New report shows how far EVs can travel on the highway

Correspondent: Shanelle Kaul
Producer Chris Stein

(CBS) - Electric vehicle (EV) sales are improving but many potential buyers are still worried about the cars ability to travel long distances.

EV’s have an EPA listing that calculates how far a car can go on one charge driving in the city and on the highway.

But Consumer Reports wanted to see how far electric vehicles can travel on just the highway, driving an average of 70 miles per hour and in good weather conditions.

"We feel that the range on the highway is most important because that's when you need it most," says Alex Knizek, Manager of Auto Testing & Insight at Consumer Reports.

The group found that many cars can travel significantly further than their EPA listing:

• The 2023 BMW i4 M50 went 318 miles as opposed to the EPA range of 271.
• The 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E got 29 more miles.
• And the 2023 Mercedes Benz EQE 4Matic went 332 miles on a charge, 71 more miles than the EPA listing.

But other vehicles’ batteries actually performed worse than their EPA range:

• The 2021 Tesla Model S Long Range hit 366 miles, well below the 405 miles at which it's listed.
• And the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Lariat Extended Range lost its charge 50 miles short of the estimated range.

Knizek says EV owners eventually learn their vehicles' capabilities including what happens when the charge meter reads zero.

“We see some cars when they say zero, that's it, it means zero, but others you can drive for another 10, 20, even 30 miles in some cases,” Knizek says.

And people buying an EV also need to know that the range can vary, depending on the driving conditions.

"The temperature outside is a huge one, Knizek says. "You can see a 30% drop if you drive in cold temperatures compared to the summertime. But then also traffic, even the tire pressure matters."