Cocijo
Distinguished Member
Ever since a standard was introduced for both ICE and EV cars there has been much debate about how realistically achievable and fair to the consumer and manufacturer it might be - whether it is mpg or range.
Of course with ICE cars and the ease of refuelling the range is less crucial and the focus is more on mpg.
I think with EV’s if any of the current crop of manufacturers were completely honest about real world range they would sell a lot less cars. And I’m talking some very expensive EV’s also, not just lower priced models.
The WLTP in my opinion is heavily biased towards the manufacturer and makes their cars seem more attractive than they ever are for the vast majority in terms of achievable range. How it was set up, who had input and the main objectives behind it would make interesting reading. The car industry seems to get away with standards that in other industries would never be allowed.
EV’S are still relatively immature in their development and the WLTP figures make them look better than they actually are in terms of range.
Our 3mpk cars will be classed as e-guzzlers in years to come just as early 20mpg ICE were.
Range anxiety is still a big barrier to entry in the EV market as is the current high cost. The WLTP figures attempt (in my opinion not realistically) to address range anxiety but in an opaque way.
The customer might think that they’re buying a car with for example a 50kwh battery when in terms of use this is never going to be the case - which is misleading. They only find this out usually after ownership - as I did a few years ago with my first EV.
MG is no different to other manufacturers - all have a BMS system that sets a top and bottom usable capacity - some publish this and some don’t.
There is a balance between larger batteries, extra costs, extra weight etc.
A smaller battery gets worked a lot harder with more cycles to achieve the same mileage as a larger capacity battery, but then the car is heavier and much more expensive.
A smaller battery car leaves less of a margin for comfort on range.
Manufacturers are trying to educate customers away from quoting size of batteries - and it’s easy to see why that might be.
The whole area needs far more transparency, but this won‘t happen and governments will not push too hard while they themselves are targeted to reduce emissions and increase the number of EV’s on our roads.
When buying an EV I would recommended taking as a minimum 75% of the WLTP as your benchmark (and also bear in mind the additional impact of cold weather on range) - if you can live with this then great. The majority of UK users will not need a car with a large range - especially if they charge at home. And let’s face it Ev’s are great.
The bottom line for me is if you travel a lot and regularly do 150 to 200mile+ journeys using the car - driving in a real world way as you did with ICE cars, then most EV’s will not work for you at the moment unless you are prepared to make major changes to your approach.
Of course with ICE cars and the ease of refuelling the range is less crucial and the focus is more on mpg.
I think with EV’s if any of the current crop of manufacturers were completely honest about real world range they would sell a lot less cars. And I’m talking some very expensive EV’s also, not just lower priced models.
The WLTP in my opinion is heavily biased towards the manufacturer and makes their cars seem more attractive than they ever are for the vast majority in terms of achievable range. How it was set up, who had input and the main objectives behind it would make interesting reading. The car industry seems to get away with standards that in other industries would never be allowed.
EV’S are still relatively immature in their development and the WLTP figures make them look better than they actually are in terms of range.
Our 3mpk cars will be classed as e-guzzlers in years to come just as early 20mpg ICE were.
Range anxiety is still a big barrier to entry in the EV market as is the current high cost. The WLTP figures attempt (in my opinion not realistically) to address range anxiety but in an opaque way.
The customer might think that they’re buying a car with for example a 50kwh battery when in terms of use this is never going to be the case - which is misleading. They only find this out usually after ownership - as I did a few years ago with my first EV.
MG is no different to other manufacturers - all have a BMS system that sets a top and bottom usable capacity - some publish this and some don’t.
There is a balance between larger batteries, extra costs, extra weight etc.
A smaller battery gets worked a lot harder with more cycles to achieve the same mileage as a larger capacity battery, but then the car is heavier and much more expensive.
A smaller battery car leaves less of a margin for comfort on range.
Manufacturers are trying to educate customers away from quoting size of batteries - and it’s easy to see why that might be.
The whole area needs far more transparency, but this won‘t happen and governments will not push too hard while they themselves are targeted to reduce emissions and increase the number of EV’s on our roads.
When buying an EV I would recommended taking as a minimum 75% of the WLTP as your benchmark (and also bear in mind the additional impact of cold weather on range) - if you can live with this then great. The majority of UK users will not need a car with a large range - especially if they charge at home. And let’s face it Ev’s are great.
The bottom line for me is if you travel a lot and regularly do 150 to 200mile+ journeys using the car - driving in a real world way as you did with ICE cars, then most EV’s will not work for you at the moment unless you are prepared to make major changes to your approach.
