Driving tips for the EV1
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Getting the most range out of your EV1 like any EVs takes some practice. Here are a few tips that may help squeeze the last few miles from the car when you really need to. If you don't need to have fun and drive it any way you like.

  1. Keep the amps low
    This seems like an obvious one one characteristic of lead acid batteries is that the more amps you pull from a battery the fewer amp hours you get out of it. That mean stomping on the pedal detracts from the range even if you coast after that. Try to hold the average amp draw by avoid surges in power even if they are small. Accelerate very slowly. On hills try to keep the same power going up as going down (within reason of course). Remember you want to avoid surges in power if at all possible, which leads to the next hint...
  2. Plan ahead
    The goal while driving is to use every bit of the battery capacity to move you down the road. You never want to throw any of that momentum away by using the brakes or even the regen coast down. So plan for those exits and turns and let the speed drop due to drag and friction. Don't follow too close behind other drivers or else you will end up using the brakes. Try to time the stop light so you can just keep on rolling. Lost momentum has to be made up so lose a little speed earlier so that it takes longer to get to the light. If at all possible make the trip when there are fewer cars on the road so you can drive like an EV extending its range without getting other drivers angry.
  3. Drive Slower
    This is a tough one to follow but it makes a big difference at highway speeds. The EV1 has a low drag coefficient but speed still makes a significant difference. If you have a way of
    measuring amps drawn try it and see. Power required at 70 is quite a bit more than at 50 or even 60.
  4. Keep the windows up
    When driving on the highway keep the windows up. Use the vents to stay cool. If that's not enough then use the AC. The AC draws less than the loss from putting the windows down.
  5. Use the coast down
    When possible use the coast down feature instead of the brakes. It would be best not to use either but sometimes you have to stop or slow down. The coast down puts more back into the batteries than the brakes since no friction braking takes place when using the coast down. I usually drive without the coast down button pushed in and then push it in when I want to slow down.
  6. Experiment
    Try different techniques and see how they work. You will need something to give you feedback for small differences in driving patterns. My EV1Dash program and hardware hookup will do the trick or else you can write your own data collection software. On the numeric display keep an eye on the net amp hours used and compare that to the drain. The closer those number are the better you are driving. If you keep a constant 25Amps the number should match exactly. Pull lots of power and they diverge. The more power used the more they diverge. Strive for a different of less than 15%. A careful driver pushing for range can get under a 10% difference. Regen should also be as low as possible.