Tesla has consistently exaggerated the driving range of its electric vehicles, reportedly leading car owners to think something was broken when actual driving range was much lower than advertised. When these owners scheduled service appointments to fix the problem, Tesla canceled the appointments because there was no way to improve the actual distance Tesla cars could drive between charges, according to an investigation by Reuters.
I would like to see some numbers.
When it came time to replace an old car a few years ago I actually discounted several EVs because on paper neither the range, nor the performance, nor the charging matched up to Tesla.
I discounted Tesla because I didn’t like the way a certain CEO went about their business and so couldn’t trust the company.
Looking at this, I should have just bought the EV I wanted back then and been done with it.
I’ve been very happy with my Hyundai Ioniq 5 after more than a year. The range adjusts dynamically based on conditions and my driving history, and charging is very fast when you are hooked up to a 350kw charger, especially in warm weather.
I just don’t get how they did such a phenomenal job designing the exterior and the mechanical aspects and then just (IMO) made the interior kinda “meh”. Maybe it’s better in person but I haven’t been thrilled with what I’ve seen in pictures.
The EV6 is very similar on paper, both use the 800V E-GMP, but I prefer the interior and driving experience over Ioniq 5.
I hate the touch bar. But I don’t know if the Ioniq is any better in that regard.
Also the exterior of the Ioniq 5 looks better. EV6 interior looks better but some of those things would annoy me.
The screens in those two cars are the same, they also both have touch panels below the touch screens, but they take different approaches to the user experience.
The Ioniq 5 has a single touch panel, and many of the buttons are pretty much just shortcuts to get to the relevant screen on the touchscreen.
The Kia EV6 has more or less the same touch panel, but here it can switch between climate mode and media mode. So in one mode the dial and the touch buttons control temperature and fan speeds, on the other mode the same buttons and dial control the volume and switching channels and tracks on the radio.
I agree the interior looks extremely bland in pictures. I personally think it’s much better in person.
I have one on order and compared to the Kia EV6, Volvo XC40, VW id.4. Getting in the drivers seat of all these cars feels almost like getting into a sleeping bag. The center consoles are tall, the bottom of the windows are tall, the dashboards are pulled up and almost over you like a blanket.
The Ioniq 5 feels very spacious around you in comparison. The center console is lower and more open, the center console is not connected to the dashboard, so you could easily hop between the drivers seat and the passengers seat. The doors are equally tall, but it seems like they are further out, probably due to the handle design. The roof feels higher, and especially in the glass one, much more spacious. The dashboard also feels a bit more clean, and a bit more like a computer on a desk in front of you, that a plane cockpit around you.
All the other cars certainly feel more sporty, like a racecar, and the Ioniq feels casual and comfy.
All of them are great to drive, but in the end, the comfort was the deciding factor for me. I’m still waiting on my Ioniq being delivered though.
Yeah, honestly if I was looking to get an electric car the Ioniq5 would probably be it anyway.
Many of my friends recently bought a Korean EV. They are all happy with their purchase. Nobody of them even considered Tesla. Since in my country Tesla has a bad rep when it comes to repairs.
Looking at this, I should have just bought the EV I wanted back then and been done with it.
Basically what I did. Ignored WLTP numbers, got some real life numbers from forums and YouTube reviews and bought a reasonable car in 2020. Good for now, we’ll see what’s good in five years.
After some quick reading, a big thing is that you want an EV with a cooled and heated battery if you live in areas that see snow. And if you live in a warm area you’ll want a battery pack that is actively cooled, as overheating will also cause poor performance, and can become damaged if they get hot enough.
According to a South Korean fine Tesla was given, their cars can apparently drop in range by about 50% if the temperature is around -15C(5F), compared to 20C(68F). With many other EVs also dropping by up to 40% because of battery temperature.
I sold Hyundai for a bit. It was a big deal for that company when their engineers figured out how to heat the battery for the winter.
Valid, this should be tackled. Does the battery heating help?
Battery heating makes an enormous difference. I live in Ontario and generally average about -15 to -20 during the winter. Bought a Hyundai Kona EV in 2020 and it’s been great. Actual range in summer is about 450km cuz I drive like an old man, and it drops to about 350km with my high traction winter tires, battery heating, and cabin heating.
The Kona also won for the best actual range during winter a few years ago
https://yourtestdriver.com/electric-vehicle-winter-weather-test/
Every road test I’ve seen has shown Tesla cars being more efficient and getting more range than other manufacturers. But I do question the results. I have a BMW i3. I always get about 2/3 of the official range. Always been happy with that. But people complain about the range while having the temperature at max in winter (with t shirt on) and then AC set to freezing in the summer (wearing a jumper). They just drain the battery.
The range is determined by no use of any electronics (lights, radio, climate control, stereo etc) and ideal weather and road conditions. You get less than the max because you aren’t driving at max efficiency at all times.
Never let perfect be the enemy of good
You shouldn’t have bought an EV unless you plan to use it solely for driving around a city.
