What does range depend on?
130 km/h on the motorway, minus 3 °C outside, the heating on. In the last 50 kilometres, the range estimate has fallen by 80.
The official range of the car is well above what the display now predicts.
The questionWhy does the range shrink faster than the distance driven?
Guess firstIn a Norwegian winter test at minus 5 to minus 10 °C, how much range did 23 electric cars lose on average compared with their official figure?RevealHide
21.7% on average. The best car lost 5.9%, the one with the largest loss 31.9%.
Where the official figure comes from
The range in a brochure comes from the , the test procedure set in EU law. The cycle runs 30 minutes over 23 km on a test bench, at an average of 46.5 km/h including stops, and reaches 131 km/h only briefly.
That makes cars comparable with each other. It does not describe a winter motorway at 130 km/h.
Computed for an example car: 2,000 kg, drag area 0.62 m², rolling resistance 0.009, 88% from battery to wheel, 300 W for onboard electronics, no heating. From 100 to 130 km/h, consumption rises by 42%: with 70 kWh, the range falls from about 470 to 330 km.
Four things that cost range
- Speed. The force of air drag grows with the square of speed, the power needed with its cube. In the example car, air drag becomes the larger force above about 80 km/h.
- Temperature. Heating the cabin takes energy, and a cold battery works less efficiently. A needs less electricity for the same warmth than a simple electric heater.
- Height. Climbing stores energy that recovers only in part (stop 05).
- Load and tyres. Weight, roof boxes and winter tyres add rolling and air resistance.
on public roads at minus 5 to minus 10 °C
compared with each car's WLTP range
the best car in the test
the car with the largest gap
Results of the NAF winter test of 2024, as reported by ÖAMTC.
Check your understanding
3 questions. Answer all of them to complete this stop. Each answer explains itself.
Why does consumption rise so steeply above 100 km/h?
Rolling resistance grows only slowly with speed. Air drag dominates on the motorway.
What does the WLTP range describe?
WLTP is a laboratory cycle set in EU law. It compares cars under equal conditions, not every situation on the road.
In the Norwegian winter test, what was the average range loss of 23 cars against WLTP?
21.7% on average, from 5.9% for the best car to 31.9% for the car with the largest gap.
- Regenerative braking Slowing down with the motor working as a generator, which returns part of the car's energy of motion or height to the battery. Stop 05 Glossary
- WLTP The test procedure set in EU law for consumption and range: a 30-minute cycle at an average of 46.5 km/h. Glossary
- Heat pump A heater that moves heat from outside air into the cabin and needs less electricity for the same warmth than a simple electric heater. Glossary
- EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2017/1151, the WLTP test procedure for light-duty vehicles. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2017/1151/oj. Checked 09 Oct 2026. © European Union, reused under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU.
- DieselNet: Emission test cycles: WLTC, class 3b. https://dieselnet.com/standards/cycles/wltp.php. Checked 09 Oct 2026.
- ÖAMTC: Winter-Reichweitentest bei E-Fahrzeugen in Norwegen 2024 (NAF test, 23 cars). https://www.oeamtc.at/thema/elektromobilitaet/winter-reichweitentest-bei-e-fahrzeugen-in-norwegen-2024-68682344. Checked 09 Oct 2026.