Electric vehicle range - how is it calculated?

As almost all regular readers will know the quoted mpg figures bear little or no resemblance to real life. How do manufacturers arrive at figures for electric car mileage? Is it by a set formula and regulation as with petrol / diesels or are they free to do their own thing?

Surely figures must be wildly affected by conditions, how can a cold, wet, winter day requiring lights, wipers and heater compare with a warm dry summer day?

As an added point if a lot of electric vehicles were to get stuck on a snowed in motorway how would they get home if their batteries go flat? The AA or RAC cannot bring a can of fuel along can they?

Asked on 20 February 2013 by Colin T

Answered by Honest John
They measure the CO2 used to produce the electricity. Just a lab test, like the EC fuel consumption tests.
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