I was recently discussing the issue of EPA range with some friends online. After seeing Consumer Reports and others bash Tesla for not meeting EPA range targets in the real world, most agreed that the problem isn’t with Tesla as much as the EPA.
EVs excel at this test, though. Regenerative braking is usually stronger, and there’s no internal combustion engine that wastes away fuel making heat. So, EVs tend to get far better range in this test cycle compared to the highway test cycle.The maximum speed for the EPA highway test is just under 60 MPH, while the average speed is only 48.3 MPH. There are also some traffic slowdowns simulated in the test, but not heavy traffic.
So, instead of publishing an end-all be-all range figure that many people will be disappointed by , manufacturers should publish a range of highway range figures in a table for drivers to figure out what fits their needs. The city figure is probably OK for nearly all drivers, but if drivers had data for 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, and 85 MPH range with ambient temperatures on the other axis, they could decide whether the car would fit their individual range needs.