Before spending hefty amount of money on buying a car you should pay attention to many things so that you do not have to face any problem later on, and one of the most important one is to check gradeability of electric car/scooter/bike. Before buying any vehicle, you must check the gradeability once, specially if you drive in hilly or places with rough roads. Vehicles with low gradeability can make you face problems which can be more worsening in rainy conditions.
Most of the people buy Electric Vehicles (EVs) by looking at the look and design, and take a look at more of its features. But there are very few buyers who take information about the Gradeability of the vehicle.
Hills affect electric car driving range like hills on a treadmill affects our energy. Hills take a lot more energy than flat land. EVs are able to go up hills, in fact, the instant torque of an electric motor is better suited to pull heavy loads or drive up a hill.
The term Gradeability refers when the driver should be relaxed while the vehicle moves up on slop or inclination. The total pull force requires to move a vehicle in a vertical direction is generally refers to gradeability. It is known as the grade angle that the electric vehicle can move with a constant speed.
Gradeability for vehicles is measured in percentage. It is dependent on engine power, drivetrain type, gear ratio, weight, weight distribution, car's centre of gravity and traction.
Vehicle with best Gradeability — i.e. 100% Gradeability — means it can climb 45° slopes easily even if you stop your vehicle in the middle it will climb again, without losing its speed. If you want to understand this in easy language, then you can climb without stopping.
If the gradeability of your vehicle is 20%, it means that you can easily raise your car to a height of 11.31°, and beyond this your car will lose speed and may stop eventually.
You may check the vehicle's Gradeability in the user manual while buying the vehicle.
However, most vehicle manufacturers test the gradeability in a favorable area and only two people remain in the vehicle while carrying out this entire process of gradeability test.
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