this post was submitted on 06 Jan 2024
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I hate Tesla and especially the Cybertruck as much as the next guy, but this was a highway test and that sounds like a completely normal result.
I own a Bolt EV which is rated for 259 miles of range. On the highway, that's more like ~220. That sounds bad, but the other side of it is that I get ~300 miles of range during my normal work commutes through the city. This is just how EVs are, the estimated range is based on a mixed test. EVs are backwards compared to ICE, you'll get ~20% less range than the EPA estimate driving highway speeds and ~20% more doing purely city driving.
And EVs and hybrids have regenerative braking so that does some recharging of the batteries. It's not going to be stellar, but in stop and go traffic, it could definitely had some miles to range. There's a lot less stopping on highways.
Regenerative braking isn't magical. It doesn't add range. It reduces range lost by stopping. Conservation of energy is still a thing.
If you were to drive any speed uninterrupted until the vehicle died, then attempted the same drive with stops every mile, the vehicle wouldn't make it to the end.
This is true, but it's neglecting one variable that does complicate the math slightly. There is greater air resistance at highway speeds. IIRC at 60mph 50% of your power is lost due to the air resistance.
So yes, if we lock the speed to a fixed value and compare them, then regenerative of course doesn't increase the range more than not stopping at all. But that's the nuanced gap in the discussion where misunderstanding is going to reside. That's why you two are on different pages. Someone is assuming equal air resistance (speed), and someone is assuming a comparison of average city miles vs highway miles.
Neither is necessarily the ONLY way to look at it. It's all relative.