Which electric car has the longest range?
The Tesla Model S Plaid+ has a range of approximately 837km on a single charge, making it the highest range electric car.
Range, for those just learning all of the lingo related to Electric Vehicles (EVs), is essentially shorthand for how far a fully charged EV battery can take you, distance-wise, before the battery runs empty and the car conks out.
It’s also one of the most important factors people take into consideration when buying an EV, due to the fact it gives an indication of how far you can travel between charges.
Concern over this has led to “range anxiety” in some consumers, so the longer the range of an EV is, the more those concerns dissipate.
Having said that, the average Australian drives 38km per day, meaning EV drivers can go for at least 10 days without having to charge – a figure that should bring some comfort to nervous nellies who worry about running out of power.
Australia’s growing network of public charging stations is another important factor in relieving consumers’ range anxiety – you’ll likely have spotted chargers popping up in supermarket and shopping centre car parks. It’s also worth noting that you can charge your EV at home – something that 80 per cent of global EV owners do by using either grid, wind or solar power (or a combination thereof).
The range of an EV is determined by a technician who calculates the EV’s energy consumption by dividing the kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy needed to replenish the battery by the number of kilometres driven.
EV battery packs, which usually consist of hundreds or even thousands of lithium-ion cells, have their capacity rated in kWh, and the higher the kWh number, the further you’ll be able to travel on a single charge before having to visit a recharge station.
How far can an electric car go on one charge? Well, that depends on a lot of factors, not just the kWh of the battery pack.
Things like extreme temperature, keeping your battery either fully drained or fully charged, frequent fast-charging using a DC fast-charger and rapid acceleration can all negatively impact the EV’s battery, and therefore the range it is ultimately able to achieve.
Improving range in EVs is at the forefront of EV research and development, chiefly through looking at new ways to produce EV batteries with increased capacity.
Solid-state batteries, which can store energy more densely, are widely considered to be safer, cheaper and can be used for longer without a decline in performance, making them a battery type that is a key contender to eventually replace lithium-ion batteries as the EV power source of choice.
If you’re curious as to what the longest range hybrid car is, the simple answer is that hybrids aren’t measured using range because they don’t contain a rechargeable battery – just an internal-combustion engine and a small battery that is charged via regenerative braking.
It helps if you think of a hybrid’s battery as something that gives the car a little boost, but isn’t necessarily the thing used as the primary source of power for the car.
Here’s a list of the top five longest range vehicles available in Australia:
Tesla Model S range
As already mentioned at the top of this article, the Model S lays claim to the longest range of any EV on sale in Australia by quite some margin. The top-spec Model S Plaid+ will travel a claimed 837km on a single charge. To prove how far even Tesla have come in the range department in the last few years, this is a far cry from the original 2012 Model S which had up to 426km of range.
Currently the Model S range also includes the standard Plaid with 628km of range, and the Long Range with 663km of range
Tesla Model 3 range
The Model 3’s range and pricing has also been tweaked and toyed with since its arrival in Australia in 2019. The range now consists of three variants, with the Long Range AWD able to cover the furthest distance at 614km. The range also includes the entry-level Rear Wheel Drive with 491km of range, and the Performance with 567km of range.
BMW iX range
The BMW iX is one of the newest additions to BMW’s rapidly electrifying stable, a large SUV on a dedicated electric platform. A fresh addition to BMW Australia for 2022, the iX comes in three versions, the longest range xDrive50 offering an impressive 630km of range from an enormous 112kWh battery pack. Other variants in the iX range include the base xDrive40 with 425km of range, and the flagship performance-oriented M60 which can travel 566km on a single charge.
BMW i4 range
BMW continues to interrupt Tesla’s stranglehold on the list of longest range EVs available with its electrified grand coupe, the i4. The i4 is said to have been a priority for BMW as it is the EV which represents the brand’s sporty sedan heritage the most. Arriving in two variants to Australia before the end of Q1 2022, the i4 packs an 84kWh battery pack. This means the base variant, the rear-drive eDrive40, has a WLTP-rated range of 590km, while the more performance-spiced M50 can travel 510km, due to the addition of all-wheel drive.
Tesla Model X range
The Tesla Model X persists with one of the largest battery packs of any EV available in Australia, with its latest facelift having taken place in January of last year. Currently available in two variants, the SUV famous for its ‘gullwing’ doors can travel up to 580km for the base Long Range variant, while the top-spec Plaid falls slightly short, at 547km on a single charge.
Keyword: The top 5 longest range electric cars in Australia