J. bought his used Smart ED for $4,000 in and has since put 23,000 miles on it. He really enjoys driving electric in the city and in traffic compared to a gas powered car. He prioritized battery health when he purchased his used EV. He also recommends potential buyers look for DC fast charging on road trips to reduce any range anxiety, to ask if replacement parts are available at local repair shops, and to estimate the battery capacity in winter weather. He estimates he saves around $100/month over a gas car commuting into New York City.

Mark C. chose to buy a used Nissan LEAF due to the higher price of a new EV compared to the value of a used one. After accounting for fuel, maintenance, insurance, and registration fees, Mark estimates a net savings of around $500. While the savings are great, Mark says his primary reason for driving electric is environmental.

John V. purchased a used Fiat 500e with 31,000 miles for $6,800. He also purchased a five-year extended warranty for his EV. He says the 85-mile range is perfect for daily commuting and driving around town. He is likely to buy a used EV again because it has been so reliable.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of BYD Seagull car. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.