Estimate EV range from battery and consumption.
EV range is usable energy divided by consumption, and both terms need adjusting from their headline figures. The nameplate battery capacity includes a buffer the car will not let you use — typically 5 to 10% — and on top of that most drivers keep a reserve rather than arriving at zero. Consumption is the other half: quoted figures come from mild-weather test cycles, while cold weather costs 20 to 40% through cabin heating and reduced cell efficiency, and sustained highway speed costs a further 15 to 25%. Applying both derations is why a 60 kWh car rated at 290 Wh per mile shows well under its brochure range on a winter motorway run.
EV Range
Usable energy = capacity x usable% x (1 - reserve%); effective consumption = rated Wh/mi x (1 + derate%); range = usable energy x 1000 / effective consumption
Two effects combine: cabin heating draws several kilowatts with no waste engine heat to use, and cold cells have higher internal resistance. Together they commonly cost 25-40% until the pack warms.
Yes. Aerodynamic drag rises with the square of speed, so dropping from 75 to 65 mph on a motorway typically adds 10-15% to range — a much larger effect than in a combustion car.