The Impact of Road Types on the Energy Consumption of Electric Vehicles

Abstract

The widespread adoption of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) is hindered by their limited ranges and long charging times. Optimizing eco-driving strategies and BEV-specific routing through a thorough understanding of the BEV discharge behavior is vital to overcome these barriers in the short term. Therefore, this study investigates the impact of road types on the BEV discharge behavior while accounting for explanatory variables (i.e., ambient temperature, the initial state of charge, and driver). Thirty participants drove a 2017 Volkswagen eGolf along two predefined routes in Rhode Island. The results illustrate that BEVs are the most efficient on-road types with medium speed and low variation (i.e., “major collectors,” “minor arterials,” and “other principal arterials”). Meanwhile, findings confirmed a significantly higher average energy consumption rate on roads with higher average speeds (“interstates” and “other freeways/expressways”). Moreover, “local roads,” associated with a low average travel speed and a high variation in speed, showed a negative effect on BEV efficiency. The study further supported previous findings that BEVs are less efficient in colder temperatures. Thus, adapting eco-driving strategies, including the alteration of route choice to avoid “local roads” and “interstates,” can offer BEV drivers the potential for energy savings and range extensions. We propose a consideration of these findings to mitigate the effects of BEV range limitations and ease BEV adoption and ownership.