Geotab announced its new electric vehicle (EV) range analysis, examining the impact of speed and temperature, is now available on the Fleet Electrification Knowledge Centre.
The interactive analysis, showcased for the first time at Geotab Connect 2023, uses de-identified, aggregated data from three million EV trips and 550,000 hours of driving time to better understand the relative range impact of temperature and speed.
Building confidence in EV range is critical for widespread adoption. The analysis allows users to explore two significant factors that impact range, namely outdoor temperature and a vehicle’s drag at different speeds. Understanding the functional range of an EV helps increase confidence that vehicles are operating efficiently and that the right vehicle is selected for the job and present conditions. The analysis compares the range of two vehicle body types by modeling an electric sedan and a light cargo van, both adjusted to represent a 65 kWh battery.
From the analysis, Geotab observed that the speed at which vehicles drive influences the relative impact of temperature. At low speeds, temperature can significantly impact range, and at higher speeds, temperature becomes much less relevant. The size and shape of the vehicle also influence the optimal conditions to maximize EV range, and larger vehicles lose range more quickly with increased speed. These insights reveal that the best strategy to optimise EV range should consider the context of the trip. For a highway route, avoiding speeding will be the best strategy to conserve range, especially for larger vehicles. For slower routes, there will be more seasonal variability in range, so mitigating the impact of temperature will have the best results.
“Electrification is an important component in reducing carbon emissions in fleets. To help businesses feel confident about integrating EVs into their fleet, Geotab provides exceptional data insights that support informed decision-making,” said Charlotte Argue, Senior Manager of Fleet Electrification at Geotab. “Backed by real-world EV data, the analysis is intended to be used as a resource to help educate users on factors that impact EV range and build awareness of strategies to optimize EV deployment.”
