Why EV Drivers Shouldn't Worry About Range Anxiety

Your range is more than enough, so just calm down.

When making the decision to switch to an electric car, range anxiety is almost always one of the deciding factors. After all, if you run out of electricity in an EV replenishing the battery isn't as quick and easy as filling a tank with gas.

We have seen some clever solutions to range anxiety such as the BMW i3's gasoline range extender model and Volvo's recent purchase of a mobile charging company. However, according to research by DrivingElectric.com, these solutions to range anxiety shouldn't even be necessary. Researchers discovered that the average number of miles covered by UK drivers in one week was actually smaller than the range of most EVs.

The typical mileage for social trips, leisure, shopping, school runs, and commuting actually fell well within the limits of the latest electric cars. Only under specific circumstances such as business trips or holidays would most UK drivers actually have to worry about stopping to charge.

This means most drivers overestimate how many miles they actually drive each day. Range anxiety is based on the fear of having to stop and charge the car for long periods of time or running out in an inconvenient area. In reality, most drivers could go a full week without having to worry about that happening.

Even EVs with shorter range like the Volkswagen e-Golf and BMW i3 - which can travel up to 125 and 153 miles respectively - would only require one recharge for an average week of commuting. EVs like the Tesla Model 3 and Hyundai Kona Electric - which can both travel over 300 miles on a charge - can both be driven for an entire week of average driving without needing to recharge.

The study analyzed 480 UK motorists and found the average weekly work commute to be 70 miles, school runs to be 24 miles, social and leisure trips to be 89 miles, and shopping to add another 82 miles. In total, the average driver travels around 265 miles in a week. Most new EVs can accomplish this distance on one charge and the rest can do it with just one recharge. Perhaps this study proves we should stop worrying so much about range anxiety.