Electric Car Range Could Be Further Depleted During Eid Homecoming

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.COM – Long-distance travel by electric car during the Eid al-Fitr 2026 homecoming requires careful planning. One factor to note is the potential reduction in range due to various factors drivers often fail to notice. Although manufacturers list official range figures, real-world conditions can differ, especially during mudik, where the risks of heavy traffic and longer travel times are high.

Arif Nugroho, Service Manager at Hyundai Kalijaga Cirebon, said driving style also plays a key role. Aggressive acceleration, high speeds that are unstable, and frequent hard braking can increase energy consumption. ‘Factors that cause higher consumption: driving style is very influential on the efficiency of electric cars. Aggressive acceleration, high speed, and under-inflated tyres,’ Arif told Kompas.com on Thursday (4 March 2026). ‘Overloading the vehicle can also significantly increase energy consumption,’ he added.

Meanwhile, Lung Lung, owner of Dokter Mobil workshop in Jakarta, added that one of the main factors making battery consumption higher is traffic congestion. ‘Traffic jams with the air conditioning on inside the car, because the AC still requires power from the high-voltage battery. So even when the car isn’t moving, the battery is still being used,’ he said. Many drivers think that when the vehicle stops completely, power consumption will be minimal. However, the cabin cooling system remains in operation and draws energy from the main battery.

In addition to AC, the use of entertainment features also affects power consumption. ‘Then audio entertainment, when it’s set to run, can drain the battery quite quickly even if not much,’ he said. Although the impact is not as large as the cooling system, use of audio, infotainment screens, and charging devices still place an added load on the battery, particularly if used for long durations when stuck in traffic.

Do not wait until the battery is too low before recharging, especially if the journey passes through congested routes. By understanding the factors that influence energy consumption, trips by electric cars during the Eid homecoming can still be efficient and comfortable without worrying about running out of power in the middle of the road.