What does driving range mean?
2 Answers
Driving range refers to both the comprehensive driving range and the actual driving range of a vehicle. Below are detailed explanations about driving range: 1. Comprehensive driving range: In China, when the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology tests the comprehensive driving range of pure electric vehicles, it adopts the NEDC (New European Driving Cycle) testing standard. This standard is mainly used in Europe, China, and Australia. The NEDC cycle includes 4 urban cycles and 1 suburban cycle, with lower speeds in urban cycles and higher speeds in suburban cycles. 2. Among the maximum driving range and comprehensive driving range, the comprehensive driving range is more valuable for reference. However, during actual driving, road conditions are more complex, and factors such as temperature and personal driving habits can cause the actual driving range of electric vehicles to be even lower. This is why an official comprehensive range of 320km might only achieve an actual range of 300km in real-world conditions.
Range refers to the maximum distance a vehicle can travel on a full tank of fuel or a full charge, simply put, how many kilometers it can go in one go. Having driven many cars, I've found this is crucial for daily commutes, like weekend road trips where I need to plan gas station stops in advance to avoid getting stranded. For gas cars, fuel tank size and engine efficiency are major factors; for EVs, battery capacity and driving habits matter more. Daily habits like using AC or rapid acceleration can reduce range, so smooth driving can add dozens of kilometers. Remember, manufacturer ratings are tested under ideal conditions—real-world driving may only achieve 80% of that, especially in traffic when fuel or power consumption spikes. When choosing a car, don’t just rely on specs—test drive to gauge real performance.
