Almost everyone knows that the range estimates advertised by automakers should be taken with a grain of salt, and I’m talking about both electric and combustion vehicles.
That said, some EVs manage to beat range estimates in real-world testing done by publications like InsideEVs, Edmunds, and Consumer Reports, which can alleviate some of the range anxiety that might be experienced by newcomers in the electric vehicle world.
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Range estimates are a tricky subject
Many, many electric cars have real-world range that differs from their EPA estimates. Some perform better, others perform worse. Tesla has sometimes been accused of overstating its range estimates.
Tesla isn’t on those lists, though. In fact, all of the EVs made by the American company have made headlines over the years because of their inability to match their advertised range in real-world conditions. And now, the brand-new Tesla Cybertruck joins its stablemates by driving less on a full charge than what Tesla is touting on its website—at least according to one test.
In the five-hour-long live stream (yes, it’s that long) embedded here, InsideEVs alum Kyle Conner, who runs the Out of Spec group of YouTube channels, got his hands on a Foundation Series dual-motor Cybertruck riding on 20-inch wheels wrapped in 35-inch all-terrain tires.
The topic of the video is simple: see how far the EV can drive on a full battery. The test was conducted at night in Texas, at an ambient temperature of about 45 degrees Fahrenheit (7 degrees Celsius), and a relatively constant speed of 70 miles per hour (112 kilometers per hour.)
The car was fully charged at a Tesla Supercharger and then Kyle drove it until the Cybertruck was no longer able to move under its own power. The AC fan was set to Low and the so-called Autopilot advanced driver-assistance system was not working, so it wasn’t drawing extra power, at least in theory.
Update: As many readers have since pointed out, this test is different from the EPA’s own testing procedures, which helps to explain the discrepancy in numbers; real-world EV range often differs from what the EPA results are. Having said that, many new EV owners tend to treat the EPA-rated range as gospel and expect that kind of performance from their cars; a Consumer Reports study recently found that some EVs fall short of their EPA-rated mileage, while others outperform it.
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According to Tesla, a dual-motor Cybertruck with all-terrain tires is capable of driving 320 miles (515 km) on a full charge. Out of Spec Motoring’s test ended after just 254 miles (408 km) on the highway. That’s still a decent range, but it’s also 20.6% less than what it says on the box.
By comparison, when we range-tested the Rivian R1T with all-terrain tires, it fell 20 miles short of its equivalent EPA range estimate, or 7.4 percent less than advertised.
Considering just one person was sitting inside the Cybertruck and there was no load in the bed, it’s not a mind-blowing result. Judging by this early test, we should see a dramatic decrease in driving range if the ambient temperature is lower and there’s a large payload in the bed or a trailer behind. Furthermore, most people drive between 20% and 90% state of charge to protect the battery, so what should they expect in terms of real-world range?
Going for the all-season tires increases the estimated range to 340 miles, which should result in a longer real-world range, too, but it’s hard to imagine a set of tires will magically make the Cybertruck reach its advertised range.
What’s your take on this? Let us know in the comments below.
