Top 5 tech features to look for in an electric vehicle
Not all EVs are created equal.
And if you’re in the market for an electric vehicle, these are some of the most desirable EV-specific features and technological innovations that’ll make living with your battery-powered motor even more enjoyable.
It’s fair to say that the automotive industry can be fraught with jargon - from ‘dampers’ and ‘dipsticks’ to ‘PHEVs’ and ‘PS’.
The surge in popularity of electric vehicles has also brought a whole new lexicon into the mix, as these cars boast functions that many of us may not be au fait with.
We’re talking about heat pumps, bidirectional charging, battery preconditioning and even burgeoning battery swap systems.
To help bring some clarity to the confusion, here our partners at Select Car Leasing discuss everything you need to know - and what you should be looking for in your next EV.
Heat Pump
A battery heat pump could make a massive difference to your EV driving experience but not all EVs are fitted with one as standard, and the absence of a heat pump might give you pause for thought.
Before we tell you what a heat pump is, you first need to understand how an EV warms its cabin when it doesn’t have one.
EV’s without a heat pump use a regular electric heater instead. It saps power from the car’s battery, it’s not very efficient, and it doesn’t warm the car as quickly as a heat pump will.
And, overall, a heat pump is much more clever than a regular electric heater.
A heat pump runs off a compressor, which drains much less energy from the car’s battery, and uses tubes full of refrigerant to get hot or cold air to where it needs to be both quickly and efficiently.
A heat pump will also utilise waste heat from the car’s battery while also keeping your battery at the optimal temperature.
All of that means massive wins when it comes to charging speeds, battery longevity and (perhaps most importantly) EV range, particularly through the coldest months of the year when EV range can take a real hit.
As a rough rule of thumb, it’s thought that EVs fitted with a heat pump gain 10 per cent more range than an equivalent car not fitted with one.
Heat pumps are also capable of heating a car’s cabin in a fraction of the time of a typical combustion engine vehicle. You’ll be toasty in seconds, even in the depths of winter.
Some affordable EVs fitted with a heat pump as standard: Hyundai Inster, Vauxhall Corsa Electric, Alfa Romeo Junior.
Bidirectional charging
When you charge your car’s battery, you typically want the energy to stay there in order to get you from A-B.
But there are occasions when you want to tap into the electricity stored in your EV’s battery - and this is where V2L, V2G and V2H come in.
Confused? Worry not, we’ll explain.
Bidirectional charging is, essentially, an ability where your vehicle can convert the DC energy stored in its battery to AC, which can then be passed on to another recipient.
V2L stands for ‘Vehicle-to-Load’ and it allows you to power external devices and appliances from your car’s battery, whether it’s camping equipment, a mobile coffee maker, or a power tool.
V2H means ‘Vehicle-to-Home’ and, as the name suggests, lets you funnel energy back into your home itself - which helps to reduce your electric bills while proving handy in the event of a blackout.
V2G, meanwhile, is ‘Vehicle-to-Grid’, and it lets you sell energy back to the National Grid. If you charge your car when energy prices are low, and then sell it back when demand is high, you could be quids in.
Some EVs with V2L as standard: BYD Sealion 7, Xpeng G6, Hyundai Ioniq 9.
Battery preconditioning
We’re not talking here about ‘preconditioning’ your car’s cabin before you get in, which is common on most EVs and helps you deal with hot or cold weather.
We’re instead talking about your vehicle’s ability to cool or warm its battery in order to achieve optimum charging speeds - while also prolonging the battery’s overall health.
Battery preconditioning is particularly important in cold weather (anything below 10 degrees C) or when you’re going to be relying on public DC rapid charging, which can be hugely impacted by the outside temperature.
You can precondition the battery when it’s plugged in, which draws energy from the power source rather than the battery itself, which means the driving range isn’t affected.
But the niftiest EVs can also do it on the go - and will automatically precondition your battery when you set a chargepoint as a destination in the sat nav via the car’s infotainment system.
Battery preconditioning takes around 20-40 minutes to achieve, depending on the car and the temperatures.
And it could knock a good 10 minutes off a typical rapid charge.
Some EVs with en route battery preconditioning as standard: Kia EV3, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Tesla Model Y.
Rapid charging speeds of at least 150kW DC
No-one likes to be hanging around at motorway services, no matter how much you might like a cheeky fast food burger.
Which is why rapid charging speeds matter if you’re going to be taking your EV on a longer trip and you’re going to be replenishing the battery’s energy at a public chargepoint.
Because EVs are equipped with a multitude of different battery sizes and have varying levels of charging speeds, it’s good to pay close attention to the spec sheet before you get behind the wheel.
For those completely unfamiliar with rapid EV charging, the higher the DC charging rate capability (in ‘kW’ or ‘Kilowatts’), the less time you’ll wait for the energy to be restored.
Some premium EVs, like the Porsche Taycan and Lotus Eletre, can support rapid charging in excess of 300 kW DC - which can take the energy in the battery from 10-80% in less than 20 minutes.
If your pockets aren’t so deep, however, aim for rapid charging of around 150 kW DC as something of a good benchmark.
That’s what you get with the all-new Nissan Leaf (which arrives later this year) and which lets you add around 260 miles of range in just 30 minutes.
Some EVs with rapid charging of at least 150 kW DC: Renault Scenic E-Tech, Volvo EX30, Ford Mustang Mach-E.
Battery swap tech
While not available just yet, battery swap tech is one to watch in the coming months and years and could be a game-changer for the industry.
The idea is simple; rather than you having to pull up to a public charger and wait 30 minutes or so for the energy to replenish, you instead drive to a dedicated station where your EV’s flat battery will be dropped out and swapped for one with a full charge.
The process takes just a few minutes - and in some cases could even be quicker than having to wait for a traditional petrol tank to fill with fuel.
Italian manufacturer Fiat has been experimenting with the tech with a goal of 'breaking one of the barriers to electrification with a recharging time of just 5 minutes’.
A trial involving a fleet of 40 electric Fiat 500e cars is underway in Madrid.
Meanwhile Chinese EV manufacturer NIO is also pioneering ‘Power Swap’ stations, with more than 3,200 locations now live across the globe.
Battery swap tech is not available in the UK just yet - but it’s one to watch.
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