“Stop a little, if peace and ease of travel are dear to you”
Here we go again. Autobild tested 36 EVs for range on highway trips at 130 kilometers per hour. Straight to the point: I struggle with such comparisons, although I understand why they are made. To measure is to know, data is data. We all have to travel further from home than commuting, and then you don’t want to be stranded on the hard shoulder after two hours. Meaningful consumer information. In theory.
Because everyone now knows what happens to the range of your EV when you structurally drive faster than 100. Your consumption will skyrocket. If there is also a strong wind and the temperatures drop to winter levels, the efficiency losses can increase dramatically. Can I talk about this as an experience expert? The 320 kilometers that I press out of my BMW i3 in the summer under favorable conditions, have already become 190 in harsh winter weather.
Conclusion: hold back a bit, if peace and ease of travel are dear to you.
No, we’re going to ride 130 36 times and see what’s left. Odd, not much, except for cars with very large batteries and extremely low cW values. Of course, the Mercedes EQS comes the furthest in this test. It reaches its 482 kilometers thanks to a drag coefficient of about 0.20 and the largest battery on the market. Let this be a lesson, manufacturers. Don’t make SUVs, make ironing boards.
I scroll through the results. Plug-hating petrolheads will love it. It’s very bad; 140 kilometers for the Mazda MX-30, 227 for the Volvo XC40 Recharge, 258 kilometers for the notoriously inefficient twin-engine Polestar 2 Long Range. Only: we already knew. And you can prevent it. In an electric car you have to adapt. Taking a step back is a social taboo. Progress, we believe, should serve us, not the other way around. That usually works. In this case we will have to lend a hand. You should want for the environment and for your own wallet. On principle, you use energy, including green ones, economically. It really doesn’t have to be an ordeal. Just choose the speed that offers a tolerable compromise between efficiency and smooth progress. The Dutch government kindly and compellingly extends a helping hand with the maximum speed. I keep that for my own consumption tests. And although I know that a flat country like the Netherlands cannot be compared one-on-one with hilly Germany, the differences between the Autobild figures and my own experiences are sometimes staggeringly large. The Mercedes EQE got me 500 miles, not 423, and I’m guessing it could have been 550. The Model 3 always gets 500 with me, not 363. The Model Y Long Range, good for 304 kilometers in the German test, is a spectacularly economical car; I noted consumption averages of 13 kWh per 100 kilometers. With the Hyundai Kona Electric I got 100 kilometers further than the 336 kilometers that the German test driver squeezed out. Also in winter you really have to do your best to keep the Kona range below the 400 mark. The Audi Q4 e-tron did much better here in the winter than in Germany; I came 400 kilometers with it here, my colleagues there 326.
Once again; logically. They drove 130, I 100-110. But then the conclusion is obvious, right? Tap back, guys. The Germans themselves have already started it. The speed averages are, I noticed last July, much lower than I am used to from these fast people. But don’t give them the impression that they can write off half of the plug-in cars tested in advance. If you want to keep skeptics from switching to electric; do it like this. Uncalled for. Although I admit that I found that ride with the Volvo 850 two Sundays ago a bit liberating. Two hundred kilometers there, two hundred back, the station occupied to the last seat, dramatic weather – but glorious in one go, without refueling. And how damn good he GROWN.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl