Why Is The Range Of The Electric Vehicle Always Discounted?

When shopping, getting a discount on the price is very pleasant. But when buying a car, getting a discount on the range (battery life) is not so pleasant. Especially for electric vehicles where charging/ battery swapping is not that convenient yet, a discount on range means having to spend more time charging or swapping batteries, resulting in a decline in experience, increased time, and effort. Why is the range of electric vehicles always discounted?

"False labeling" of the testing method
Before a vehicle is put on the market, it will undergo energy consumption certification by the manufacturer itself and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. That is the "vehicle energy consumption label" that is pasted on the car window when purchasing the car. Besides the manufacturer, model, quality, and power, the most prominent information on the label is the vehicle's energy consumption and range of travel. Of course, there is also the reference standard for the test data.

To ensure the objectivity and comparability of the data, it is necessary to make everyone's "measuring tools" of the same length. This is the root cause of "overstating" - the method of conducting condition tests.
In simple terms, the actual driving conditions of consumers are completely different from those of the manufacturers' test conditions, resulting in differences in the outcomes. Just like two drivers with completely different driving styles driving the same vehicle on the same route, the final energy consumption can still show significant variations.
The commonly used driving condition testing methods in China at present include: NEDC, WLTC, CLTC, and GB/T 18386.1-2021. Different names indicate different testing methods and organizations, and the driving conditions and parameters also vary.

NEDC

The NEDC driving cycle, which has been in use for the longest time and is most frequently employed in our country, originated from the European development. This standard, which was implemented in 1980, is quite old. The last update was in 1997, a time from the last century. It is based on the design of fuel vehicles and is mainly used to evaluate the emission levels and fuel economy of fuel vehicle engines. The early Ministry of Industry and Information Technology used the NEDC standard to test pure electric vehicles.

The NEDC testing standard is based on the design of fuel vehicles and is mainly used to evaluate the emission levels and fuel economy of fuel vehicle engines (it can also be used for energy consumption tests of new energy vehicles). It is divided into two parts: urban driving conditions and suburban driving conditions. Specifically, it consists of 4 simulated urban driving conditions and 1 simulated suburban driving condition.
The entire testing process lasted only 20 minutes. The maximum speed in the urban driving condition was 50 km/h, with an average speed of 19 km/h. Each cycle lasted for 195 seconds, and the total distance traveled was 4.052 km. In the suburban driving condition test, there was only one EUDC cycle, with an average speed of 62.6 km/h, an effective driving time of 400 seconds, and a total distance traveled of 6.955 km.
During the entire test, the vehicle was in a constant speed driving state for the majority of the time. Even during the acceleration and deceleration phases, the acceleration remained a constant value. The "speed-time" curve was very regular, falling within the category of steady-state conditions. Moreover, this test was conducted on a test bench, without considering the temperature differences between winter and summer, without using air conditioning, and there was no air resistance either.

WLTC (WLTP)
The WLTC stands for Global Unified Light Vehicle Test Procedure. It is an upgraded version of the NEDC. It was jointly drafted by China, the United States, Japan, and the European Union. Based on the WLTC test conditions, our country has also developed its own CLTC test method.

Compared with the NEDC test condition, the test duration of the WLTP is increased by 10 minutes, reaching 30 minutes. The test conditions are divided into low speed, medium speed, high speed, and ultra-high speed, with speeds of 56.5 km/h, 76.6 km/h, 97.4 km/h, and 131.3 km/h, respectively.

The conditions include urban areas, suburbs, expressways, and highways, basically covering the daily driving scenarios.
Apart from the differences in speed and scenarios, the WLTC standard also takes into account factors such as braking, congestion, parking, as well as temperature, tire rolling resistance, vehicle load, and interior electrical equipment.

CLTC

The Chinese driving conditions, CATC, are divided into the light vehicle driving conditions, CLTC, and the heavy commercial vehicle driving condition,s CHTC. CLTC refers to the Chinese light vehicle driving conditions, which further includes two types: the light passenger vehicle driving conditions (CLTC-P) and the light commercial vehicle driving conditions (CLTC-C), and applies to M1 class, N1 class vehicles, and M2 class vehicles with a maximum designed gross weight not exceeding 3500kg.
The CLTC driving condition is divided into three speed ranges: low, medium, and high. The duration of the condition is 30 minutes. The proportion of time in the low-speed range is 37.4%, that in the medium-speed range is 38.5%, and that in the high-speed range is 24.1%. The average speed is 29.0 km/h, the maximum speed is 114.0 km/h, and the idle proportion is 22.1%.
The maximum test vehicle speed is higher than that of NEDC but lower than that of WLTC. The average vehicle speed is lower compared to both NEDC and WLTP cycles. The CLTC cycle is more favorable for most electric vehicles. In other words, using the CLTC cycle to indicate the range of mileage will result in a more favorable figure.

EPA

In addition to the above standards, there is also the EPA standard in the United States. The EPA test conditions were formulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and constitute a testing procedure used to measure the exhaust emissions and fuel economy of passenger vehicles. The entire testing process lasts approximately one hour.

The EPA test conditions consist of urban driving conditions, highway driving conditions, aggressive driving conditions and air conditioning usage conditions. The maximum test speed reaches 129.2 km/h.
As we mentioned in our previous article, for an electric vehicle, the intermittent driving conditions in a city are the most energy-efficient, while driving at high speed is the opposite. Therefore, generally speaking, the higher the vehicle speed, the shorter the range. The range obtained under different driving cycles should be approximately: CLTC > NEDC > WLTC.
In simple terms, the range reduction rate obtained using the CLTC driving cycle is the highest. In contrast, the WLTC driving cycle test method is the closest to the actual range.
However, when it comes to this, there is actually another most "flawless" testing method - the constant-speed method. That is, test on the test bench at a completely fixed speed, without any other working conditions, and output it in a completely constant state. Of course, the range obtained is very impressive, but it has little reference value.

Test environment ≠ Driving environment

Careful car enthusiasts should notice that in almost all chassis tests for energy consumption, the factor of wind resistance is completely ignored. Conducting tests in an environment without wind resistance will inevitably enhance the overall range of all vehicles.
In actual driving scenarios, factors such as the vehicle's load capacity, the size of the air conditioning (heating power) and the air volume, frequent acceleration and deceleration, and more aggressive driving styles all have a significant impact on the vehicle's fuel efficiency.

Furthermore, attentive drivers may also notice that, whether it is at the new car launch event, or at the place where the vehicle displays its range, or at the adjustable options section, there will be small text indicating the testing methods for the range, such as CLTC, etc. For this type of display of range, one should still have a measuring tool in mind to avoid getting stuck on the road.
Of course, this is not due to false labeling by the manufacturer, but rather a limitation of the testing method, which results in different outcomes. Therefore, "false labeling" has become a common practice. As ordinary consumers, the data obtained under the same standard can still be quite useful for making comparisons and selections among different vehicle models.