- Punishing tests subject electric cars to extremely cold driving
- The Kai EV4 performed particularly well across several metrics
- The Lucid Air Grand Touring traveled the longest distance
Every year, the Norwegian Automobile Association (NAF) and the Norwegian motoring magazine Motor.No conduct one of the most brutal range tests of electric vehicles in the El Prix Winter Test Drive, which begins in Norway’s capital, Oslo, and then heads as far north as battery range allows.
Once the city was left behind, this year’s route took in city traffic, mountain roads and highways, where the temperature dropped the more kilometers covered.
This year was reportedly the coldest edition of the El Prix Winter Test Drive yet, with temperatures dropping to -31°C / 23.8°F.
The results showed that these longer-range vehicles naturally performed better, with Lucid Air taking top honors. The car, which boasts a WLTP range of nearly 600 miles, managed to cover 323 miles before requiring a recharge.
It is worth noting here that the cars with the longer range had to cope with the coldest conditions, as the further north they traveled, the colder the ambient temperature became.
|
EV |
Distance traveled (Km) |
WLTP range (Km) |
|
1. Clear air |
960 |
520 |
|
2. Mercedes-Benz CLA |
709 |
421 |
|
3. Audi A6 |
653 |
402 |
|
4. Kia EV4 |
594 |
390 |
|
5. BMW iX |
641 |
388 |
|
6. Volvo ES90 |
624 |
373 |
|
7. Hyundai Ioniq 9 |
600 |
370 |
|
8. Xpeng X9 |
560 |
361 |
|
9. Tesla Model Y |
600 |
359 |
|
10. MG IM6 |
505 |
352 |
In second place, the newly launched and hyper-efficient Mercedes-Benz CLA covered just over 261 miles of its official 440-mile range, while the Audi A6 came in third, covering almost 250 miles of its 406-mile claimed range.
The test was performed with a single driver and minimal equipment to keep the weight reasonable. The cabin was then heated to a comfortable temperature and the speed was kept to the legal limit on each type of road.
In terms of a value proposition, the Kia EV4 did particularly well in fourth place as it costs much less than the cars in the top three positions. It managed to cover just over 242 miles in harsh winter conditions, compared to its 369-mile WLTP range.
As a result, it achieved one of the group’s best price-per-winter-kilometre ratings, beaten only by the low-cost Hyundai Inster, which only showed a variation of -29% of its WLTP range during testing.
However, due to the limited range of the smaller onboard battery packs (its WLTP range is just 223 miles), the Inster covered fewer overall miles and therefore avoided some of the coldest conditions.
Kia is also keen to point out that despite the cold conditions, the EV4 still managed to recharge from 10% to 80% in 33 minutes, just two minutes more than its official rating.
Which gives the best winter value?
Despite Tesla’s reputation for excellent efficiency, only the Model Y managed to scrape into the top 10 in total mileage. The Premium Long Range model covered 223 miles of its 391-mile claimed WLTP range.
However, the Norwegian Automobile Association (NAF) has also crunched its numbers to come up with a purchasing power figure for the winter range, which takes into account the mileage the electric car is able to cover in cold conditions compared to its suggested retail price.
The Tesla Model Y placed fourth overall in this table, falling behind the Hyundai Inster, the overall winner, the Kia EV4 (second place), the Skoda Elroq and the Mazda 6e.
Some of the worst performing models in terms of value per winter mileage covered included the notoriously inefficient Volkswagen ID Buzz, the massive Volvo EX90, which fell out much faster than testers expected, and the BMW iX.
The Lucid Air placed dead last, given that the Grand Touring model used during testing costs $110,900 (around £110,000 / AU$170,000).
Out of all the numbers, facts and figures, the Kia EV4 consistently performed well, with a solid winter value ranking covering some of the highest distances and placing at the bottom of the Absolute Range Loss in Winter results table.
But according to the Norwegian motor website Motor.No, the most important figure is the deviation from the official WLTP figure. In that sense, MGS6 came out on top with a deviation of only -28.87%.
In fact, Chinese brands in general, which include Changan, MG, Zeekr and KGM, all delivered good results for average WLTP deviation during extreme cold weather testing.
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