InsideEVs 70 MPH Range Test Proves There's Value In EPA Highway Rating

But there are specific exceptions.

2021 Volkswagen ID.4 Exterior In Motion

Mark Kane

By: Mark Kane

Apr 1, 2021 at 9:03am ET

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The inconsistent differences between the EPA range ratings and the real-world test results have prompted InsideEVs to conduct its own range tests and research, about which you can read more here.

Our tests - from 100% to 0% state-of-charge (or close to 0% in some cases), at a constant speed of 70 mph (113 km/h) - reveal what we can expect from an electric car on a typical long-distance trip.

The initial batch of results for a growing number of electric cars indicates that we should pay attention to the EPA Highway range ratings, instead of the EPA Combined range ratings.

Those EPA Combined range values might be difficult to achieve during long-distance travel, but the EPA Highway range values seem to be quite reliable (with some specific exceptions).

Let's take a look at the chart with a group of over ten models, tested at 70 mph. You can see that in most cases, the results were close to the EPA Highway range (yellow line).

EV Range: IEVs 70 mph range test VS EPA Highway/Combined range

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Below we provide you also with a table, containing percentage values between the InsideEVs 70 mph range test and EPA Highway range.

The differences are usually in single-digit percents, which is absolutely acceptable.

Model Drive /
Battery
(kWh) EPA
Combined
Range EPA
Highway
Range IEVs
70mph
Range Difference
IEVs70 /
EPA Hgw 2021 Porsche Taycan (93 kWh) RWD
93.4 kWh 225 mi
(362 km) 239.8 mi
(386 km) 293 mi
(471 km) 22%
(53 mi) 2019 Tesla Model 3 Long Range AWD AWD
80 kWh* 310 mi
(499 km) 297.2 mi
(478 km) 290 mi
(467 km) -2%
(-7 mi) 2020 Porsche Taycan 4S (93 kWh) AWD
93.4 kWh 203 mi
(327 km) 207.4 mi
(334 km) 278 mi
(447 km) 34%
(71 mi) 2020 Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD AWD
80 kWh* 316 mi
(508 km) 297.4 mi
(479 km) 276 mi
(444 km) -7%
(-21 mi) 2020 Hyundai Kona Electric FWD
64 kWh 258 mi
(415 km) 226 mi
(364 km) 238 mi
(383 km) 5%
(12 mi) 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 1ST/Pro S RWD
82 kWh 250 mi
(402 km) 230.2 mi
(370 km) 234 mi
(377 km) 2%
(4 mi) 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV FWD
66 kWh 259 mi
(417 km) 235.1 mi
(378 km) 226 mi
(364 km) -4%
(-9 mi) 2020 Nissan LEAF e+ SV/SL (62 kWh) FWD
62 kWh 215 mi
(346 km) 192.5 mi
(310 km) 190 mi
(306 km) -1%
(-3 mi) 2019 Audi e-tron AWD
95 kWh 204 mi
(328 km) 202.9 mi
(326 km) 188 mi
(302 km) -7%
(-15 mi) 2020 Hyundai IONIQ Electric FWD
38.3 kWh 170 mi
(274 km) 153.3 mi
(247 km) 171 mi
(275 km) 12%
(18 mi) 2020 BMW i3s (120 Ah) RWD
42.2 kWh 153 mi
(246 km) 136.4 mi
(219 km) 141 mi
(227 km) 3%
(5 mi) 2020 MINI Cooper SE FWD
32.6 kWh 110 mi
(177 km) 101.9 mi
(164 km) 108 mi
(174 km) 6%
(6 mi) 2015 Chevrolet Spark EV FWD
21 kWh 82 mi
(132 km) 74.8 mi
(120 km) 63 mi
(101 km) -16%
(-12 mi) 2018 smart fortwo electric drive cabriolet RWD
17.6 kWh 57 mi
(92 km) 50 mi
(80 km) 51 mi
(82 km) 2%
(1 mi)

Exceptions and corner cases

2021 Porsche Taycan and from left: 4S, Turbo and Turbo S

Tesla Model Y

Let's take a look at the same table, but limited to the models for which the difference was higher than 5%.

The main problem is with the Porsche Taycan ratings as the car seems to be highly underestimated. It might be caused by having a two-speed transmission at the rear axle. If the car will travel at a higher speed - including 70 mph (113 km/h) - in second gear, the result might be much better than in the EPA Highway test cycle.

The second thing is that as far as we know, Porsche Taycan results are submitted for the 2-cycle test. Maybe the 5-cycle would translate to a different outcome.

The differences for Tesla need to be closely researched, as in one case, the difference was just 2% below the EPA Highway rating, while in the second example, it was 7% below the EPA Highway rating. A 7% difference concerns also the Audi e-tron.

The Hyundai IONIQ Electric with 12% better results is a surprise, as well as the MINI Cooper SE with a 6% advantage over the EPA Highway, while the weak result of the Chevrolet Spark EV could be related to its age and battery capacity fade.

Conclusion

Because of the importance of electric vehicle range and its biggest importance during long-distance travel, usually at highway speeds, we have to focus more on the EPA Highway range ratings, rather than the EPA Combined range results, which are listed as the main value on the monroney stickers.

The city driving component simply makes the ranges unachievable in most cases on the highway and makes a false impression of EV capabilities. The problem arises because the ranges are now longer than they were 5 years ago.

What do you think?

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Comments

Having the EPA Highway range ratings as a starting point, then we will be able to verify the numbers at InsideEVs 70 mph range test to point out anomalies. Hopefully, in most cases, the results will be just a few percent and less than 20 miles (32 km) off of the official rating, which would be acceptable.