What range do electric cars have?

Depending on the model, purely electrically driven vehicles currently have a range of between 150 and 250 kilometers, some even more. The exact figure depends on the driving style of the user as well as the environmental conditions.

The temperature management in the car can have an adverse effect on it, for example: during the summer, the air-condition consumes electricity, the same is true for heating during the winter. New battery materials with higher storage density, consistent lightweight construction, energy efficient electronics and driver assistance systems can boost the range. Those are currently important topics in electric mobility research.

The current range of purely electric vehicles is sufficient for the majority of trips. For users with higher range requirements, other electric vehicle concepts (REEV and PHEV) are available, which have a significantly increased range due to the addition of an efficient combustion engine. The developments in the areas of battery and vehicle technology as well as the announcements by the automotive industry show that we can expect significantly higher ranges in just 3 to 4 year's time.