The website Edmunds.com has conducted a study of electric cars sold in the United States to find out how well they deliver on the manufacturer-promised driving range. Many models met or even overshot expectations, while all Teslas fell short – but keep reading.
There are three common range measurement methods: WLTP (global), NEDC (popular in China), and EPA (standard for the USA). The testing crew decided to keep its test routine as close to real-life driving as possible, driving 60% of the distance in populated areas and 40% on highways. The test was considered over when the car reported ten miles (16 km) of remaining range. A rating was then calculated based on the distance traveled and the nominal range.
The Porsche Taycan 4S emerged on top with 520 km (323 miles) of actual range, surpassing the OEM value by a whopping 59.3%. The list of vehicles that came out better than rated also included the Mini Cooper SE, Hyundai Kona Electric, Kia Niro EV, Ford Mustang Mach-E AWD Ext Range and others. None of the Teslas managed to match the promised numbers, however.
The catch – remember we promised one? – was that all Tesla cars usually report low charge way ahead of draining the whole battery, so even with ten miles on the remaining range counter, a Tesla can usually cover substantially more.