Electric car: This is how much electricity and range cost radio, heating and light
Created: 09/28/2022, 06:00
By: Marcus Efler
Anyone who drives electrically quickly gets used to saving electricity on board – in order to save charging costs and, above all, range.
But how much energy do extras really use?
With the trend towards electric drives, many of the habits that drivers have grown fond of are changing.
So you have to plan longer tours differently than with a combustion engine, and pay careful attention to energy consumption and range.
This is particularly important in the colder months of the year, as falling temperatures put a particular strain on the battery.
Electric car: Radio, heating and light cost so much electricity and range
Requires little power: headlights, here on the VW ID.4.
(Iconic image) © www.martinmeiners.de / VW
In contrast to driving in a conventional car, heating the interior, for example, can have a noticeable effect on the range.
But what about other electricity consumers?
Functions such as light, radio or heated rear window are important for safety and driving comfort.
In electric cars, they are not fed directly from the large drive battery, but, as with combustion models, via a separate 12-volt network.
However, its battery (which, by the way, is also responsible for most breakdowns in electric vehicles) is then filled again by the main battery.
Indirectly, the range is definitely affected.
Charging an electric car: These ten go the furthest after 20 minutes
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This is how much power extra functions consume – and this is how much range they cost
(per hour of operation in an electric car that needs 17 kWh/100):
function | power consumption approx. | Loss of range approx. |
|---|---|---|
heating | 5kW | 30 km |
seat heating | 0.1kW | 600 meters |
dimmed headlights | 0.125kW | 750 meters |
fog lights | 0.11kW | 650 meters |
Front and rear window heating | 0.8kW | 4.7km |
cigarette lighter | 0.2kW | 1.2 km |
USB charging socket | 0.1kW | 600 meters |
radio and sat nav | 0.03kW | 180 meters |
Outside mirror heating | 0.04kW | 240 meters |
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Electric car: Saving electricity does not always make sense
It can be clearly seen that the interior heater is by far the biggest power guzzler among the safety and comfort functions.
Switching off lights or window heating to save electricity therefore makes no sense - and is by no means worth the associated safety risk.
