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People who own electric vehicles or follow EV news know the EPA and WLTP range tests might not be all that representative of real-world driving range. Some YouTubers who drive EVs have conducted their own personal range tests and shared the results in their videos.
One guy, Kyle Conner, who is based in Colorado, has tested dozens of EVs. If you have ever seen any of his Out of Spec YouTube videos you might have watched some of his electric vehicle range tests. He has a deliberate, repeatable test he puts all his electric vehicles through. He starts with a 100% charge and then drives them on a freeway or frontage road mostly, until the battery has about 0% left or the vehicle is running on the battery’s reserve. He maintains a rate of 70 mph for most of the test while following some other guidelines.
- Tire pressure set to manufacturer recommendation
- DCFC to 100% SoC to ensure optimal battery temperature
- Most energy efficient drive setting
- Climate control set between 68-72 on most eco-friendly mode that still allows A/C, on lowest auto fan setting
- 70 mph constant GPS-verified speed with gentle acceleration to reach speed
- Avoid drafting trucks or other vehicles
- Stay on highway at 70 mph constant for as long as possible, until power is cut or low single digit SoC
- Use frontage roads at low SoC, try to maintain 55+ mph until stated remaining range depleted
- Arrive at charger just as car crosses 0-1 miles remaining and 0% SoC
If you have watched any of his EV range tests you can easily observe his enthusiasm for EVs, and yet it is balanced by careful testing in real-world conditions.
If you scroll down the same page with the testing guidelines, you can see a list of EVs he has tested.
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There are 12 that have achieved at least 300 miles of range according to his own tests. One has an EPA-rated range of 269, but his 70 mph test documented 304. The 304 miles of range is for the Mercedes EQE SUV 500, which is much higher than the EPA-rated 269.
- Lucid Air Grand Touring, 436 miles
- Chevy Silverado EV 4 WT, 434 miles
- Mercedes EQE SUV 450+, 375 miles
- Tesla Model S Plaid, 365 miles
- Rivian R1T, Dual Motor, Large, 345 miles
- Mercedes EQS, 450+, 344 miles
- BMW iX M60, 339 miles
- Rivian R1T, Dual Motor, Max, 335 miles
- Tesla Model X, LR, 331 miles
- Hummer EV, 318 miles
- Tesla Cybertruck Cyberbeast, 304 miles
- Mercedes EQE, SUV 500, 304 miles
So, how do his numbers compare to the EPA estimates?
EPA
- Lucid Air Grand Touring, 500+ miles
- Chevy Silverado EV 4 WT, 450 miles
- Mercedes EQE SUV 450+, 250-280 miles
- Tesla Model S Plaid, 359 miles
- Rivian R1T, Dual Motor, Large, 352 miles
- Mercedes EQS, 450+, 352 miles
- BMW iX M60, 274-296 miles
- Rivian R1T, Dual Motor, Max, 410 miles
- Tesla Model X, LR, 335 miles
- Hummer EV, 314 miles
- Tesla Cybertruck Cyberbeast, 320 miles
- Mercedes EQE, SUV 500, 269 miles
For some EVs, the Out of Spec range tests show higher ranges than the EPA estimates. What’s really interesting about Conner’s EV range tests is that he does not work for any of the EV manufacturers. He would be considered a third party tester and he does not get paid to promote any particular electric vehicle. He personally owns several or more electric vehicles and his personal favorite, if you use daily usage as the metric, appears to be his Rivian R1T. He likes the outdoors and off-roading and the R1T is apparently quite good for that.
Another point is that there are many people who say electric vehicles don’t have enough range. Actually, there are multiple EVs that have plenty of range, as we see with this list, and this list is not every EV that has ample range.
No electric vehicle actually needs 500 or 600 miles of range as some EV critics have claimed. Electric vehicles only need enough range to travel reasonable distances and get to the next available functioning EV charger. At least in the US, very few daily driving trips are over 100 miles. So, 300 miles of real-world range is fine for most people, and, EV charging networks are growing, thus decreasing the amount of required range between charges.
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