Just came back from a EU holiday with an EV. 3.000km without any issue whatsoever. The gas car that joined us was 1 hour faster in the end (on a 12 hour drive).
In the EU at least, a 300km range EV is stressfree and totally doable.
When you get lucky enough and you don’t have 3 people in front of you wanting to charge, sure. We go on 600-800 km trips which is quite exhausting and don’t plan to spend additional hours at chargers
Not sure what your location is, but have not had 1 single time where I had to wait at a charger. 9 out of 10 times we are alone at a charging spot of on average 8 available spots.
Again, EV in EU is a non-issue. I often had to wait longer at gas stops in the past.
Sounds like a PHEV would solve this.
No, phev is literally the worst. You have to charge it and fill it with gasoline, as well. As a result, it’s heavier and more complex.
Hybrids are fine, though I still prefer regular gasoline.
I’d be much more likely to buy a hybrid or phev than pure electric. My ideal thing would be something like the Edison Truck (though just a regular pickup, not a semi) where it’s diesel electric.
A full size pickup truck with like a 40-60hp diesel generator/range extender on board would be awesome. Or a midsize with like a 30hp.
How often do you take road trips? The vast majority of trips taken by car are within 20–30 km. An average EV range can easily cover most people’s daily driving needs.
Of course. If you have averagely 20-30 km trips and charge the vehicle overnight, EVs are good. However, when you travel more kilometers and need to charge more than 0 times on the way to your destination, you waste many hours.
Have you actually road tripped an EV? You don’t waste “many hours” you spend like 15 minutes every 200 miles charging while you piss and walk your dog.
I more than once have done 600+ miles in a day in the lowest-range Tesla available. It’s just fine.
yes, you spend ideally 15 minutes, realistically more. With a gasoline car, I spend around 5
In addition, my car is capable of around 600-660 km which is more than most EVs
Here’s the duration of my last 5 fast charging stops, pulled from an app that logs everything my car does:
8 minutes 12 minutes 13 minutes 5 minutes 14 minutes
“realistically” i’m having sub-15 minute charge sessions almost every time. Not to mention this goes back a couple months, since I charge at home every night.
If you drive 600km without stopping to piss, maybe a gas car is for you, but I’m not that miserable.
That’s 52 minutes. With a gasoline car you can have a 5 minute stop.
I don’t drive for 600 km without a break but I also don’t need to spend hours at petrol stations. I don’t know where you live but in my country and for my use case, an electric car is only viable if I also have one gasoline car.
It would mean a huge compromise for my needs. Getting an electric car is similar to getting a Unimog if you spend your time mostly at highways.
You don’t spend 5. You spend at least 10 minutes, where charging takes 15-20.
If you have 110L tank, yes it takes 10 minutes. If you charge your car in 15-20 minutes, then good for you. In my area, there is one such a charger and unless you plan to charge your car at 3:00 AM, you will not find less than 5 cars in front of it.
Regular chargers we have here will take at least hour to charge your vehicle
“Thousands of customers were told there is nothing wrong with their car” by advisers who had never run diagnostics, Reuters quoted a source as saying. Advisers offered tips to customers on how to increase their mileage by changing driving habits
Holy shit, can you imagine being told this by your vehicle manufacturer when requesting a service appointment?
“you’re holding it wrong”
I mean, some people do have lead foot disease and could benefit from getting told to ease up on the throttle, but this is much more than that.
Well that explains why Tesla’s am to get so much better range on the same size batteries as other manufacturers: they don’t.
Honestly there should be a law which makes car companies (tesla especially) publish ranges based on real world conditions
That will never happen. They will either just make numbers up, use cars without interior and always “test” in california where it’s warm and straight.
Maybe this will inspire the law. We can call it the “stop Tesla lying act”
Although to be fair, my 2012 Kia Hybrid also grossly over estimates it’s MPG. So much so that I also thought something was wrong with it when I first bought it, so it’s not just Tesla. MPG and range absolutely need some strict regulation on it with some real teeth if companies get caught gaming the system.
It’s likely that the range is right on point… if you’re driving in a way nobody actually drives.
I expect there to be a lot of asterisks next to any EV’s range.
Once, I was watching a presentation on some electric off-road vehicles. Big hulking things. They were bragging about their 120 kilometer range. I was looking at them sideways because you can’t just say a number like that.
Sure enough, if you take the off-road vehicles off-road and start driving up hills, that 120 kilometers turns into 20 kilometers.
I don’t want to look like I’m misrepresenting things here – you burn more fuel going uphill in an ICE car than you do on level ground as well. The thing with electric is you’re getting equivalent range with much less energy by being more efficient, which means you’re working with less when you come up against something that chews up your energy.
And you’re telling me this is coming from the top? This is my surprised face.
Well written article
Alternate headline: Estimated mileage is a crock everywhere and EV owners don’t understand the reality of owning one.
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