Edmunds recently tested a collection of the most popular electric vehicles on the market today in order to determine actual range figures, and found some surprising results.
At a 7.5 mile oval track in the Mojave Desert, they gathered brand-new examples of the Ford Mustang Mach-E AWD Extended Range, Volkswagen ID.4 First Edition, and Tesla Model 3 Long Range, along with two cars from their own fleet, a Tesla Model Y and Model 3.
The plan was to drive the vehicles from a full charge until they stopped in order to account for the ‘buffer’, or the distance each vehicle will travel after an indicated zero miles of range.
After charging the vehicles to full capacity overnight, the test crew then set tire pressures to the manufacturer’s specification and installed GPS data-loggers to accurately measure the distance traveled. The cars were then driven at a steady 65 mph until they stopped.
Test Results
Firstly, results showed that the distance traveled after zero indicated range varied widely between models, from a low of 7.3 miles for the Ford Mach-E to a high of 25.9 miles for the Tesla Model 3 Long Range.
Based on this test, all the Teslas traveled further than other EVs after indicating zero range. Edmunds concluded that one of the Teslas, the 2021 Model 3 Long Range, met its EPA range estimate if driven beyond the indicated zero point. The remaining Teslas, the 2020 Model Y and 2020 Model 3 Standard Range Plus, fell short of EPA range estimates.
The Volkswagen ID.4 and Ford Mustang Mach-E both exceeded their EPA range estimates in this test.
Edmunds also has both a chart and table showing the range of all the electric models they have tested to show far they went to an indicated zero in real-world driving compared to the EPA estimates, which are done on a programmed dynamometer that simulates the same conditions for all vehicles.
Edmunds is quick to point out that there are many factors at play that will affect range in real-world driving, and their testing should be taken as a compliment to the EPA’s range figures.
Sources: YouTube, Edmunds.com