Consumer test finds electric cars fall short of stated range

A test of 44 electric cars found gaps of more than 100 kilometres between manufacturers’ stated ranges and the distances the cars actually travelled, DR reports. The test was conducted by Forbrugerrådet Tænk, a Danish consumer council.

The biggest percentage gap was recorded for the Renault Twingo, a small car, at 32.6 per cent. For the best-rated cars, measured range was about 6 to 7 per cent below the stated figure.

The results also show that battery size does not always correspond to range. One car with an 85-kilowatt-hour battery travelled almost 750 kilometres, while other cars with larger batteries did not go as far.

Small cars show larger percentage gaps

Some smaller city cars had especially large differences. Thomas S. Pedersen, the test manager at Forbrugerrådet Tænk, said some are designed for urban driving and have a maximum speed of 130 kilometres per hour. Testing them on motorways therefore pushes them harder, he said. For drivers who do not need to use motorways, the difference may matter less.

Tænk used a different method from the WLTP standard, which underlies manufacturers’ range figures, to provide what it described as a more realistic picture. Its laboratory test included more motorway driving, with changes in speed to mimic traffic and roadworks.

Both tests were carried out on rollers in a closed laboratory at a set temperature. The WLTC test, part of the WLTP standard, took place at 14 degrees Celsius, lasted 30 minutes and covered 23.25 kilometres. Tænk’s test was conducted at 23 degrees and lasted about 48 minutes. It added around 31 kilometres of motorway driving, including periods at speeds of up to 130 kilometres per hour and steady driving at 80, 100 and 120 kilometres per hour.

Pedersen said range figures are always a guide, as actual distance depends on where and how a car is driven. Karsten Meyland Lemche, motoring editor at the motorists’ organisation FDM, said cold weather can affect electric cars more than petrol or diesel cars because they use battery power to heat the cabin.

Even so, Lemche said the official WLTP figure can help buyers estimate a car’s range. Driving slowly in warm summer weather may allow an electric car to travel farther than its official figure, he added.