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Why use an electric vehicle route simulator?
When electric car journeys exceed theautonomy of the vehicle, stops to recharge the battery, etc. battery are becoming indispensable. While daily journeys in an electric vehicle can be made without any major constraints, long journeys can be trickier to manage. Despite the expansion of the network of fast-charging stations in France and Europe, meticulous route planning is still essential to avoid any mishaps. That's why a route planner is crucial to simplifying these journeys.
An electric vehicle route simulator is an essential tool for planning journeys, taking into account the car's capacity, available charging points and electric range. What's more, some manufacturers include an on-board system that takes account of the vehicle's limitations.
What are the advantages of using an electric car route simulator?
This solution has been deployed by companies and even by some car manufacturers, because of the added value it provides. Indeed, many popular journey planners such as Waze are not adapted to electric vehicles, which is why applications specially dedicated to electric cars have emerged in recent years.
Here are the key benefits:
- Adapted route planning Similar to a GPS, it considers the capacity of the electric car, identifies available recharging stations and suggests the best route.
- Optimising recharging The simulator calculates the number of stops needed to recharge, taking into account the speed of charging and the distance between charging points.
- The location of recharging solutions It allows you to locate the most suitable recharging stations along your route, providing up-to-date information on their availability, power, price, means of payment and whether they are working.
- The essentials for long journeys For distances that exceed the range, planning includes the necessary recharging en route, ensuring a smooth journey.
What factors influence a journey in an electric vehicle?
Although they are invaluable tools for planning electric car journeys, route planners are not infallible. A number of factors can influence the accuracy of their estimates, including driving behaviour, traffic conditionsBut that's not all.
To begin with, air conditioning and heating of your electric car consume energy, having a considerable impact on the range of your battery. To illustrate, air conditioning can consume up to 20 % of your electric car's range in summer. In winter, heating can consume up to 30 % of your electric car's range.
Secondly, the drop of your journey can also have an impact on the range of your electric car. Driving uphill requires more energy than driving on flat ground. So if your journey includes a lot of hills, your range will be reduced.
What's more, we have the outside temperature. This is because the battery in an electric car works best at moderate temperatures. In cold weather, the battery has to work harder to maintain its optimum operating temperature, resulting in higher energy consumption.
But that's not all, there are also the characteristics of the vehicle itself that will alter your itinerary. So we have :
- The capacity of the electric motor Not all electric motors are created equal, and not all are equally efficient. For example, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 has a 77 kWh battery and a range of 614 km. In contrast, the Kia Niro EV with a 68 kWh battery and a range of 460 km.
- Weight The heavier the vehicle, the more energy it consumes to move.
- Sportiness Electric vehicles with more powerful engines consume more fuel than family cars.
Our electrifying tips for optimising your electric car journey
To overcome these problems of autonomy, here are a few tips to consider to optimise your itinerary:
- Avoid using air conditioning and heating at full capacity Setting the air conditioning or heating to a moderate temperature to reduce energy consumption.
- Drive smoothly More aggressive driving can lead to increased energy consumption.
- Avoid sudden acceleration and braking Whether you're in town, on the motorway or on a country road, anticipatory driving is essential to maximise the range of your electric vehicle.
To find out more about electric vehicle batteries, please see our article on the service life for an electric car battery.
The 3 best journey planners for electric cars
As the number of electric car users increases year on year, the competition for journey simulators is getting tougher. However, we have selected three of them that have managed to stand out from the crowd. Of course, these planners are suitable for both professionals and private users.
Chargemap is a free journey planning app, available on Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, dedicated to electric vehicles. It enables electric car drivers to plan their journeys taking into account the location of charging stations. The interface is translated into several languages and is based on official government data on charging points across the country.
Here are some of the key features:
- complete, easy to use and with a user-friendly interface,
- takes into account all the factors that are important when planning a journey in an electric car (the car's consumption, remaining range and the location of charging points),
- lists more than 166,000 recharging solutions across Europe,
- reliable and provides precise information on charging stations (availability, how to access them, power delivered, type of connector, opening hours, user comments).
