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Electric Vehicle's Limited Range.

Some top electric cars miss quoted battery ranges by almost a THIRD | Daily Mail Online

 

Z.

  • Miles per KW is basically what you need to know from normal driving. It will be interesting to see how this rises in the next 10 years. Good to see some cars are managing over 4 Miles per KW. As to quoted range to what most will manage is no different to mpg figures, always best to do your research before buying. 

  • I'm pretty sure the same can be said for petrol and diesel cars, when driven under the wrong conditions.

    Batteries don't like the cold.  So if you're blasting up the motorway, on a freezing cold day, with the heating on full, then you won't get anywhere near the claimed range.

    The new WLTP standard for measuring EV range is better than the old NEDC one.  But it still assumes ideal conditions.  Driving around at moderate speed on a warm day, with the heating and air conditioning turned off.

    If you're going to drive long journeys in all conditions, buy a car with a considerable safety margin on the range.  When I finally get round to buying a (nearly) new car*, I have a target range of 150 miles (because that's a journey I do from time to time).  So I will need a car with a WLTP range of at least 180 miles, and preferably over 200.  Luckily, they are increasingly common now, even on the second-hand market.

    *Electric cars are cheap to run.  But it still makes no financial sense to scrap an old but working petrol car, to replace it with a new electric one.

  • Agree Simon. My rule of thumb for anyone not yet tried one is best case 90% (warm summer) down to 65% (winter, cold) of whatever the manufacturer claims to be the range. That should give a small margin or “reserve” as my old motor bike used to have. The effect of cold weather is far greater than I expected and something the manufacturers like to gloss over.

  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member

    Whatever the ins and outs of cold weather etc the simple fact is that any vehicle with a range of less than 1000 miles is eff all use for anything but commuting.

    When I was a tad  younger I used to drive up to Scotland after work on a winter Friday - 300 miles - stay in a Youth Hostel, then drive another 100-150 miles to the north on Saturday for some climbing and drive home - 400 miles - on the Sunday.

    How would that work out with an EV?