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Which? Conducts EV Battery Research

Posted in General News on Thursday, August 19th, 2021

One specific concern for many motorists ahead of the electric vehicle (EV) switchover is the effect that traffic jams will have on vehicles range as well as the impact of using interior functions such as air-con, heated seats and the stereo. The consumer watchdog Which? has responded to these concerns by conducting research in a controlled environment to test the effects of traffic jams on EVs. The consumer watchdog left a Volkswagen ID.4 running in a stationary position with a charger plugged in, the stereo on, the air-con engaged and the lights on and found that the vehicle had only lost 2% worth of battery, the equivalent of 8 miles worth of range. The car was then taken for a short journey to make sure that the display wasn’t providing an overly optimistic reading based on a lack of movement. It was found that this wasn’t the case and it had indeed only taken up a very small amount of battery. However, it is worth noting that the experiment was undertaken on a warm day. Lisa Barber, Which? Products and Services Editor, said: “There is a lot of misinformation out there about electric vehicles, including whether you are likely to run out of juice when stuck in a traffic jam.However, our research has shown that electric vehicles can preserve their battery power well, even if they are stuck in traffic with music, air-con and headlights on. We know consumers are open to switching to electric vehicles, however there are several barriers to ownership that must be addressed including perceived performance, the high upfront cost of a new electric vehicle and the UK’s fragmented public charging network, which needs to be overhauled to ensure it is fit-for-purpose.” 

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