The RAC has said it wants to break down the facts for drivers worried about their EV running out of charge on long journeys. The breakdown cover provider issued advice in a Facebook post, discussing whether unexpectedly long trips could affect drivers, such as when they get caught in traffic jams.
In the post, a motoring expert claimed it is a myth that 'EVs can run out of charge in long traffic jams.' For a video shared on Facebook, the RAC invited James, Business Director at Zapmap, to share advice for customers.
The RAC wrote: "Worried your EV might run out of charge in long traffic jams? James, Business Director at Zapmap, breaks down the facts and sets the record straight." The video was titled: "EV myth busting."
In the clip, James told viewers: "Using things like the radio, heating, air conditioning, takes very little battery energy compared to, say, accelerating the car up to 70 miles an hour. An EV can power those things for a very long time if you're stuck in a traffic jam."
Consumer experts at Which? have also tackled the 'myth' for drivers. In a video shared on Facebook last year, the team at Which? responded to a question about traffic jams. It read: "If all cars were electric and they got caught in the traffic jam, air con blasting, radio on, wouldn't they all run out of charge?"
To answer the question, Which? asked a driver named Adrian to simulate a traffic jam. For the test, Adrian sat in a fully electric SUV for 80 minutes with the aircon up, heated seats on, music streaming, and a film playing.
Later in the day, the Which? team caught up with Adrian to check on the results of the 'ridiculously energy-sapping traffic jam.' The presenter asked: "What's the damage, Adrian?" He replied: "I've been sitting here for about an hour and twenty minutes. Heated seats are still going. The air con is still going. As you can see, I've lost a grand total of 2%."
The presenter said: "So not exactly fatal to your car." Adrian agreed: "No, not at all. Now, the car thinks I have lost about eight miles of range while I've been sat here, but I think the best thing to do is take it for a drive and see how long the car thinks I have before I need to charge."
Adrian continued: "I've been driving around for a little bit, and I'd say myth busted. It just goes to show that the car really does use quite a small amount of power while you're stationary, even if you do have your heated seats, your air con, a movie going on the tablet, and streaming through to Android Auto.
"What could make a difference in the future is the weather. Batteries don't like the cold. So if it was a winter's day, if it was close to freezing, then it's quite possible the car would have used a bit more energy."
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RAC and Which? tests prove EVs use minimal battery power during traffic jams, losing only 2% charge in 80 minutes.
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This debunks a major barrier preventing drivers from switching to electric vehicles due to range anxiety concerns.
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Cold weather can increase battery drain, but stationary EVs still use far less power than when accelerating to highway s