Range is usually at the forefront of EV shoppers mind. Some going to such lengths as insisting that an EV must have more than 2000 km range for that once in a lifetime trip to Nova Scotia. Such extreme range claims are of course completely senseless, in particular, as you need to use the bathroom quite a few times on such a long journey, not to mention recommended rest standards for road trips. Lets take a look at those, and see how much range is needed from a biological standpoint. We find that you need to stopping every two hours. Be it for the bathroom, fatigue, food or whatnot. Using a 90 km/hr trip-average-speed, that’s 180 km.
There is a limit to how long you should or can sit behind the wheel. Starting with fatigue, its a well known factor in a number of highway crashes, responsible for perhaps 20% of all car crashes in Ontario (source). Thus its recommended you take at least a 15 minute break, every 2 hours while driving. The average person uses the bathroom 6-7 per day to pee (source). Suppose one is awake for 16 hours, that’s a bathroom break every 2-3 hours. Food is another reason for a break. Assuming 3-4 meals a day (breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner), and the same 16 wake-hours to nourish oneself, that’s a food break every 4 hours. So, seems were stopping every 2 hours, be it fatigue, bathroom breaks, or food, what does that mean for range?
Well, how fast does one drive? What matters here is “trip-average-speed”, not the 120 km/hr I did when passing a truck. There I find 90 km/hr is a more accurate number to use. Granted, the kids call me a slow-poke, but lets roll with it includes time spent at the stop-light before I got on the 401. So, 90 km/hr, for 2 hours, that’s 180 km. Using 5.5 km/kWh (a reasonable average from our used car survey). We would need a battery capacity of 33 kWh.
It could be argued that one ought to stop frequently on a road-trip, after all, there is so much to see, experience and yes eat. All those stops are kinda the reason you are taking that road-trip anywyas. Why settle for just Kingston ON, where you can also experience the Big apple, Trent-severn canal, Napanee and more wonders along Hwy 401.
Electric car adventures 