Electric cars: range and efficiency comparison
In order to help you compare some of the most popular electric cars currently available, I made a table with EPA range and efficiency figures.
It might help you decide which electric car is the best for you.
|
Electric car |
Range |
Efficiency |
||||
|
Combined |
City |
Highway |
Combined |
City |
Highway |
|
|
BMW i3 (94 Ah battery) |
183 km |
201 km |
165 km |
17,75 kWh/100 km |
16,23 kWh/100 km |
19,75 kWh/100 km |
|
Chevrolet Bolt EV |
383 km |
412 km |
354 km |
17,64 kWh/100 km |
16,36 kWh/100 km |
19,04 kWh/100 km |
|
2017 Ford Focus Electric |
185 km |
204 km |
166 km |
19,57 kWh/100km |
17,75 kWh/100km |
21,81 kWh/100km |
|
Hyundai IONIQ Electric |
200 km |
220 km |
179 km |
15,4 kWh/100 km |
13,96 kWh/100 km |
17,16 kWh/100 km |
|
Nissan Leaf (30 kWh battery) |
172 km |
191 km |
155 km |
18,7 kWh/100 km |
16,89 kWh/100 km |
20,73 kWh/100 km |
|
Tesla Model S 60D |
351 km |
341 km |
361 km |
20,13 kWh/100 km |
20,73 kWh/100 km |
19,57 kWh/100 km |
In each category green represents the best result, while red represent the worst.
Remember that EPA figures measure plug-to-wheels consumption, this means that the internal charger efficiency matters.
The Hyundai IONIQ Electric is the efficiency champion, but if you need more range you might prefer a Chevrolet Bolt EV or a Tesla Model S.
Unfortunately we don’t have EPA ratings for the Renault Zoe and need to wait for the more realistic WLTP start replacing NEDC next year.
Also next year we’ll have important additions to the table. From an improved Volkswagen e-Golf with more range to a much better and redesigned Nissan Leaf. With luck first Tesla Model 3 deliveries will also take place.
What do you think about these figures? Were you surprised by at least one of them?
Would be great to add the new e-Golf and Soul EV!
Great compilation.
The Tesla numbers does not make sense. No electric car have better range on highway driving compared with city driving. Even if Tesla has good aerodynamic properties, it will have higher energy consumption when the speed increases. That is also the case for Hyundai Ionic that have low air drag just like Tesla.
I think the problem is that the values of city and highway for the tesla are exchanged 😉
Tesla Model S is a very heavy car, that’s why its efficiency isn’t great at low speeds.
At low speeds you also take more time to complete a certain distance, that’s more time for internal electronics to consume electricity.
Tesla cars are huge computers on wheels.
Even when stopped Tesla cars have higher than normal parasitic load, also know as vampire drain.
Bjørn Nyland set a range record for a Tesla S85D with a distance of 728,7 km in the summer of 2015. The duration of the test was 18 hours + and the average speed 40 km/h. He managed to get an energy consumption of 106Wh/km. So there is no logical reason why a Tesla S60 should have problem to get low energy consumption at low speed.
I don’t know where he could go 728.7km at an average speed of 40km/h without being push aside
Perfectly normal. It’s the same for iCE cars you consume less on a highway than in a city if you drive at a regular and” lawful” speed!
Your title should read “BEV’s currently available in the United States” as I see you have omitted Europe’s best selling BEV that being the Renault Zoe 🙁
These values are different than reported at http://www.fueleconomy.gov
Given Australian cost of electricity, it is about half the cost to run an efficient petrol vehicle. With our long distances lack of charging areas and need for more baseload electrical generation. Not sure that Oz is ready for this, not sure that we would be cooling the planet by transitioning??
10 prototypes of a wind energized electric motor system for cars, trucks, trains and planes is in progress. An announcement and presentation of a car, 18 wheel tractor and RV train car will take place before the end of August.
What will all the manufactures do about the Mexican built and branded company say to thst?