Real life tests of the 2024 ECOBEST Challenge reveal surprises and new leaders in electric mobility11 / 07 / 2024

Key figures, findings, interpretation and technical background in brief

TREMENDOUS IMPROVEMENT IN DC FAST CHARGING: The best outstanding result of this edition is the quick DC fast charging time for all the 13 cars in test- between 7 min and 18 min to charge for 100 km. Kia EV 9 ranked no 1 with 7 min for 100km! This overall performance is showing how much all the EV producers progressed in this car users sensitive approach.

AMBIVALENT RESULTS WITH AC CHARGING TIMES: Less impressive, the AC charging capabilities of tested cars are going from 59 min – the best of this edition, VOLVO EX 30 – for 100 km range to 2h:27 min for the same 100 km. Interesting enough, the last one in rankings for AC charging is KIA EV 9 which is the best in DC Fast Charging.

MANUFACTURERS’ PUBLISHED RANG CLOSER TO REAL LIFE (EcoC1 test): At this edition ECOBEST Challenge, none of the 13 models in test surpassed the homologated range under the WLTP cycle. With an EcoC 1 index of 98,95%, Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron is the closest real range to the WLTP at this edition and one of the best in the history of ECOBEST Challenge. 6 of the remaining EV’s are between 80 % – 90% and the remaining 6 are between 73% and 79.8 %. At this edition there is no car in test below 73%.

BETTER CHARGE BEFORE THE BATTERY TELLS IT’S EMPTY: As ECOBEST Challenge pioneered from the beginning of our competition, there is life in the battery after the cluster indicator is zero km/ 0%. 12 of the 13 cars demonstrated a strategic reserve of electricity between 2 and 24 kilometers. – VOLVO EX 30 is the winner of this measurement, but it is far the record of 45 km measured in last year edition. Furthermore, only one car stopped once the battery indicator showed zero on the cluster.

STILL WORK TO DO TO IMPROVE ENERGY EFFICIENCY (EcoC 2 test): With the ECOBEST Challenge, AUTOBEST uses two proprietary indexes. EcoC 1 representing the ratio between the real driving range and the WLTP range. EcoC2 states the actual energy efficiency of EVs, revealing how many kilometers of real driving range a specific car can provide from 1 kWh of battery. The EcoC 2 is the most important expression of the energy efficiency of an EV. With 6,84 km/ kWh, the new Opel Corsa is the leader in efficiency of this year’s tests. As a reminder the record was established in 2021 with a remarkable 8.07 km/ kWh by Dacia Spring. Other 7 cars are at the more than 6 km/ kWh , 4 are between 5- 6 km/kWh and only one was below 5 km/kWh.

DISCLOSED: THE REAL EFFICIENCY OF THE CHARGING PROCESS (EcoC 3 test): AUTOBEST uses the EcoC 3 index -this year Honda e:Ny1 is the best- as the ratio between the real energy charged into the battery and the official net capacity, a clear expression of the charging process’s efficiency.

THE REAL ENERGY EFFICIENCY SHALL BE MEASURED WITH CHARGING + DRIVING (EcoC 4 index): To give an even better real-life perspective, the EcoC 4 – introduced last year, which measures the car’s actual efficiency, taking into consideration the energy filled in the battery (and not the net battery capacity) and the real range – winner is Mini Cooper SE.

RELIABLE TESTS THANKS TO A CERTIFIED METHODOLOGY: The 2024 edition of ECOBEST Challenge received for the second time the Bureau Veritas certification – a global recognition of the genuine, comprehensive, and innovative methodology employed in testing electric vehicles (EVs) in real traffic conditions and assessing their real-life green credentials in an unbiased manner.

A DEDICATED, EXCLUSIVE APP COLLECTS ALL DATA: For the third year, the ECOBEST Challenge is using an app specially designed to measure the key data through a direct connection to an Xiaomi mobile terminal in the car. With this, AUTOBEST is harnessing a wide range of data & graphs from the testing sessions and the charging process with both AC and DC (HPC). We also record the batteries’ temperatures during different stages of the test and charging. These datas are available on request.

VINFAST AS the main Partner OF THE ECOBEST CHALLENGE: For the 4-th year, ECOBEST Challenge is conducted in partnership with VINFAST, the emerging Vietnamese EV producer and a part of the VINGROUP, the largest industrial conglomerate of Vietnam. No model from Vinfast is involved in the ECOBEST Challenge, and tests are performed in absolute transparency.

PRECIOUS TECHNICAL PARTNERS SUPPORT THE ECOBEST CHALLENGE: AUTOBEST counted on the logistical and technical support of the Italian car publication Quattroruote, the support of Xiaomi for mobile devices, and e-gap to offer remote charging once the batteries were depleted at the end of the test. The app to measure the cars’ data is PKC – Power checK Control, developed by the Italian company Power Cruise Control.