I have driven an electric van around a circuit. This I have learned to save to the maximum

The electric vans They will be common in our cities. It is the decision that Europe has taken. And they will be a constant as the years go by and the restrictions in the center of the cities are greater. In a sector where the volume of kilometers traveled is critical, knowing how to save kW and speed up the batteries is, for the time being, essential to continue working.

To know some tricks that we can apply in the day to day, Northgatea rental company, invited us to the Jarama Circuit to attend the eighth edition of Green Drivers, a day where we got behind the wheel of a Citroën E-Berlingo, the wheels on the asphalt of the legendary Madrid track and we let ourselves be carried between curves and curve and energy consumption.

Before we got down to business, Northgate had prepared a short introductory session. The objective, as they explained to us, was to achieve the better time with less consumption possible. In fact, the final classification would be decided on points, with a scale in which the most economical drivers would be given a higher prize than the fastest.

In other words, whoever managed to win first place was because he had made the most of a very moderate consumption of his battery. Before, an instructor already told us what our strategy should mark: “let the car flow”.

A return to the circuit with the minimum

On or off the track, as we will see, flow with a car it is essential to spend as little as possible and get the most out of it. Choosing the correct lines, letting the vehicle run when necessary and braking at the right moment and what is necessary are the keys to going as fast as possible, but also to spend as little as possible.

After listening to the previous talk, we headed to the Pit Lane of the Jarama Circuit where the Citroën E-Berlingos are waiting for us. First, a reconnaissance lap and classification to a thrown lap. With the classification established, the race begins. In both cases, we will play with time and, above all, with savings.

It is time, therefore, to assume some inconveniences if we want to be as efficient as possible. We roll up the windows, turn off the air conditioning, and navigate the van driving modes: Sport, Normal and ECO, which we obviously selected. The idea is to complicate the work on our right foot, so that a small stroke of the pedal does not betray us and trigger our consumption.

We start from a standstill and apply one of the maxims that we have been stressed in the previous talk: maximum smoothness. The biggest fuel costs occur when we want to get going. Therefore, it is best to be as careful as possible with the accelerator and gradually gain km/h until the car breaks the initial resistance and begins to launch itself on the asphalt.

Therefore, the second avoid at all costs it’s slowing us down enough that we have to launch the car back to its cruising speed. To avoid it, first right-hand corner, we lift our foot and take advantage of the regenerative braking of the Citroën E-Berlingo to speed up the apex, let the car run and launch towards the S of Le Mans and Farina.

Here, maintaining a good balance between acceleration and line is key to starting with the highest possible speed and facing the Pegaso climb, where the differences are marked. Uphill, no rush. The important thing is to arrive launched by inertia and spend as little as possible. The seconds that we lose will be won in the consumption score. At the tip of the gas, the km/h fall inevitably. Nothing happens if 30 km/h appear on the scoreboard.

Above and past the Dunlop sign, a steady descent soon begins, where we let the van slides from vertex to vertex. Throttle play is enough to maintain speed without having to hit the brakes. And, in front, like in a hole, we have Bugatti, the most complicated corner of the circuit.

Bugatti is reached after a very steep downhill, the real complication is entering the inside vertex hard enough so that at the exit, on a very steep slope, we can help ourselves and use the accelerator pedal to a minimum. Of course, here it is essential to stop.

It is in Bugatti where we must apply the third great lesson: stop what is fair. As we say, it is important to go out with speed, but more important is that we do not go out of the corner. Therefore, it is important to brake gently, touch the pedal just enough, because here will be another key to saving.

Once perched on another of the highest parts of the circuit, the track veers to the left and little by little we face the last corner, downhill. We only have to take advantage of that last momentum of inertia and maintain the speed at the tip of the gas (in this case in kW).

Flow, the key to saving

The truth is that it does not matter if we are in a circuit or outside of it. Saving electricity or fuel has many of the techniques applied by professional pilots. look away and anticipating what is to come is decisive if we want to shave a few tenths off the stopwatch and, especially in this case, if we want to reduce our consumption.

From the talks and from our time on the track we drew one conclusion above all: to save, you have to avoid arrests. Flowing is essential so that the battery (and our tank) runs out as slowly as possible.

The first thing to apply is the maxim of “looking far away”. If we look up and put our eye far beyond the car in front of us, we will be able to know if the next traffic light is red, if another car is going to cross our path or if a child is approaching the next pedestrian crossing. The key, in any of these cases, is simply lift foot Of the accelerator.

It doesn’t matter if we lose a few km/h. We must bear in mind that with an electric or a hybrid, in addition, we will be recharging our battery. In a gasoline car, we’ll get into zero consumption phase. And, in addition, we will give time for the traffic light to change phase, to change lanes and prevent the new vehicle from stopping us or for the child to cross the street safely.

The idea is to flow with the traffic and avoid a complete stop because, as we have seen, this is where we have to use the most fuel and energy to reach an efficient cruising speed again. It’s the same idea that applies to our return to the circuit, don’t brake at the last minute on top of the corner, lift your foot, take the correct line and let the car run at the exit of the corner.

In addition, if we take our foot off the accelerator, we will avoid having to use more forceful the brake. In an electric or hybrid car, it recovers part of the energy lost in deceleration, but only in the first 10 or 15% of its movement. In the rest of the pedal travel, we will be braking the car but not recovering energy. And, in addition, we will be spending our brake discs, so the expense will be double.

There is also no point in reaching a very high and very fast top speed if we have to stop at the next traffic light. Driving calmly will not only help us improve road safety, as we have seen it will help us flow with traffic and the seconds we lose we will gain with lower consumption. It is important to be slow but constant, like what happened to us on the two big climbs of the Jarama circuit.

In short, flow between traffic and circulate calmly It is essential if we want to save a few euros at the end of the month. But, in addition, from Northgate we were also reminded of the importance of keeping the car maintenance up to date, checking the tire pressure regularly and, in the case of a combustion vehicle, always driving the correct and most efficient gear.