Thank you for the clarifications. Why is there such a discrepancy between the EPA estimated range and the real world on Tesla compared to the other manufacturers?
Because the EPA offers a choice of two tests (2-cycle and 5-cycle) and they allow manufacturers to arbitrarily reduce their range figure.
While MPGe is important for efficiency comparisons, people don't compare efficiency on EVs during the research gathering phase of the shopping experience (at least not the general public in my experience).
If true, the general public makes poor purchasing decisions. No surprise.
What I've found is most buyers compare range and charge times, completely flipped from ICE vehicles where tank size and refuel times are more or less irrelevant due to the relative ease of refueling. To your point about efficiency, I think EVs are so efficient that the difference in efficiency is as irrelevant in general consumer's eyes as tank size on ICE vehicles. That combined with the consumer confusion over what MPGe is, results in misunderstandings.
Consumers could certainly be better educated on what they’re buying. Unfortunately, a lot of these big purchase decisions are made in haste and are clouded with emotion.
If a company made a 500kWh battery with 500wh/m efficiency and a 10 min charge time it would sell like hotcakes because the range would be 1000 miles.
Except for the fact that a 500 kWh battery would have a $50,000 cost associated with it. That would put the brakes on most new car transactions even if it offered 1,000 miles of range.
The average car buyer doesn't actually look at the cost difference overall, they just assume the cost of fuel is cheaper (regardless of efficiency or $/kWh of their home).
They should. We all know what happens when we assume.
I'm saying that the EPAs ratings are not well understood by consumers, and as such there are differences in the real world range of a Model Y as compared to a Mach E for instance.
100%. It doesn’t help that the EPA lets manufacturers choose between a couple of different tests and apply their own correction to the final results.
That leads to consumers thinking the Model Y gets more range than it does, if there is more than one test available, the less accurate one should be eliminated, and then, at the very least, range would be apples to apples
Agreed. Test them all the same way so consumers can have accurate comparisons between vehicles. My issue is with the EPA’s structure, not with the individual manufacturers.