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May 22, 2017 | Vivian Zhou

We've found some tangible proof that today's most popular electric cars will take you a very long way, even on a single charge! This ingenious EV range map inspired us to make our own.

But since NY and SF are a tad too far from our doorsteps, we made one that measures how far your electric car can go from our home city, Amsterdam. This will help you create a perfect plan for your weekend getaway or euro trip this summer.

What we know about electric car range so far

Back in the humble beginnings of EVs, the best-selling electric car, Nissan LEAF, had a maximum range of about 175 km (109 miles). Fast-forward to today and Nissan is now working on a 540 km (340 miles) electric car. The new Renault ZOE, Chevy Bolt and Opel Ampera-e (all with a fairly affordable price tag) can reach 400-500 km (248-300 miles) on a single charge too. The main reason? Better batteries that have become more powerful and less expensive. Recent statistics from Bloomberg pointed out that battery costs have dropped by 65% since 2010. This helped them reach $350/kWh in 2015. By 2030, BNEF expects battery costs to be well below $120/kWh. Falling costs of batteries = lower prices for electric cars.

Every electric vehicle has thousands of separate battery cells. This complex design takes up space – more than 50% of the area dedicated to car batteries is taken up with housing and contacts. As a result, a bunch of engineers came together and thought of something new. The IKTS has recently developed a new battery concept that could substantially decrease the amount of space needed for housing and contacts. This would mean that more batteries can fit in the same car, and that the range can be increased up to 1000 km (620 miles)!

You may be asking yourself if 1000 km on a single charge is really needed? What driver with a clear conscience would want to stay on the road for that long without making any stops?! You would surely need to find a restroom and stretch your legs. Not to mention the fact that any combustion engine car would need to stop and fill up the tank to be able to reach 1000 km, but now we’re describing the potential for long-distance, cross-border trips.

Increased range is exciting, but let’s not forget about the daily commute, the distance our cars are actually driving on a daily basis. In The Netherlands, the average daily distance is only 32 km (20 miles). With a minimum range of 100+ km (62+ miles) for all-electrics, and 30+ km (18+ miles) for plug-in hybrids, it’s now fair to say that any of today’s available electric cars, can easily cover your commuting needs.

Before you embark on that electric euro trip…

NEDC is the official measurement for electric-car range in Europe, yet we’re aware that the given numbers are sometimes overly optimistic. The actual range is dependent on the way you drive, whether you turned on your AC, weather conditions, and so on.

Most importantly though, plan your route based on the availability of charging stations. In the rare event that you find yourself stuck with a drained battery, it'll come in handy to have the nearest EV charging stations mapped out.

There are over 2 million (plug-in hybrid) electric cars on the roads worldwide, and more than 500,000 of them are in Europe. With the continuous increase in EV adoption, charging stations are more in-demand than ever. That's why we're expecting to see a massive increase in EV charging stations at restaurants, hotels, rest stops, and more in the next few years.

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