Photo: Kia
Testing made at the request of Kia revealed that the electric vehicles' range may be influenced by the music that the driver is listening to in the cabin. This is not exactly groundbreaking, as other studies have also checked the influence of music genres on driving behavior. However, this time, we have figures for EVs.
While Kia only used the EV6 for this range of tests, at least now we know what kind of music should be played in a vehicle if you want to get the best range out of it. This can be applied to vehicles that are not electric, as it is all about the velocity of the music that is played.
Now, if you want to take things to the next level when EV range is concerned, Kia's research has shown that listening to Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony number 9 will make almost anyone a more efficient driver.
On the other hand, if you are a fan of The Weeknd, well, we must sadly inform you that listening to Blinding Lights will deplete your EV's battery or your vehicle's fuel faster than you can sing the chorus without missing a note.
The good news is that you do not have to play Ludwig van B's work on repeat in your vehicle if you want to squeeze every ounce of mileage out of it. Researchers found with the help of a group of people who have never driven an EV before, you might get a good range out of your vehicle if you play one of Adele's calmer songs, such as "Hello."
As a reference, Adele's Hello is at 79 BPM, while classical music is at 111 BPM. Yet the latter has just a 7.7 percent range expenditure, while Adele will make you drop 13.3 percent of your vehicle's range over the same route. On the other hand, listening to The Weeknd's Blinding Lights, which is at 171 BPM, will lead to a 23.6 range expenditure.
The team also played Kanye West's Fade but has not provided figures on what that did to the range of the EV6. We cannot help but wonder how those figures would change if each driver had their favorite songs played.
Different research, done by other parties, found that listening to more "aggressive" or “faster” (high BPM) songs will increase driving errors for young drivers, while music genre will affect both driving speeds, along with the driver's ability to visually “scan” the environment. Interestingly, there was no effect of music genre on acceleration/deceleration rate, nor was there a change in lateral movement.
However, researchers have found that pop music is less distracting, as its lyrics are not that difficult to follow, but any genre might work for you if you are familiar with the music, and it calms you down, but it should have a slower pace, though.
Now, if you want to take things to the next level when EV range is concerned, Kia's research has shown that listening to Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony number 9 will make almost anyone a more efficient driver.
On the other hand, if you are a fan of The Weeknd, well, we must sadly inform you that listening to Blinding Lights will deplete your EV's battery or your vehicle's fuel faster than you can sing the chorus without missing a note.
The good news is that you do not have to play Ludwig van B's work on repeat in your vehicle if you want to squeeze every ounce of mileage out of it. Researchers found with the help of a group of people who have never driven an EV before, you might get a good range out of your vehicle if you play one of Adele's calmer songs, such as "Hello."
As a reference, Adele's Hello is at 79 BPM, while classical music is at 111 BPM. Yet the latter has just a 7.7 percent range expenditure, while Adele will make you drop 13.3 percent of your vehicle's range over the same route. On the other hand, listening to The Weeknd's Blinding Lights, which is at 171 BPM, will lead to a 23.6 range expenditure.
The team also played Kanye West's Fade but has not provided figures on what that did to the range of the EV6. We cannot help but wonder how those figures would change if each driver had their favorite songs played.
Different research, done by other parties, found that listening to more "aggressive" or “faster” (high BPM) songs will increase driving errors for young drivers, while music genre will affect both driving speeds, along with the driver's ability to visually “scan” the environment. Interestingly, there was no effect of music genre on acceleration/deceleration rate, nor was there a change in lateral movement.
However, researchers have found that pop music is less distracting, as its lyrics are not that difficult to follow, but any genre might work for you if you are familiar with the music, and it calms you down, but it should have a slower pace, though.
Google News