As electric cars become more popular, some manufacturers are adding all-wheel drive (AWD) systems to enhance the driving experience. However, while AWD may provide benefits to some drivers, it may not be necessary for everyone. So before opting for all-wheel drive in EVs: Think twice! As the increased expense may alter your overall driving experience.
Electric vehicles have changed the way people think while purchasing a car. It is confusing for you and the decisions are difficult for most of us who have bought combustion engine cars for decades.
But there is another key decision that you need to make now when purchasing an electric car, all wheel or not. The AWD or all-wheel drive offers several benefits in an EV as in a gas-powered car.
Traction increases with two extra driving wheels that will make your EV more capable and confident on slippery or snowy roads. But with this, an extra motor becomes necessary that absorbs extra energy from the battery. This will further make your car heavier and cause a heavy blow to the range.
A 2-wheeled drive EV will have one motor towards its front or rear axle. With AWD models there will be 2 out of them: 1 will handle the front wheels and the other will handle the rear wheels.
This gives a boost to the horsepower and torque. It makes the EV accelerate faster in comparison to the ones with one motor.
EVs of companies like Tesla, GMC, and Rivian have 3 to 4 motors. However, there are models offering both features like the Tesla Model Y Long Range that delivers 330 miles of range and is featured with AWD.
But AWD gas vehicles are less fuel efficient than 2WD cars. Here you need to think about whether the extra capability of AWD is worth it or not.
Also, charging stations are not as common as a gas pump and with that extra capacity your EV may run out of charge pretty soon. Here are the specs for you to understand better.
RWD Hyundai Ioniq 5 SUV has an EPA range rating of up to 303 miles. Adding AWD for $3,500 and the estimated range drops to 266 miles. The entry-level Mustang Mach-E got the rating from Ford at 25 miles for RWD models. Its AWD models are rated at 226 miles.
With more power and performance enhancements, we will make the difference more visible. As you know, the RWD Kia EV6 is rated at 310 miles of range. Whereas the souped-up EV6 GT featured with 2 motors can travel up to 206 miles.
Also Read: What are V2H Compatible Cars?
What is AWD, 2WD, and 4WD?
All-wheel drive or AWD is the system in automobiles through which all 4 wheels gain traction independently of each other. A 2WD or two-wheel drive can be FWD (forward wheel drive) or RWD (rear-wheel drive). Through this system either front or rear wheels get traction from the engine as there is only one motor.
Then in the 4WD or four-wheel drive system all 4 wheels in a car are powered uniformly by the car’s engine.
It is why before going for all-wheel drive in EVs: Think twice! Which system is best for you depends on the type of driving experience you want. If you want a faster experience, 4WD and AWD are a good choice; otherwise for average experience you can go for 2WD.
But at the same time, 4WD and AWD systems make the drive heavy and bulky. Plus, sometimes all four wheels do not work at the same speed.
This can be dangerous though in the long run and this will also reduce the overall range of the vehicle. But this is not the case with 2WD. It does not increase acceleration of the vehicle and does not affect the overall range to a large extent.
