Energy consumption of electric vehicles

Swag comes with an energy penalty - the Hummer electric consumers 3 times as much energy as a Model Y

Here's a chart summarizing the energy consumed per mile for popular electric models. Numbers are mostly drawn from OEM and EPA websites.

The gold star on this list goes to Lucid Air, with the Grand Touring version delivering a whopping 516 miles of range with its 111-kWh battery. In comparison, the Polestar 3, Volvo EX90 and BMW iXM60 all deliver ~ 300 miles of range with a similar battery size. The Tesla Model Y comes close in terms of energy efficiency. 

 

The worst performer - no surprise there - is the GMC Hummer, which consumes twice as much energy per mile as compared to even heavier SUVs like the EX90.

 

An increasing line up of light pickup trucks is expected in the coming years. In the meantime, the Ford and Rivian pickups are included here. Note that the efficiency shown here is for the stated range with the rated payload but not for towing - the range is expected to reduce with towing, which is one of the key applications for a pickup. Of course, do you really need a pickup truck? As this article summarizes it aptly, "The most popular vehicles in America may be the greatest examples of overcompensation ever invented". And the trend only continues with electric pickups. According to a survey mentioned in the article, "75 percent of truck owners use their truck for towing one time a year or less (meaning, never)". 

 

While the chart lists mostly vehicles available in the US, we have added the Wuling Hongguang Mini, the most popular car in the mini-car segment in China as an anchor. While the mini-car segment is a small one in China (~ 5% of the annual sales), it has reached 100% electric share driven by the low price point ($5000 - 15,000).

 

Why does any of this matter? It may be obvious, but worth stating:

(1)  If the ultimate goal of electric vehicles is to reduce CO2 emissions, then driving an electric Hummer doesn't help. The upstream emissions from electricity generation will outweigh the benefits.

(2) Charging time increases with lower efficiency. You will be spending more time charging the battery on a per mile basis.

(3) Cost. More batteries are needed to go the same distance, adding to the cost. 

(4) Tire wear. There is a growing concern that particulates from tire wear are adding to the environmental pollution. Heavier vehicles lead to more tire wear. This is especially a concern for heavy-duty vehicles.

 

While we are talking of vehicle weight, note that the IRS (section 179) allows depreciating up to $25,000 in a year for vehicles over 6,000 lbs, if used for business purposes. Perhaps it is time to re-visit this cut-off given that electric vehicles tend to be heavier than their internal combustion engine counterparts. No need to provide additional incentive for vehicles to get bulkier.

 

Note on assumptions and inputs

The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) is used by the US EPA for certification purposes and denotes the curb weight plus payload capacity of the vehicle. Where only curb weight was available, an assumption was made that GVWR is 1000 lbs higher than curb weight (this holds true for several vehicles on this list, the spread is between 800 to 1,200 lbs)

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