ElectusHow an electric car works
Learn the basics to understand and use an electric vehicle.
Interested in EVs and want to learn more? This guide covers the key topics so you can understand everything. We’ll cover:
- Advantages
- Drawbacks
- Understanding the battery
- Understanding charging
- Long-distance trips
- EV maintenance
Advantages of electric cars
EVs have many benefits: comfortable, quiet, with instant torque.
For daily use (about 90% of your km), energy costs are roughly 4× cheaper. With home charging, expect €2–3 / 100 km vs €10–12 / 100 km for ICE cars.
Maintenance is cheaper too: no oil changes, no spark plugs, etc.
Drawbacks of electric cars
Despite many strengths, EVs also have constraints.
New EVs are often more expensive than equivalent ICE cars.
The used market is growing: more affordable EVs are available.
On long trips, EVs require longer breaks. In practice, you’ll stop every 2–3 hours for 20–30 minutes on average.
Use the stop to eat or grab a coffee — that’s “opportunity charging.”
Understanding the battery
The battery powers the motor. Capacity is measured in kWh (kilowatt-hour) — a quantity of energy. E.g., 60 kWh = 60 kW for 1 h (or 120 kW for 30 min).
Don’t confuse with kW (instant power). A 2 kW coffee machine running 30 min uses 1 kWh.
In winter, cold temporarily reduces usable capacity and slows fast charging. As the temperature rises, capacity and charging speed return to normal.
For long-term storage aim for 20–80%. In daily use, you can charge to 100% (if you drive within 1–2 days) and go below 20% (if you recharge within hours).
With LFP chemistry, charging to 100% is fine even long-term.
Understanding charging
There are three ways to charge: domestic outlet, accelerated AC post, and DC fast charger.
On a domestic outlet, use the occasional charging cable (CRO): wall plug on the house side and Type 2 on the car side. Max power 3.7 kW. A full charge can take 15–20 h on large batteries.
On an accelerated AC post, use a Type 2 ↔ Type 2 cable. Max 22 kW.
The limit depends on the onboard charger (converts AC → DC). Public AC posts rarely provide a cable: bring yours. A full charge typically takes 4–6 h.
On DC fast chargers, use a CCS cable (or CHAdeMO on older models). The cable is always attached to the charger.
Fast charging reaches ≈80% in ~20–30 min. Power depends on your car and state of charge: the higher the SOC, the lower the power.
Above 80%, power drops sharply — on trips, stop around 80% and continue driving.
Not all cars support DC fast charging. Check the charge port:
For more details on charging, see our in-depth article (coming soon).
Long-distance trips
Road trips in an EV may look complex, but with Electus you have the tools to travel easily.
To simplify public charging, order your Electus badge: it lets you start sessions on many networks and get billed to your account.
In the Planner menu, enter your destination and vehicle. The app suggests a route with arrival SOC, charging stops, and estimated cost. You can also display chargers along the route with arrival battery estimates.
EV maintenance
EVs are simpler to maintain: electric drivetrains avoid oil changes and items like clutch, timing belt, spark plugs, filters…
Regenerative braking reduces wear on pads and discs.
Typical maintenance includes:
- Brake fluid replacement
- Cabin filter replacement
- Washer fluid level
- Coolant check