One of the biggest drawbacks that electromobility presents and slows down its penetration in the market is the autonomy of the batteries. For now, most electric cars offer very limited ranges, which is a setback in terms of mobility, especially on long journeys or in areas with limited charging infrastructure.
To establish the autonomy of a vehicle, manufacturers are required by law to approve consumption. These registrations, as is the case with diesel and gasoline cars, are obtained through a series of parameters established by government authorities. However, the approved data and the actual consumption do not always coincide, since the driving style and other external factors can influence the performance of the vehicle.
Therefore, consumers should note that actual range may vary depending on specific driving situations and environment. To clear up any doubts, Consumer Reports, the largest consumer organization in the United States, has just released the comparative results of three tests carried out in 2022 in different weather conditions to find out if heat or cold affect the autonomy of electric cars. .
The users association examined the consumption of four cars in the state of Connecticut at three times of the year: February (with a temperature of 8 degrees below zero), April (18 degrees) and August (29 degrees). In all three cases, the chosen cars -Ford Mustang Mach-E Extended Range, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Tesla Model Y Long Range and Volkswagen ID.4 Pro S- traveled 142 miles (about 228 kilometers) along Route 2 and I-91, two roads similar to the Spanish highways, at a constant speed of 70 miles per hour (equivalent to 112 km/h), using automatic cruise control.
During the night before each test, the cars were recharged up to 100% of their charge and in all cases a previous configuration was established to acclimatize the passenger compartment to a temperature of 22 degrees. The least aggressive braking regeneration mode available in each car was also selected, which in all cases was driven by the same motorist. Additionally, a 10-minute stop was made in the middle of the route, during which the vehicles were turned off.
The data obtained in the different tests confirm that the official figures offer a range of autonomy higher than the real one, especially when the temperatures are colder. In the winter test, the deviation of the consumption of the four cars -extrapolating the consumption in the 228 kilometers of route- moved around a range that goes from 28.4% of the Hyundai Ioaniq 5 to 42.9% of the Tesla Model Y, with respect to the EPA cycle that governs the United States and that is more demanding than the WLTP cycle that is used in Europe.
In the tests carried out in April 2022, with a temperature of 18 degrees, the results were much more realistic, according to the approved consumption. Despite this, none of the four cars managed to reach the value accredited by the manufacturer and again it was Tesla that deviated the most from the approved figures (22.7%).
Finally, in the test carried out in August 2022, at a temperature of 29 degrees, two cars managed to exceed the approved range. The Volkswagen ID.4, with an official autonomy of 386 kilometers, accredited 412 kilometers on a single charge, that is, 6.7% more than the advertised figure, while the Ford Mustang (434 km) reached an autonomy of 442 kilometers, 1.8% more. Again, Tesla was the furthest away from the official figures, with a deviation of 15.8%, compared to the data from the EPA cycle.
