Electric-car real-world driving range to go under the microscope in new tests

How far popular electric cars can really travel on a single charge – outside of the laboratory – will be revealed next month in new real-world testing conducted on Australian roads.

Examination of the real-world fuel consumption of petrol and diesel vehicles conducted by the Australian Automobile Association will soon extend to electric vehicles.

Details of which vehicles will be assessed are yet to be confirmed, but the first results are promised sometime next month.

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The real-world driving range of electric vehicles has been assessed by customers and media – including Drive – but the AAA will subject each vehicle to a standardised testing process to determine energy use on public roads.

It says it uses “strict test protocols to ensure … results are repeatable and to minimise the influence of human factors such as driving style and changing traffic flows,” and conducts its testing on roads near Geelong, Victoria.

As with the petrol and diesel fuel-consumption testing it has conducted, the AAA ‘Real-World Testing Program’ is backed by the Federal Government, and supported by both major parties.

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It has assessed 114 petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles thus far, out of a total of 200 vehicles the funding will cover.

“Range anxiety continues to be a significant barrier to EV uptake, and we hope these independent results will give Australian car-buyers far greater confidence about the real-world range of new EVs on the market,” AAA managing director Michael Bradley said in a media statement.

The AAA Real-World Testing Program is funded by the Commonwealth with bipartisan support and will test up to 200 of Australia’s most popular makes and models.

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