A new study has taken 12 of the latest and best-selling electric cars to test drive the cars from fully charged until they stopped. The vehicles ranged in price from the Ora Funky Cat, costing £31,995, through to the most expensive vehicle – the Jaguar I-Pace (£69,425).
The What Car? found the Funky Cat to be the worst performer as it fell 32.8 percent short of its official range, covering just 130 miles before stopping, compared to the official figure of 193 miles.
The Funky Cat is a new EV launched by Chinese car maker Ora last year and is advertised as an affordable introduction for many into EVs.
The car that got closest to its official range, the £55,890 Nissan Ariya, still fell 16 percent short of its official figure, covering 269 miles rather than the 322 suggested.
The £52,990 Tesla Model Y came second in terms of getting closest to its official range, recording a shortcoming of 17.8 percent from its official 331 miles, but covered the most distance overall, at 272 miles.
READ MORE: Fuel duty hike would cause ‘untold damage’ next week
All cars were driven at the same time at a test venue chosen to remove any variables that might hinder comparing results.
The 15-mile route simulated real-world driving conditions, taking in 2.6 miles of stop-start urban driving, four miles at a steady 50mph and eight miles at a constant 70mph.
Will Nightingale, head of What Car?’s test team, said: “More and more people own or are considering electric cars, and it’s important that they understand the pros and cons of this technology, especially in terms of how far they are likely to go between charges.
“While it’s common knowledge that cold weather negatively affects battery performance and efficiency, especially if the car’s heating system is in use, What Car?’s Real Range testing is designed to give car buyers the clearest possible understanding of how many miles they will typically be able to cover in wintery British conditions.”
Prior to testing, the tyre pressures were set to the manufacturer recommendation, before the cars were fully charged and left outside overnight for roughly 14 hours in temperatures that ranged from zero to two degrees centigrade.
The cars were then plugged in again to ensure the batteries were full, “eco” (or the closest equivalent) driving mode was selected, and all 12 were driven in convoy, swapping running order regularly to ensure no benefits were conferred by road position, until they ran out of charge.
All cars ran their heating systems to provide an interior temperature independently verified at 19.5 degrees.
In the winter test, the average range achieved by the trio was 18 percent lower than in summer, with the BMW faring worst (261 miles vs 317, a fall of 21.6 percent) and the Tesla doing best (272 miles vs 304, a fall of 11.8 percent).
READ MORE: Drivers urged to follow simple tips to clear windscreen frost
The Cupra covered 182 miles, against 219 in summer, a fall of 20.6 percent.
Mr Nightingale continued, saying: “The car makers are obliged to quote the official range figures, because they are set to a criteria laid out by European legislators.
“However, we believe that our testing is far more indicative of what a typical British driver is likely to achieve, and therefore gives car buyers a better understanding before they make the switch to electric.
“Despite falling short of their official figures, it’s still clear that many of these electric cars have the advantage of being cheaper to run than petrol or diesel equivalents assuming you can charge at home – even with the price of electricity so high at the moment.
“The most efficient, the Mini Electric, cost just 8.7p per mile to fuel.
“The most efficient petrol car we’ve ever tested, a Toyota Yaris, costs 11.2p a mile at today’s prices.”
What Car? Real Range test – real-world winter range vs official range
Nissan Ariya 87kWh Evolve – 16.4 percent shortfall
Tesla Model Y Long Range – 17.8 percent
Mini Electric Resolute – 17.8 percent
Genesis GV60 Premium – 21.8 percent
BMW i4 eDrive40 M Sport (Pro Pack) – 23.4 percent
Jaguar I-Pace EV400 – 24.6 percent
Volkswagen ID Buzz Style – 24.8 percent
MG 4 Long Range Trophy – 27.6 percent
Cupra Born 58kWh V3 – 28.7 percent
Renault Megane E-Tech Techno – 29.9 percent
Renault Megane E-Tech Equilibre – 32.1 percent
Ora Funky Cat First Edition – 32.8 percent
Stay connected with us on social media platform for instant update click here to join our Twitter, & Facebook
We are now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@TechiUpdate) and stay updated with the latest Technology headlines.
For all the latest Automobiles News Click Here
