I noticed that most people in this forum are new to EVs. I compiled a list of things that I think would be helpful to new EV drivers with some general EV tips and some things specific to the bz4x. I'm new to the bz4X, but have been driving various EVs for 8 years. I hope it's helpful.
Range - The listed range miles on the dash is not the actual range you will get. It is just an estimate. The car is guessing what your range will be based on past driving that you have done. The useable battery in my bz4x is 64 kwh. Watch the miles/kwh that you are getting. Right now, on my 2024 AWD, I’m averaging 3.4 miles/kwh. That means my average range from full to empty is 218 miles (64 x 3.4). Watch your mi/kwh. Know what you get under different driving conditions!
Efficiency – Whereas gas cars are more efficient and get better MPG driving on the highway, EVs are the opposite. EVs get better miles/kwh in slower driving. Driving at high speeds on the highway is a range killer. There is a huge efficiency difference driving at 65mph vs. 80mph.
Regenerative Braking – When you take your foot off the accelerator or press the brake pedal, the car will use regenerative braking to slow the car down and charge the battery. If the battery is full or near full, there is no place for that energy to go, so the car will not use regen braking. When you press the brake pedal, the car tries to use as much regen as it can, but in hard braking, the friction brakes are also applied. This is called blended braking. Most automakers use blended braking with EVs. Tesla does not (not sure if this has changed in any of their newer models).
Regen Boost Button – Pressing this button in the bz4x increases the amount of regen braking that occurs when you take your foot off of the accelerator. Using this allows you to use the brake pedal much less. Most new EV drivers don’t like the feeling of it. It takes a bit of time to get used to it and adjust your driving style to make it comfortable. Personally, the only time I use it is in stop and go traffic so that I don’t have to move my foot constantly back and forth. Some people refer to this as One Pedal Driving, but in the bz4x, you need to apply the brake to come to a complete stop. Some other automakers have a true one pedal driving mode where the car will come to a complete stop without hitting the brake. Since pressing the brake pedal also does regen, using regen boost in the bz4x will not necessarily give you more range. If you’re not careful and have the car use too much regen and then have to accelerate more, it can actually be less efficient.
Public Charging Etiquette – The public charging infrastructure is poor, so EV drivers need to help each other! 1) Don’t occupy an EV charging space if you are not charging! Once your car is done charging, move it so others can charge. 2) At DC fast chargers, try not to charge past 80%. This is a general EV charging rule, as the rate of charge of most EVs starts to slow greatly after 80%. It is much worse in the bz4x. The charging rate slows to a glacially slow pace. It is a waste of your time and other drivers time if they are waiting for you. 3) The fastest rate that the bz4x can charge at is 150kw for FWD, and 100kw for AWD. Many other EVs can charge at higher rates. If you pull into a DC fast charging station and there are 350kw and 150kw chargers, use the 150kw charger. A 350 will be no faster for you (in most cases), but can be much faster for others.
Cold Weather - will reduce your range dramatically. This varies from car to car. I have seen range reductions in winter to be anywhere from 15-30% less. Using the heater uses a lot of electricity. The seat and steering wheel heaters use much less. A/C cooling in the summer is a range drain, but not nearly as much as heat in winter.
Tesla Superchargers – In the US, Tesla’s supercharger network is far superior to the CCS charging network that non-Tesla cars use. Other automakers recently came to agreements with Tesla to be allowed to use Tesla Superchargers with an adapter. This is huge. Ford and Rivian can use it currently. Others are being phased in. Don’t expect Toyotas to be able to use Tesla superchargers until 2025 though.
Range - The listed range miles on the dash is not the actual range you will get. It is just an estimate. The car is guessing what your range will be based on past driving that you have done. The useable battery in my bz4x is 64 kwh. Watch the miles/kwh that you are getting. Right now, on my 2024 AWD, I’m averaging 3.4 miles/kwh. That means my average range from full to empty is 218 miles (64 x 3.4). Watch your mi/kwh. Know what you get under different driving conditions!
Efficiency – Whereas gas cars are more efficient and get better MPG driving on the highway, EVs are the opposite. EVs get better miles/kwh in slower driving. Driving at high speeds on the highway is a range killer. There is a huge efficiency difference driving at 65mph vs. 80mph.
Regenerative Braking – When you take your foot off the accelerator or press the brake pedal, the car will use regenerative braking to slow the car down and charge the battery. If the battery is full or near full, there is no place for that energy to go, so the car will not use regen braking. When you press the brake pedal, the car tries to use as much regen as it can, but in hard braking, the friction brakes are also applied. This is called blended braking. Most automakers use blended braking with EVs. Tesla does not (not sure if this has changed in any of their newer models).
Regen Boost Button – Pressing this button in the bz4x increases the amount of regen braking that occurs when you take your foot off of the accelerator. Using this allows you to use the brake pedal much less. Most new EV drivers don’t like the feeling of it. It takes a bit of time to get used to it and adjust your driving style to make it comfortable. Personally, the only time I use it is in stop and go traffic so that I don’t have to move my foot constantly back and forth. Some people refer to this as One Pedal Driving, but in the bz4x, you need to apply the brake to come to a complete stop. Some other automakers have a true one pedal driving mode where the car will come to a complete stop without hitting the brake. Since pressing the brake pedal also does regen, using regen boost in the bz4x will not necessarily give you more range. If you’re not careful and have the car use too much regen and then have to accelerate more, it can actually be less efficient.
Public Charging Etiquette – The public charging infrastructure is poor, so EV drivers need to help each other! 1) Don’t occupy an EV charging space if you are not charging! Once your car is done charging, move it so others can charge. 2) At DC fast chargers, try not to charge past 80%. This is a general EV charging rule, as the rate of charge of most EVs starts to slow greatly after 80%. It is much worse in the bz4x. The charging rate slows to a glacially slow pace. It is a waste of your time and other drivers time if they are waiting for you. 3) The fastest rate that the bz4x can charge at is 150kw for FWD, and 100kw for AWD. Many other EVs can charge at higher rates. If you pull into a DC fast charging station and there are 350kw and 150kw chargers, use the 150kw charger. A 350 will be no faster for you (in most cases), but can be much faster for others.
Cold Weather - will reduce your range dramatically. This varies from car to car. I have seen range reductions in winter to be anywhere from 15-30% less. Using the heater uses a lot of electricity. The seat and steering wheel heaters use much less. A/C cooling in the summer is a range drain, but not nearly as much as heat in winter.
Tesla Superchargers – In the US, Tesla’s supercharger network is far superior to the CCS charging network that non-Tesla cars use. Other automakers recently came to agreements with Tesla to be allowed to use Tesla Superchargers with an adapter. This is huge. Ford and Rivian can use it currently. Others are being phased in. Don’t expect Toyotas to be able to use Tesla superchargers until 2025 though.