Understanding the Determinants of Electric Vehicle Range: A Multi-Dimensional Survey

Electric vehicles (EVs) play a critical role in the transition to sustainable transportation. Despite significant advancements in technology, EVs continue to face major challenges, particularly in terms of limited range, high costs, and insufficient charging infrastructure. This paper presents a comprehensive review that systematically categorizes the multifaceted factors influencing EV range into technical, environmental, user-related, economic, policy, and cultural dimensions. The aim is to offer a holistic view of how these elements interact to shape EV performance, adoption, and usage. Notably, advancements in battery capacity, charging time, vehicle weight, and aerodynamics are identified as key factors that significantly enhance EV range. Environmental factors such as temperature and terrain are shown to drastically impact energy consumption, with cold climates leading to up to a 50% reduction in range. Furthermore, user behaviors, driving patterns, and economic factors like battery costs, charging infrastructure availability, and electricity prices play a crucial role in determining EV efficiency. This review shows the importance of supportive policies, societal attitudes, and infrastructural developments in promoting the widespread adoption of EVs, making it an innovative and timely contribution to the field.