Consumer Reports On Tesla’s “Superior Energy Efficiency”
In an article published by Consumer Reports, the nonprofit and independent organization that focuses on truth, transparency, and fairness in the marketplace, had a lot to say about Tesla and its competition. “Tesla is facing increasing competition, but its batteries and superior energy efficiency give it an edge,” writes Consumer Reports.
The article shares that the EV market has grown and now includes luxury carmakers such as Audi, Porsche, and Jaguar — and lists these three along with Hyundai and Kia as some serious competition for Tesla. BMW, Mercedes, Volkswagen, Volvo, and Ford are also included in this list. Yes, they have entered the EV market, but they don’t have what Tesla has and Consumer Reports took notice of that as well.
Regarding Tesla, Jake Fisher, who is the senior director of automotive testing at Consumer Reports, shared his thought on Tesla: “They are absolutely the leader. Through the years, they’ve made multiple changes to their motors and batteries and other things under the skin of their vehicles. This is a continual thing that they do.”
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a formula that converts miles per kWh to MPGe, which is a metric that stands for miles-per-gallon equivalent. Since EVs don’t use gasoline, MPGe is used to create comparisons to fossil fuel vehicles. Tesla is the better value when it comes to MPGe than its competitors. One tidbit Sam Abuelsamid, an automotive tech analyst with Navigant in Michigan, points out, though, is that the comparisons are not always apples to apples. Tesla’s EPA range rating assumes 100% of battery capacity, whereas other automakers have range ratings that assume 90% or so of battery capacity. The rationale is that you typically wouldn’t go below 10% of your battery capacity, or to 100% of your battery capacity. These ratings are not completely uniform and automakers have influence over some factors.
All of that said, Consumer Reports also says that when it comes to range testing, it has matched the EPA’s testing within “single-digit percentage points.” They tested the Tesla Model 3 and it matched with the 310-mile range the EPA stated it had. “In the Long Range mode, we achieved 350 miles,” writes the author of the article.
Getting back to Tesla’s tech leadership, Consumer Reports reminds us that Tesla is the only automaker using silicon carbide chips, which save energy. This is done by converting AC power to DC to power the electronics. “They’re able to get more miles out of each kilowatt-hour,” says Abuelsamid, “They have shown the way for EVs. They’ve demonstrated that if you do this right, there are people who will want to buy it.” Tesla sales, especially Tesla Model 3 sales, dwarf the sales of all other electric competitors — as well as gasoline premium-class competitors and even mass-market competitors, for that matter.
Also see: CleanTechnica’s Tesla Model 3 long-term reviews
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