How to overcome electric van range anxiety

Range anxiety holding you back from switching to an electric van?

With new developments in electric tech resulting in better claimed mileage, there are fewer reasons than ever to be nervous.

Electric van leasing is swiftly becoming an attractive option for city-based businesses, especially those in places with Low Emissions Zones where local authorities are enforcing air quality standards.

However, until 2017 most electric vans offered a range of around 100 miles, which in real-world conditions, is more akin to 60 or 80.

Luckily, most electric van manufacturers have been working on this, including brands like Citroen and Vauxhall, and there are now a range of vans on the market with claimed mileage above 200.

This makes electric vans a much more enticing prospect for businesses, and, when combined with the workplace charging grant, means more companies can make the switch and reap the benefits.

And as electric driving is being pushed to the forefront, more is being done to make sure you’re never too far from an EV charger.

It won’t be long until range anxiety is a thing of the past.

But until that day, we’ve collected our top tips on dealing with range anxiety, so you can confidently take out your next van lease, safe in the knowledge you won’t run out of juice in the middle of nowhere.

What is range anxiety?

‘Range anxiety’ is a term coined to describe the fear that EV drivers can have that their vehicle won’t have enough charge for the journey they’re on – and it’s still one of the barriers when it comes to widespread electric adoption.

In the early days of electric driving, when claimed mileage was hovering around the 100-200 mile mark and there were fewer charging stations dotted around, this was a lot more prevalent. It often limited the distance people were willing to travel, and often led to increased stress around long journeys.

But with the advancements in electric tech, range anxiety is nothing to fear.

However, there is still a need to be aware of the range of the electric van lease you’re choosing.

Electric vans are well suited to city-based businesses that want to avoid the financial penalties associated with combustion engine driving and who don’t cover a huge amount of miles every day.

Rural businesses covering more ground and without the same easy access to public chargers might find it trickier to make the switch – but this doesn’t mean it can’t be done.

How much range do I need?

To work out how much range you’ll need from your electric van, your first step should be working out how many miles you cover per day on average, and how often you’ll be able to charge your van. 

This should give you a good idea of the kind of range you’ll need – taking into consideration an extra buffer in case you get stuck or have to divert your route.

If you can install an electric charger at your workplace or home, and can charge your van every evening, range will be less of an issue and you can pick your van based more on other features, like brand and creature comforts. 

But if you’ll be relying on public charging, or you won’t have the opportunity to plug in every night, you’ll need to pay much more attention to the claimed range of the electric vans you’re eyeing up.  

It’s still doable.

You’ll just have to factor in that you might need to hunt down an electric charger during the day.    

What affects electric van range?

There are three main factors that affect electric van range: driver behaviour, temperature and battery health.

Bad driving can affect fuel economy in combustion engine vans, and it’s the same for electric vans: speeding, rapid acceleration and harsh braking all use additional energy, and can result in a shorter range than you might expect.

But sometimes a shortened range is out of your control.

The outside temperature can influence real-world mileage – batteries aren’t fans of the cold – as can using the heating and the air con. This use of extra energy siphons off the battery and can result in loss of mileage.

Battery health isn’t such a big issue, but like all rechargeable batteries, your van battery will eventually start to degrade which means it won’t be able to charge to its full potential. But this really isn’t anything to worry about. Tests have shown that the typical EV battery only declines about 2.3% every year. 

How can I maximise my electric van’s range?

There are several ways you can maximise the real-world range of your electric van.

A smooth driving style, avoiding harsh acceleration or braking, and maintaining a sensible speed will increase the efficiency of your battery and contribute to getting more mileage out of each charge.

Using the van’s regenerative braking can also contribute to an increased range.

Normally, your van will have a couple of different driving settings. The one often labelled ‘eco’ will enable the van’s maximum regenerative setting and send the most power back into the battery while you’re braking.

Taking advantage of your van’s ability to preheat or precool while it’s still plugged in to a charge also makes the cabin a more comfortable place for you to be without wasting additional energy while out on the road.

Staying on top of your van’s routine maintenance, like tyre pressure, can also help.

It’s top of the list for effective fleet maintenance and keeping running costs down for all vans, but it can also help to maximise the mileage you get out of your EV.

Which electric van should I choose?

Choosing the right electric van for your business is really going to come down to how much range you need.

If you’re covering under 100 miles daily and only need something small, then something like the Citroen e-Berlingo or the Renault Kangoo E-Tech will be perfect.

After something with more mileage? The medium-sized Vauxhall Vivaro Electric, Citroen e-Dispatch or Peugeot e-Expert, with their claimed ranges of up to 205 miles will work perfectly.

And if you’re an urban-based business carrying out ‘last-mile’ deliveries, you’re in luck - Mercedes-Benz have designed the Mercedes eSprinter specifically for this purpose. Its 90-mile range is plenty - as long as you charge up every evening, and its cavernous cargo area will hold anything and everything you need to deliver.

Whatever the needs of your business, there’s sure to be an electric van that suits you.