What's NEXT? Electric Vehicle Manufacturers Caught Cheating On Battery Range Claims?

You would have to be living under a rock to have not heard of the very real crisis going on in the automotive industry. It started last week when news broke that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California claimed that Volkswagen Auto Group (VWAG) had been cheating emissions testing and was investigating a potential recall for nearly 500,000 units.

That's kind of a big deal.

Since then we've heard about a potential $18 billion dollar fine and now Martin Winterkorn is out of a gig. There is definitely going to be some irreparable damage to the diesel vehicle market, we're just not sure how severe at this point. The next question, at least in the Agents' minds, is "What's the next shoe to drop?"

For us, it's been very interesting to see the rising interest in electric vehicles but limited purchases; however, this Dieselgate may give the movement the push it's been looking for. EV sales have been pretty tepid but interest is super high in Tesla — now only if it could deliver a product the average working person could afford.

So, what IS next? Will electric vehicle manufacturer's be criticized for their rather inaccurate battery range claims? Or, is this whole Dieselgate fiasco more so about the fact VWAG admitted to cheating?

It's always been a bit of a wonky "art," but it seems that EVs get a pass on unreliable range information due to the variability of battery range due to the following:

- Driving style
- Weather — temperature
- Feature usage — e.g., running the A/C will impact range

What say you, Spies?

MDarringer - 9/25/2015 8:24:33 AM

-4 Boost

Actually, no, it would be the South Koreans. Hyundai/Kia offers better quality/value than Japanese manufacturers. If anything the Japanese manufacturers are scrambling for traction in the face of the South Koreans and American cars that are pretty damn good.

HughJass - 9/25/2015 1:27:52 PM

+2 Boost

Remember when Hyundai/KIA got caught or over stating their MPG?

pepito66 - 9/25/2015 6:54:38 PM

+1 Boost

Sure Toyota kill 50 people on acceleration issue , a ha.

MDarringer - 9/25/2015 9:43:10 PM

+2 Boost

@AmimeJapan aka GMCadillac aka @JDMUSMuscle...whoever you are, your immense ignorance makes me chuckle.

MDarringer - 9/25/2015 8:22:12 AM

0 Boost

Just as only an idiot would take MOG estimates as a guarantee of actual mileage, so it is of battery range.

MDarringer - 9/25/2015 8:24:51 AM

-1 Boost

je adore le typos

rockreid - 9/25/2015 8:35:09 AM

+6 Boost

Let me get this straight... your thinking goes like this: "Since VW cheated on its diesel ECM programming to bypass emissions laws, that means electric car makers falsify their mileage ratings." .......Holy Non-sequitur, Batman. Get thyself to a local community college LOGIC 101 course stat.>

MDarringer - 9/25/2015 9:41:21 PM

+1 Boost

"Holy non-sequitur, Batman!" is my trademarked line.

Agent00R - 9/26/2015 7:33:14 AM

+1 Boost

Jesus H...

No. That's not what's being said at all. It's not "Oh, because VW is doing this, electrics may be doing that."

What is being said is that everyone thinks all the mfr's are playing fair. They're not. Everyone is gaming the system. EVs and their claimed ranges should not be believed and is this the next shoe to drop.

Perhaps you should get to your local CC and take reading comprehension 101.

jameswisrik - 9/25/2015 8:53:35 AM

-3 Boost

I have a Prius..love it! Ask taxi cabs drivers...they will tell you the battery life is well over 200k miles before they need to replace! Most reliable vehicle ever made ! Is it FUN to drive....that's not the point and Toyota never said it would be! It's about get the most mpg EFFICIENTLY! IF Iwanted fun to drive itwould not be a German car...exexcept for Porsche..but it would be either a Miata S2000 or a FJ!

TomM - 9/25/2015 9:36:18 AM

+3 Boost

The problem is not only the manufacturers - it is the government that tests the cars in lab conditions (Or specifies that test) - that do not reflect real conditions. However - range is also subject to weather - as well as driving style - and will be different for everyone.

Vette71 - 9/25/2015 11:13:05 AM

+2 Boost

Anybody who has been around for awhile will tell you that you cannot make a rule, law, tax, patent whatever that someone will not try to get around. That is human nature. So engineers will work to meet the letter of a regulation but do no more than that at the least possible cost. The marketing guys push the edges of the truth to get an advantage. Politicians don't tell you what the new law really does. THIS IS ABOUT VW CHEATING, not diesels versus electrics versus gas etc. Within the fleet of vehicles out there all these power trains have their place. Each meets the needs of some customers but wouldn't work for others. The folks I know who have diesels tend to drive long distances or tow and like the economy. EV's don't fit their needs. EV folks I know do a lot of short distance driving in metropolitan areas. And they have a garage to plug it in at night, which apartment dwellers cannot do. Each has its place.

Agent00R - 9/26/2015 7:35:51 AM

+1 Boost

Great post! You make some really salient points.

This is definitely not about diesel v. electric v. anything else.

I think this is ONLY about VW cheating.

Thing is, when will EVs — if ever — get called out for their range claims?

HughJass - 9/25/2015 1:27:00 PM

+2 Boost

EV lose range when it snows.

How some Hyundai/KIA chearleaders forget how they lied about their MPG claims just a year or so ago. The only value they offer is something that they look like what you really wanted but can't afford.

pepito66 - 9/25/2015 6:58:08 PM

+1 Boost

Thank you.