Tool
What a quoted range really means
A 705 km CLTC figure and a 420 km WLTP figure look three hundred kilometres apart. On the M-2 in August they are barely a hundred. The standards are measured on different cycles and none of them survives a Pakistani motorway — here is the conversion, and the working.
The standards
What each one is worth
| Standard | Where it is used | Derate | A quoted 500 km becomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| WLTP | Europe, and most Japanese and Korean cars sold here | ×0.80 | 360 km |
| EPA | United States — already adjusted, so the most conservative | ×0.90 | 405 km |
| NEDC | The retired European cycle, still quoted on some Chinese models | ×0.65 | 292 km |
| CLTC | China — the gentlest cycle in current use, and the commonest here | ×0.62 | 279 km |
The derate is applied to the rated figure, then a 10 percent reserve is held back — arriving at a charger on the last electron is not a plan. The result is the number this site uses everywhere it says "real range".
Why they differ
Three labs, three answers
WLTP is the European cycle and the most honest of the three, though still optimistic: it averages about 46 km/h with a short high-speed phase. EPA is the American one and the most conservative, because it already applies its own adjustment factor. NEDC is the old European cycle, retired for good reason — it was gentle enough that manufacturers could engineer to it. CLTC is the Chinese cycle and the gentlest in current use: low average speed, a lot of stop-start, very little motorway. A CLTC figure is close to fiction at 120 km/h with the air-conditioning fighting a Punjab summer.
This matters in Pakistan more than it does elsewhere, because most EVs sold here are Chinese and most quote CLTC. Comparing a CLTC number to a WLTP number and picking the bigger one is the single most common mistake in an EV purchase here.
What actually eats the range on our roads: speed above about 110 km/h, where drag rises with the square of it; heat, because the pack has to be cooled before it will take a fast charge and the cabin has to be cooled for you; and elevation on the hill-station roads, though you get some of it back coming down.
Every car on sale here
Rated against real
| Model | Rated | Standard | Real range | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Changan Lumin | 301 km | — | 168 km | −44% |
| BYD M6 | 530 km | — | 310 km | −42% |
| MG4 EV | 450 km | — | 324 km | −28% |
| BYD Atto 2 | 312 km | — | 225 km | −28% |
| Deepal S07 EV | 485 km | — | 349 km | −28% |
| BYD Atto 3 | 420 km | — | 302 km | −28% |
| BYD Dolphin | 427 km | — | 307 km | −28% |
| MG ZS EV | 440 km | — | 317 km | −28% |
| Deepal S05 EV | 510 km | — | 285 km | −44% |
| MG5 EV | 403 km | — | 290 km | −28% |
| BYD Seal | 570 km | — | 410 km | −28% |
| Kia EV5 | 530 km | — | 382 km | −28% |
| Deepal E07 | 705 km | — | 393 km | −44% |
| BYD Sealion 7 | 482 km | — | 347 km | −28% |
| Hyundai Ioniq 5 | 507 km | — | 365 km | −28% |
Questions
Questions about EV range
What is the difference between WLTP, NEDC and CLTC range?
They are three different test cycles, and they are not comparable. WLTP is the European standard and moderately optimistic, NEDC is the retired European one and considerably more so, and CLTC is the Chinese cycle and the gentlest of the three. The same car can quote three very different numbers depending on which one the manufacturer used.
What real range should I expect from an electric car in Pakistan?
Roughly 60 to 70 percent of a CLTC figure, 72 to 80 percent of a WLTP one, and about 90 percent of an EPA one, before you hold back a reserve. At motorway speed in summer, plan on the lower end. Every model page on this site shows its own derated figure.
Why does my EV lose so much range on the motorway?
Aerodynamic drag rises with the square of speed, so the energy needed to hold 120 km/h is far more than for 100. Petrol cars suffer the same effect but have a far larger fuel tank to hide it. In summer the air-conditioning and battery cooling add to it.
Is CLTC range useless?
Not useless — it is consistent, so two CLTC figures can be compared with each other. It is comparing a CLTC figure with a WLTP one that misleads, and that is exactly what a Pakistani showroom floor invites you to do.
Plan with the real number
The app uses your car's derated range, the season and the road type, against your actual battery percentage.