One of the main barriers customers face when considering buying an electric vehicle is the driving range. In saying that, once you understand the basics about some key elements, you’ll see, it’s not that complicated.
In this guide below, let's run through these key points and answer some of the most frequently asked questions:
Definition: What do we mean by 'range'?
Official WLTP ( Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure) v real-world electric vehicle driving range: What is the difference?
Factors that affect driving range
Examples of the differences between, WLTP, suburban, and highway driving
Definition: What do we mean by 'range'?
All types of cars – petrol, diesel, or electric – have a 'range' on a full tank/battery.
Here's a good way of explaining it:
EV Range = how far you can travel without having to ‘recharge’ your vehicle
When thinking about electric car range, people ask questions like:
Does limited battery range mean I can't go on a long road trip?
How do new electric cars rank in terms of range?
Why is suburban driving range higher than highway driving?
These are all valid questions. We are now past the beginning of the transition from internal combustion engine vehicles to electrified transport, but it appears there is still some confusion out there, so let’s see if I can help you understand the fundamentals of EV range.
Official WLTP ( Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure) v Real-world Electric vehicle range:
Potential buyers need to be able to analyze and compare the range of different vehicles on the market based on universal autonomy tests. As a response, the automobile industry and several economic regulation authorities have designed protocols to test the range of different vehicles under standardized conditions intended to reflect real-life usage as closely as possible. So with this, the WLTP was developed, it aims to provide values close to those that a driver might experience in their day-to-day life, with a cycle including a combination of urban, suburban, and freeway travel. Most manufacturers will publish the WLTP range on their websites. In saying that, you will see further on in this article, an example of the WLTP differs from real-life range figures.
Factors: That affects the driving range:
However, in the real world, the WLTP range is often not achieved, especially when driving on highways or freeways. As you will see from the example below, the range varies depending on a multitude of factors.
Aggressive driving
Long mountain climbs
Non-stop high speeds
Strong headwinds
Extra weight (for example, three passengers and luggage)
Temperatures higher than 25 celsius or lower than 10 celsius within the car
And for Suburban driving, you would normally achieve a higher driving range than what is stated by WLTP due to a few reasons. This is always at a lower speed, therefore the electric motor requires less energy, and at low speeds, you have less air resistance, but probably the biggest reason is when you are decelerating ( slowing down ) frequently, and every time that happens, regenerative charging kicks in. What is regenerative charging I hear you say, well put simply, regenerative charging uses an electric car’s motor as a generator to convert much of the energy back into the car’s battery during decelerating either by taking your foot off the accelerator or by braking. Then, the next time the car accelerates, it uses much of the energy previously stored from the braking, and with that, you will achieve an improvement in driving range.
Examples of the differences between, WLTP, suburban, and highway driving
So when you see a quoted EV range figure by a manufacturer, it’s almost certain you will not achieve it, especially for highway driving, for instance.
Renault Zoe driving range;
WLTP - 385kms
Real life Suburban range - 465kms
Real life Highway range - 280kms
Real life combined - 355kms
As you see, the WLTP figure is lower than the real-life suburban range, but is higher than both real-life highways and combined. So it’s important you recognize what’s best for you based on where you would normally drive ( suburban roads, freeways, or highways )
Most modern electric vehicles nowadays, enjoy excellent range on a single charge. For your daily driving, just get in, drive, come home, plug into your charger, and have a full battery to start the next day. Unless you are going on a long trip, you shouldn't need to charge during the day at all, as most people that live in major cities travel less than 100kms in a day..
If you frequently do long journeys that are currently available in Australia, consider a long range EV like, Tesla Kia Niro, Hyundai Ioniq or most of the newer Euro products. However, if you usually just do short trips around town – and want to save money, look at a medium priced, electric cars such as MG ZE or Nissan Leaf.
Below provides you with a range of EVs currently available in Australia. As you will see, there is a significant difference between each of them and also just as noteworthy differences when it comes to suburban and highway driving in the real world.
The km range listed below is an estimate based on a number of factors such as mild weather: "best-case" based on mid 20’sC and no use of A/C. The actual range will also depend on all the elements as mentioned in the “Factors That Affect Range” section.
As you will now know, don’t base driving range on the WLTP alone, but rather real-life driving range information, which will be mentioned in every EV model post on the site. From this, selecting your first or next EV based on the range should be easier now that you have a better understanding on what to look for.
Of course, if you have any questions regarding range or indeed anything EV, please feel free to send them through via the “contact us” page.
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