Winter and summer tests with identical cars show Porsche Taycan records the biggest deficit, Fiat 500 the smallest
Electric car range in winter can be as much as 20% lower than in summer, a new real-world test by What Car? and Move Electric has revealed.
The tests by Autocar’s sibling titles were conducted with four identically specced cars driven to a specified route and within defined parameters for driving style at a proving ground last summer and again earlier this month to discover how lower temperatures affect electric car battery efficiency.
In the winter range test, the Porsche Taycan 4S Performance Battery Plus managed 224 miles on a full charge. That’s a 20.1% drop on the 281 miles that the same model on the same-sized wheels achieved when What Car? tested it last summer.
Other models retested included the Ford Mustang Mach-E Extended Range RWD (which fell 18.0% short of its summer figure), the Skoda Enyaq iV 60 (15.7%) and the Fiat 500 42kWh (15.2%).
Significantly, the test also revealed the positive impact of buying an electric car fitted with a heat pump, which reduces strain on the battery by drawing excess heat from the electric drivetrain, distributing it around the interior of the car through the air conditioning.
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Five models equipped with a heat pump were tested and they fell short of their official WLTP mileage figures by an average of 25.4%. By comparison, five models that relied on a regular interior heater suffered an average deficit of 33.6%.
The tests were conducted on a closed vehicle proving ground, on a 15-mile route consisting of 2.6 miles of simulated stop-start urban traffic, four miles of steady 50mph driving and eight miles driving at a constant speed of 70mph to simulate motorway journeys.
Winter vs summer range test results
Porsche Taycan 4S Performance Battery Plus
Battery size: 83.7kWh; Summer range: 281 miles; Winter range: 224 miles; Difference: 20.10%.
Ford Mustang Mach-E Extended Range RWD
Battery size: 88.0kWh; Summer range: 302 miles; Winter range: 247 miles; Difference: 18.00%.
Skoda Enyaq iV 60
Battery size: 58.0kWh; Summer range: 207 miles; Winter range: 174 miles; Difference: 15.70%.
Fiat 500 42kWh Icon: Battery size: 37.3kWh; Summer range: 140 miles; Winter range: 118 miles; Difference: 15.20%.
Cars tested during winter range test
Fiat 500 42kWh Icon
Usable battery size: 37.3kWh; Heat pump: No; Official (WLTP) range: 198 miles; Winter test range: 118 miles; Shortfall: 40.00%.
Ford Mustang Mach-E Extended Range RWD
Usable battery size: 88.0kWh; Heat pump: No; Official (WLTP) range: 379 miles; Winter test range: 247 miles; Shortfall: 34.60%.
MG 5 Long Range Exclusive
Usable battery size: 57.0kWh; Heat pump: No; Official (WLTP) range: 250 miles; Winter test range: 167 miles; Shortfall: 33.10%.
Audi Q4 E-tron 50 S line Quattro
Usable battery size: 76.6kWh; Heat pump: No; Official (WLTP) range: 290 miles; Winter test range: 201 miles; Shortfall: 30.60%.
Kia EV6 GT-Line RWD
Usable battery size: 72.5kWh; Heat pump: Yes; Official (WLTP) range: 328 miles; Winter test range: 228 miles; Shortfall: 30.40%.
Skoda Enyaq iV 60
Usable battery size: 58.0kWh; Heat pump: No; Official (WLTP) range: 249 miles; Winter test range: 174 miles; Shortfall: 29.80%.
Tesla Model Y Long Range
Usable battery size: 75.0kWh; Heat pump: Yes; Official (WLTP) range: 331 miles; Winter test range: 247 miles; Shortfall: 25.20%.
Tesla Model 3 Long Range
Usable battery size: 75.0kWh; Heat pump: Yes; Official (WLTP) range: 374 miles; Winter test range: 281 miles; Shortfall: 24.80%.
BMW iX3 M Sport
Usable battery size: 74.0kWh; Heat pump: Yes; Official (WLTP) range: 282 miles; Winter test range: 212 miles; Shortfall: 24.70%.
Porsche Taycan 4S Performance Battery Plus
Usable battery size: 83.7kWh; Heat pump: Yes; Official (WLTP) range: 287 miles; Winter test range: 224 miles; Shortfall: 21.80%.
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Source: Autocar
