While it is true that EVs are rapidly transforming both themselves and the entire automotive industry, with Tesla's North American Model S Long Range Plus now coming with an eye-popping range in excess of 400 miles, some EVs are just mindbogglingly short-ranged. Here are 10 EVs with frightfully shockingly short ranges that will make you question how they got onto the market in the first place.
Some of these EVs are the first models from the early 2010s that remind us why we were all so skeptical of the viability of these seemingly impractical alternatives to fossil fuel cars. Others are new models on the market now confusing us how they could remain at all competitive in light of the whole range of 300+ mile ranges of EV cars on the market now.
9 Smart EQ Fortwo Electric Drive - 57 miles
With the Smart EQ Fortwo the range goes with the size, you don't expect a golf cart to get all that far down the highway. It's not saying much, but at least it would beat that golf cart with its underwhelming range of 57 miles.
Produced in surprisingly high numbers this German car may find a niche with the small car-loving Europeans but is unlikely to find much of a place in North America.
8 Fiat 500e - 87 Miles
Well, the Italians may be able to improve on the runt of the litter but still, an 87-mile range isn't anything to write home about. With a top speed of 60 miles per hour, it'll save you on speeding fines and cost you on time on the open highway!
This car is being sold in California but is unlikely to see much use outside of the main cities.
7 Mini Cooper SE - 110 Miles
It doesn't feel good to bad mouth the iconic Mini Cooper, but at least it comes in at over 100 miles on a full charge with its 114 miles.
Additionally, its only been in production since 2019, surely they could do better with such a classic brand of car? Still one can't talk of Minis without thinking if Mr. Bean would fix it up with a padlock!
6 Hyundai Ioniq Electric - 124 Miles
Enter the Koreans! The Hyundai Ioniq Electric actually looks like a real car, only a pity it doesn't have the range of one with a mere 124 miles.
The EV variant was only a limited run of an otherwise hybrid model featuring both plug-in and non-plug-in options.
5 Nissan Leaf - 73 Miles
Yes, the Nissan Leaf was groundbreaking and revolutionary for being the first modern car to go fully electric. But now looking back from a time when ranges have increased by over 500%, one wonders why anyone would have bought a car with a frightful range of 73 miles.
With progressive (if incremental) upgrades, Nissan has managed to entice buyers having produced its 500,000th Leaf in 2020.
4 Wheego Whip - 100 Miles
This rather odd-looking car is a Chinese specialty. But as bad as 100 miles of range is, it's still admittedly impressive for the early 2010s when it was initially released.
It retailed at a hefty price of $32,990 and sold a paltry 400 units in the USA - not the greatest success story in the history of car export.
3 Mia electric - 50 Miles
One sometimes wonders about how and why things are done in France, and the Mia Electric is no exception. Looking like a large van in a picture until any person or other frame of reference is put up against it, this little beast can only snuff out a dismal 50 miles.
Well, that's enough to get the groceries but still maybe not enough to visit the in-laws. Perhaps its utility is limited to the compact cities of Europe, but one thing is for sure, no one is traveling across the lower 48 states in this car.
2 Ford Focus Electric - 76 Miles
With heavyweights like the Ford Focus entering the market, one might expect them to do so with a splash, but with a pathetic 76 miles of range for their earliest models, one is left scratching one's head how they could put their brand name on such an embarrassment.
Out of production now, one has to wonder about the future of the Ford Focus. Will they reintroduce it with an actual workable range?
1 Renault Fluence Z.E. - 115 Miles
The Renault Fluence Z.E. looks the part of a performance EV. A first glance at such a vehicle and one can't help but raise one's expectations. But like the final season of Game of Thrones, this aesthetically pleasing EV also lets us all down.
At 115 miles, it's still better than most of the lackluster EVs in this list but still barely enough to complete even a Sunday drive to the beach. If it does have a redeeming grace it's that it was the first EV to be enabled with battery swapping technology.
In short, EVs have come a long way with their range, and they promise to go a good deal further. But when we look back to the early 2010s, we wonder why anyone would have bought them at all, and then there are the very short-range EVs still on the market that have you thinking you would be better off just buy a Walmart buggy instead.