Are you looking to start your electric van hire? Electric vehicles are fun, convenient and eco-friendly, but the world of charging can be confusing for newbies. If you’re used to pulling up to a fuel station and filling up, it’s no doubt that charging an electric van will be different.
Here are our top five tips for anyone looking to switch to an electric van hire or ownership!
1. You don’t always need to charge to 100%
This is perhaps one of the most common mistakes for new EV drivers. There’s a lot of conversation around having to charge your electric vehicle to 100% in order for it to be the most efficient. But, this isn’t always true. Constantly keeping an electric vehicle’s battery full could actually cause it damage rather than good.
Of course, if you’re running out of battery then you can charge your electric van for as long as necessary. Just as you would put your phone or laptop on charge when it’s reaching 0%. But, it’s important not to overcharge your vehicle.
If you’re mostly using your electric van for short journeys, it’s much better for the vehicle to let the battery run down to 10 – 20% before you put it on charge. Then you can recharge the vans battery to around 80%. We would only recommend charging the battery to 100% if you’ve got a long journey coming up and need to make use of the vans full range.
2. Letting your electric vans battery get too low
Similarly to our last point, it’s not great to let any electric vehicle’s battery get too low. If you constantly leave your vehicle with less than 10% battery, it can reduce its lifespan. It’s also important to remember that the longer you leave your EV before charging it, the longer it will take to charge.
This might not matter so much if you’re able to put your van on charge at home, but it can make charging on the go more difficult. You might find yourself limited to what public charging stations you can use, depending on how long you have to charge. You also do not want to be in a position where you’re frantically looking for a public charger with very few miles left in your battery.
It’s always best to plan any long journeys to account for charging time. This way, you’ll know where you can stop to charge your electric van and won’t have to panic. You’ll also be able to develop good charging habits that keep your EV’s battery between 20% and 80%.
3. Switch up your charging speeds
Speaking of charging on the go, within the UK’s public network you’ll find over 30,000 charge points with varying charging speeds. These can range from 7kW to 350kW. We know that the ultra-rapid charging points are extremely helpful as they can charge an EV in around 30 minutes, but they aren’t super great for the battery.
There are certainly times where fast charging is necessary and it is a lifesaver on long family road trips. We recommend switching up your charging speeds, when possible. Using slower charge points is much better for your electric vans battery than rapid chargers are.
4. Let your EV cool down before you charge
This is a really common mistake for newbies. While it might seem obvious to charge your EV straight away after a long journey, it’s actually better for its battery if you leave it to cool down first. If you plug your electric van in straight after a long drive, it can actually reduce the battery’s capacity.
Some smart chargers actually allow you to control your charging via an app. This means you could plug your EV in to charge as soon as you get home, but the charger won’t start charging until you tell it to in the app. This gives the vehicle some time to cool down, without you having to worry about heading back out to put it on charge.
5. Relying on the public charging network…
Without planning ahead at least! Unless you drive a Tesla, and can make use of the Supercharger network, the public network isn’t the most reliable at the moment. This was a much bigger issue in the early days of EVs, and the situation is improving. But, there’s still a way to go.
In reality, the public network can be temperamental. If you are planning on using the public network, we would recommend planning your journey ahead of time. ZapMap is a brilliant tool that shows you all available chargers and any that are being used or broken. Taking an extra five minutes before you head off on a long journey to plan your charge stops, can be extremely helpful!
The last thing you want is to pull up to a charge point that’s broken or unavailable on your journey. That just causes more unnecessary stress of having to find a different charge point!
Electric van hire from EVision!
Here at EVision Electric Vehicles, we currently have three different all-electric vans models available for hire. You can choose to hire for a day, week, month, or years – the term is completely up to you! We offer all customers either 150 miles per day or 10,000 miles per annum, depending on how long you hire for. Plus, we’ll cover your maintenance, servicing and breakdown costs where necessary!
You can currently choose between the fantastic Vauxhall Vivaro-e, convenient Vauxhall Combo-e or efficient Renault Kangoo! What are you waiting for? Start your electric van hire by giving us a call on 01634 914 063.
* All information correct as of 20/05/2022.
