Range is a key consideration when buying an electric car. Knowing how far you can drive on a full charge may ease any lingering ‘range anxiety’ you have.
All new electric cars have an official range in miles that is quoted by the manufacturer. This is the figure that, with careful driving, you should expect to achieve. However, there are a number of factors that can eat away at those quoted miles.
Before we explore the many variables, it’s worth a brief look at how the range of electric cars is calculated.
The Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) is the officially approved way of measuring fuel consumption, electric range and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions for new cars. The figures have to be quoted for all cars registered after January 2019.
The WLTP test cycle was developed using real driving data from around the world – so it’s relatively realistic – certainly more so than the previous New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) test.
For an electric car, the battery must be fully charged at the start of the bench test. Immediately afterwards, engineers reconnect the car to a charger using a cable equipped with an electric meter.
The figures offer a level-playing-field comparison between electric cars. They should still be used as a guide, though – you will need to adjust your driving habits to achieve the quoted range. Furthermore, some influencing factors are out of your control.
You can expect to achieve anywhere between 100 and 450 miles from a single charge, depending on the electric car you own. For example, a Seat Mii Electric offers a claimed 160 miles of electric range, while the Mercedes-Benz EQS could manage as much as 453 miles.
How close you get to those figures comes down to the following factors:
Taking the above into account will help you get closer to the quoted range, but there are other things you can do to maximise mileage:
Our advice would be to use the quoted range figure as a starting point, or even a target to aim for. Browse the online forums and ask fellow electric car owners for a more accurate estimate of your vehicle’s range.
ALSO READ:
What are the pros and cons of electric cars?
Is servicing and maintenance cheaper on an electric car?
How do I locate my nearest electric car charger?
The post How accurate is the official range of electric cars? appeared first on Motoring Electric.
2021-03-11T09:22:29Z dg43tfdfdgfd