Volkswagon has taken the ID.7 Pro S to the Nardo test track and managed to eke 584 miles out of a single charge.
Car makers have long tried to prove that their cars can go much further on a single tank of fuel than official economy figures by using hypermiling to eke every drop of range possible. Which makes for a few headlines, but which has little relevance in the real world.
With range still an issue for EVs – especially in real-world conditions and at low temperatures – EV makers have taken to the same route to ‘prove’ their EVs really can go a long way – as long as you don’t mind annoying every other driver on the road and aren’t in a hurry.
When the Kona Electric arrived, Hyundai went hypermiling with it to show that its official range of 301 miles was just the starting point. Hyundai took the Kona EV with a 64kWh battery off to Lausitzring, a track in Germany, and drove it for three days at speeds of 18-19mph (average real-world speeds, said Hyundai) and managed to do 635 miles on a single charge, which meant nothing at all for Kona EV owners.
Volkswagen has decided the Hyundai test was a spiffing way to convince potential EV buyers that the VW ID. 7 Pro can really go a long way if you drive ‘properly’, and have taken an ID.7 Pro S with an 86kWh battery off to the Nardo Proving Ground for its test.
The result was an increase from the official 441-mile range to a more impressive 584 miles when being driven at an average speed of 18mph. Just like the Hyundai, but a less impressive result.
Martin Sander, VW Sales, Marketing and Aftersales boss, said:
We are seeing a positive trend in incoming orders in Europe and are currently selling more ID.7 models than Passat. This shows that the ID.7 is a meaningful all-electric addition to the brand’s product portfolio and, in addition to our successful Passat, is also suitable for long distance drivers and as a company car.
As we said, a completely pointless exercise with no real-world relevance.
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