Torque Shop: Why do EVs consume more power on highways?
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An EV's range starts to drop significantly at speeds above 110kmh.
ST PHOTO: CHRISTOPHER TAN
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Why are electric vehicles (EVs) more efficient in urban driving and less so on highways? It is always the opposite with the petrol-powered cars I have owned.
There are two main reasons for that. One, there is less opportunity for an EV to recapture energy from braking on highways. Whereas in the city, there is plenty of stop-start driving, which allows battery-powered cars to convert braking force back into electricity to be stored in the battery.
Two, highway driving typically involves significantly higher speeds. As EVs do not have multi-speed transmissions like combustion-engine cars, their motors have to work much harder than if the car was driven in the city. This translates to higher power consumption.
This is often the case with petrol-electric hybrids too. These cars are most efficient in the city, but their efficiency drops appreciably during, say, a highway road trip from here to Kuala Lumpur.
