The ranking of the longest-range electric vehicles shows that models can travel an impressive distance on a single charge, but according to a new study, not all advertised EPA-rated range figures appear to be accurate.
The study comes from Consumer Reports and notes that, firstly, tests of the Ford F-150 Lightning showed the most significant difference in range from 320 miles to 270 miles. It is followed by the Lucid Air, which has a 384-mile range less than the EPA-rated 40-mile range. The Tesla Model S has a range of 366 miles, which is 39 miles less than the EPA range.
Meanwhile, other EVs, including the Audi Q4, Genesis Electric**70, Hyundai Ioniq 6, Kia Niro EV, Lexus RZ450E, Nissan Ariya and Subaru Solterra, dropped by up to 20 miles.
What caused the drop in range?The tests were conducted on highways, and electric vehicles tend to be less efficient than city driving. EPA combines the range of cities and driving electric vehicles, which can be misleading.
The 22 participating models have odometer readings between 2,000 and 15,000 miles, are in cruise control and ECO mode, and operate stably at 70 mph. The team also conducted the test at temperatures ranging from 70° to 90°F, taking into account that the outside temperature can affect the range of an electric vehicle.
But positive results were also achieved during the tests, with the Mercedes-Benz EQE sedan adding 72 miles to the EPA-rated range of 260 miles. BMW's electric vehicles have also grown significantly. The range of the i4 increased from 271 miles to 318 miles, while the ix's range was 370 miles, which is 46 miles more than the EPA listed.
Other improved EV ranges include 31 miles more for the Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV, 40 miles for the Mercedes-Benz EQS sedan, 29 miles for the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV, 29 miles for the Ford Mustang Mach-E, 20 miles for the Rivian R1T, and Volkswagen ID4 adds 13 miles, Hyundai Ioniq 5 adds 11 miles, Genesis**60 adds 3 miles, and Kia EV6 adds 3 miles.
It is hoped that future research will be able to rate cities and highways separately to cover a variety of EV use cases. This can give us a better idea of which EV to buy and minimize the so-called range anxiety.
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