EVs now out-performing their range estimates

It’s been claimed, by some, that we no longer have range anxiety when we drive an electric car, but instead charging anxiety. Range anxiety is — was, perhaps… — the worry that an EV wouldn’t have the necessary range to complete the journey you’re on. Charging anxiety is the worry that you won’t be able to find charging at your destination, or on the way, meaning you won’t be able to complete your next journey.

To be fair, the two anxieties are inextricably linked, and essentially are still the same thing — we’re worried that electric cars just don’t have the in-built flexibility and rapid refuelling times of the petrol and diesel cars to which we’re used. While EV advocates may lecture and cajole us on those subjects, implying that the fault is ours, the fact is that electric cars are different, and require an entirely different mind-set to use properly, at least until the charging network is up to snuff, and/or ultra-fast-charging solid-state batteries become available.

In the meantime, what really helps is to have an EV that has a battery big enough to undertake a long journey without worry, and one that successfully meets its claimed range figures. There’s nothing worse than starting a journey expecting to achieve a given range figure, only to find that range dissolving before your eyes as you drive.

Thankfully, it seems as if those days may be receding, and real-world testing is starting to show that some EVs can actually exceed the claimed range figure they’ve been granted. In the US, that figure is settled upon by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

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The figure is the equivalent of the WLTP (World harmonised Light duty Test Protocol) test which is the standard used within the EU and Ireland, but the EPA figure is often more pessimistic —one might say more realistic — than that of the WLTP, in part because the EPA test includes a more stringent ‘Highway’ test which includes long runs at higher speeds, of around 115km/h.

For instance, for the Audi Q4 e-tron 50 quattro has a WLTP range of up to 503km, but the EPA estimates that it has a range of up to just 388km. That’s arguably a more realistic all-round range, especially if much of your mileage includes a lot of motorway driving.

To put this to the test, the highly respected US publication Consumer Reports decided to take a number of popular EV models and drive them, at motorway speeds, until they ran out of charge. That’s not merely to the point where the remaining range indicated zero, but past that until the car physically stops. The cars were accompanied by a flat-bed transporter so that no-one got stranded. The cars were driven at a steady 115km/h until they ran out of charge.

The results make for interesting reading, especially in terms of the cars which exceeded their claimed EPA range. These figures likely give a more realistic expectation of what sort of distance can be achieved by owners driving in real-world conditions, at motorway cruising speeds, and with air conditioning or heating going.

“EPA’s testing procedures date back to the early days of EVs, and what’s included on the window sticker is partially controlled by laws written decades ago for gasoline cars,” Chris Harto, senior energy policy analyst at Consumer Reports told The Irish Times. “Consumer Reports has asked EPA to start the process of modernising these regulations to help provide more useful consumer information about today’s EVs, including highway range.”

“Real-world comparative tests are critical to understand if an EV is right for you,” said Jake Fisher, senior director of Consumer Reports’ auto test centre. “That’s why we purchase our vehicles like a consumer would and drive them at highway speeds like a consumer would on a road trip.”

Obviously, some of Consumer Reports’ tests involved vehicles — such as the Ford F-150 Lightning — which are not available in Ireland, but many of the cars are sold both here and in the US.

Of those, the best performing was the Mercedes-Benz EQE 350 4MATIC which managed to put 554km on the clock before the battery ran flat, beating its estimate by a whopping 116km.

The next-best performing was the BMW i4 M50, which recorded an ultimate range of 512km, beating the EPA figure by 75km.

BMW’s iX xDrive 50 put in a similar performance, beating its range estimate by 74km, but thanks to a bigger battery put a whopping 596km between charges. Interestingly, the iX kept going for a full 50km after its range indicator fell to zero.

At the more affordable end of the scale, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 SEL all-wheel drive went for 430km, beating its EPA estimate by 17km, while the Volkswagen ID.4 Pro S all-wheel drive put 408km between charges, and beat its EPA estimate by 20km. The Ford Mustang Mach-E Premium AWD Extended Range put in a strong performance, beating its estimated range by 50km, providing 482km.

What of the worst-performing? Well, the good news for Irish consumers is that the worst cars in this particular test are not on sale here, or at least not yet. The worst of all was the Ford F-150 Lightning pickup in Lariat spec, which missed its EPA range figure by a full 80km. The next-worst performing was the Lucid Air Touring — a car which may come to Ireland in the next few years — which fell short by 64km, and in a surprise, given the firm’s all-electric fervour, the Tesla Model S Long Range, which undershot its EPA rating by 62km. In fairness to the Tesla and the Lucid, both have range to spare, managing 590km and 554km before running out of juice.

Of the cars that are available in the Irish market, Subaru’s Solterra fell short by 19km, providing 338km while the Lexus Rz 450e fell 29km short at 325km. The Kia Niro EV undershot by 22km at 385km, while surprisingly — given its sleek aerodynamic form — the Hyundai Ioniq 6 also underperformed, albeit only by 8km, providing 427km of motorway range. The Audi Q4 e-tron 50 quattro was able to go for 364km, 24km short of its EPA claim while the Nissan Ariya Platinum+ all-wheel drive performed slightly better, losing just 7km of range, to stand at 408km.

So what have we learned, here? One useful point is that not all official range tests and estimates are the same, and that if you’re thinking of buying an EV that’s also on sale in the US, the EPA figure is probably a more realistic expectation of what sort of day-to-day range you’ll achieve than the WLTP figure offered here, especially if you’re a motorway miler.

It’s also worth pointing out that Consumer Reports conducted these tests in summer weather, in clear and dry conditions, and almost all EVs will suffer with shorter range in cold, wet, winter weather as the battery has to work harder to deal with the elements.

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