What's more, the Chargemap application lets you filter charging points by type, power and operator, save routes for future use and share routes with other drivers.
A Better Route Planner
A Better Route Planner (ABRP) is a free mobile app and online service that allows electric vehicle drivers to plan their journeys, taking into account the car's fuel consumption, remaining range and the location of charging points. Like its twin Chargemap, it is available on Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Here are the main features:
- is very precise and takes into account a number of factors (weather, road profile and vehicle type).
- is easy to use and offers an intuitive user interface.
- can be customised, allowing users to define their own preferences (maximum authorised speed and desired load level on arrival).
In addition to these benefits, ABRP also offers a number of additional features that make it a valuable tool for electric vehicle drivers, such as:
- simulate different driving scenarios (driving in eco mode or driving with a trailer).
- export routes to other navigation applications, such as Google Maps or Waze.
- the ability to connect the application to an OBD2 box to collect real-time data from the electric vehicle.
Overall, ABRP is an excellent journey planner for electric cars that is accurate, easy to use and customisable. It is an essential tool for all electric vehicle drivers who want to plan their journeys with confidence.
Plugshare
Plugshare is a free application that helps electric vehicle drivers find charging points and plan their journeys. Initially conceived as a platform for private individuals to get in touch with each other, making charging points available to drivers of electric vehicles who are passing through. The application has undergone considerable diversification and development, establishing itself as one of the essential tools for travel by electric vehicle.
Boasting the most accurate and comprehensive public electric charging map in the world, the service has a remarkable presence in Europe and North America. It currently has the largest community of electric vehicle drivers in the world, with more than 250,000 charging points listed worldwide (including fast, slow and home charging points).
This application offers users easy navigation, allowing users to search for charging stations by type, location and availability. It also uses real-time data to ensure that charging point information is up to date.
Like Chargemap, Plugshare also lets you save routes for future use and share journeys with other drivers of clean vehicles.
Summary table of the 3 route planners
| Route planner | Availability | Key features |
|---|---|---|
| Chargemap | Free, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto | - User-friendly, multilingual interface |
| - Takes consumption, range and terminals into account | ||
| - Identifies more than 166,000 recharging solutions in Europe | ||
| - Detailed information on terminals (availability, access, power, etc.) | ||
| - Filtering terminals and saving routes | ||
| A Better Route Planner (ABRP) | Free, mobile and online, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto | - Highly accurate, taking into account weather, road profile and vehicle type |
| - Intuitive, customisable interface | ||
| - Simulation of driving scenarios | ||
| - Export routes to other applications | ||
| - Can be connected to an OBD2 box | ||
| Plugshare | Free | - Initially a platform to put people in touch with each other |
| - More than 250,000 terminals worldwide | ||
| - Search for terminals by type, location and availability | ||
| - Real-time data | ||
| - Saving and sharing routes |
Conclusion
In short, whether you're an individual looking to embark on the electric vehicle adventure or a professional looking to optimise your fleets of electric vehiclesThese three route planners, ABRP, Chargemap and Plugshare, are essential tools for planning your journeys efficiently and making the most of electric mobility.
ABRP will appeal to drivers looking for precision and efficiency thanks to its advanced algorithms, while Chargemap will delight users looking for an exhaustive database of charging points. Plugshare is an ideal platform for drivers who want to interact with an active community of electric vehicle users.
Whatever you choose, don't forget that using a route planner isn't just about planning journeys. These tools also offer valuable features such as monitoring your vehicle's state of charge, searching for charging points in real time and saving your favourite journeys.
So don't wait any longer and get an electric car route planner today, so you can take full advantage of electric mobility calmly and efficiently. Don't forget that thanks to Beev recharge cardYou can recharge at over 300,000 public charging points across Europe.
To find out more about top-up cards, we invite you to read our article on charging cards for electric cars.
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