Typical EV Range Has More Than Tripled In 10 Years

In 2024, the average electric car could travel 283 miles on a single charge.

Lucid Air Dream Edition

Eric Loveday

By: Eric Loveday

Jan 14, 2025 at 11:00am ET

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The media range for Model Year 2024 electric cars stood at 283 miles
In 2014, the median range for Model Year 2014 EVs was only 84 miles
The median EV range has more than tripled in the past ten years

The U.S. Department of Energy is back at it again, releasing some interesting stats related to electric cars. The latest tidbit of info from the DoE has to do with the median range of electric cars over the years. More specifically, the DoE presents the median electric car range for EVs from Model Year 2011 through Model Year 2024 and the numbers show that the median EV range has improved dramatically over time.

According to the DoE report, "The median range of all-electric vehicles (EVs) for model year (MY) 2024 reached a record high of 283 miles per charge." That represents a gain of 13 miles over 2023 Model Year EVs, which doesn't seem like a big improvement. However, when we turn the clock back even further, the huge improvement in EV range over time becomes very evident.

Here's the chart released by the DoE:

Photo by: InsideEVs

What really stands out to us is the massive increase in the median EV range over the past 10 years. In 2014, the median EV range was only 84 miles. The Nissan Leaf was mostly responsible for that low number. In 2024, that figure shot up to 283 miles, which is more than a tripling of the median range in just a decade. Even if we go back just to 2016, the media EV range was 218 miles, compared to 283 last year.

What do you think?

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We don't expect the median EV range to increase dramatically in the near future. That's mostly because 300 miles or so of range is considered adequate for most buyers. However, the figure will surely rise, just at a slower rate. What's the ideal median EV range? We tend to think 300 is ok but what do you think?

If we look at the maximum EV range, a decade ago, that figure stood at 265 miles. Today, it stands at 516 miles courtesy of the Lucid Air, which was previously rated as high as 520 miles in 2022. The highest maximum range for an EV certified by the EPA was the Lucid Air Dream Edition sedan in MY 2022, rated at 520 miles per charge, a number that seems a bit excessive but you won't find us complaining about having too much range.

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