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First, it was the Jaguar I-Pace. Researchers studying the performance of electric vehicles at Carnegie Mellon University were surprised last fall when the sport electric crossover received a disappointing scoring estimate from the EPA. The nominal distance of 234 miles from a 90 kWh battery was six miles less than Jaguar's prediction and 16 miles less than the researchers' estimates. This difference may seem minimal – as long as you're not stuck at the edge of the highway.
It is the turn of the Audi crossover to disappoint. The company's E-tron electric SUV, which will go on sale next month, has just received its own EPA rating: 204 kilometers from its 95 kWh battery. That's about 20 miles from what many had predicted (although this is consistent with a few too), a disparity that often occurs with electric vehicles as EPA field tests may not always be easily reproduced by researchers and manufacturers.
The E-tron figures are particularly deplorable for Audi compared to the Tesla, the king of the electric vehicle, which the EPA estimates up to 295 miles on a comparable X model SUV. The car generates an equivalent of 74 miles per gallon, compared to I-Pace models 76 and 93.
The Audi E-tron generates 74 miles per gallon equivalent, according to the new EPA rating.
Eric Adams
As for the "why", well, it gets complicated. The range of electric vehicles has a lot to do with the batteries, certainly, but also with the technological choices, the weight of the vehicle (Audi has not yet released the E-tron), and even with engineering strategies.
On the one hand, it seems that the battery systems of Tesla's high-end competitors are less efficient and less prepared in the long run. The Audi and Jaguar electric vehicles deliberately use only 88% and 94% of the capacities of their batteries, respectively. According to Shashank Sripad, a Carnegie Mellon researcher and mechanical engineer, it is likely to preserve the health of lithium-ion batteries, which naturally degrade over time. (The stress of frequent charging can promote this degradation.)
In comparison, Tesla seems to have better feats in battery engineering and greater experience in technology. "One of the possible reasons for using Tesla's full rated capacity is perhaps the fact that they have a better thermal management system, which ensures that the battery does not degrade as much, even at full capacity, "says Sripad. Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, also hinted that the company had found a way to use its battery more without compromising its longevity – a sign that the electric car company is more confident in the ability of its batteries to hold charges complete without deteriorating over time.
Audi spokesman Mark Dahncke said the company is balancing the E-tron range with its longevity, repeatability and luxury characteristics.
Eric Adams
Tesla could also be more efficient in pulling more kilometers from the battery because the company has about ten years of research to undertake. (The Model S debuted in 2012 and the original Roadster in 2008.) "It takes 10 years to run a 10-year life test," says Venkat Viswanathan, also a mechanical engineer at Carnegie Mellon. As a result, Tesla probably has better data on battery life and performance.
Audi spokesman, Mark Dahncke, says the E-tron is designed to be reliable, capable and efficient, regardless of the load's load, even if it involves slight compromises on the scope. "We have taken a different approach from our competitors, which is to strike a balance between longevity and repeatability," Dahncke said. He also highlighted the luxury equipment of the car, including heating and cooling, as well as the towing capacity of 4,000 pounds – all of which tax the battery.
And of course, if you're looking for a high-end electric vehicle, chances are you're looking for features other than reach. First, its price: compare E-Tron's starting price of $ 74,800 with Model X's $ 89,500 and Jaguar's $ 69,500. Load infrastructure is also important, and Audi, owned by Volkswagen, will invest $ 2 billion by 2027 in its fast charging network, Electricity America, funded by the regulation between Dieselgate and the EPA. Compare its high-speed charging stations, up to 150 kW, to those of Tesla, with a power of 120 kW. This network is still a work in progress, but it could allow E-tron owners to complete a 54-mile range in just 10 minutes. (Teslas needs special adapters to use Chargers funded by Electrify America.)
The best news for electric SUV fans is that others are coming. The next step is the Mercedes EQC. Mercedes-Benz has not published its basic statistics, but says that the new estimate of the European autonomy of the European driving cycle of EQC – a European methodology generally generating figures 20% higher than those calculated by the EPA – is 279 miles. Will that fit? "It's hard to say," says Sripad, "but the trend does not look promising."
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