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What If I Don’t Charge Up?

Posted on Thursday, December 17, 2023 at 4:04 PM 0 Comments

With so much buzz about electric cars being the future of the auto industry, there is a concern among consumers about how electric cars operate and what habits, if any, drivers will need to change when they make the switch to electric motoring. One common question we are asked is, “What if I forget to charge my car and run out of juice in the middle of rush hour traffic on the freeway?”

People are used to driving their cars long after the empty light turns on – most people could even tell you exactly how many miles they can go before their tank completely runs dry. The idea of charging up a car instead of filling up is foreign to most people, so it’s natural to be concerned about what happens in an electric car when the juice runs out.

These concerns are understandable, but running out of charge in a CODA is very similar to running out of gas in a gas-engine car. In both instances there are many warning signs before the car’s wheels stop rolling.

The CODA is engineered to maximize the life of the battery by not fully draining the battery every drive cycle. However, if you are in a situation where you simply forgot to recharge, the CODA has a system in place to maximize range (miles per charge) as the state of charge (SOC) nears zero.

When the CODA gets to about 15% SOC, a three-stage, orderly reduction of power begins which helps to maximize range and avoid high power draws from the nearly empty battery. In the first stage, the driver can continue driving at maximum speed (80 mph) but acceleration is limited, meaning the car may feel a bit sluggish when trying to speed up. In the second stage, acceleration and power are limited, allowing a top speed of ~60 mph. In the third and final stage, acceleration and power are limited, allowing a top speed of ~35 mph.

With each stage lasting ~5 miles, the driver has ~15 miles to get out of traffic and pull over to safety. At each stage, the CODA’s telematics and in-dash screen alerts will help to indicate to the driver that they should pull over. The moral of the story is that drivers should plug-in regularly to avoid this situation, but they do forget there is ample time to find a suitable place to pull off to the side of the road.

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