The Audi Q6 E-tron, Porsche Macan EV and Polestar 3 were put through a highway mileage test in cold Norway. We drove the 120-mile route at 120 mph, monitoring efficiency along the way. Polestar 3 was the winner due to its larger battery, even though it had the lowest efficiency.
Colder temperatures can increase EV power consumption and reduce range by as much as 50% in some cases. Even modern models with the latest advancements in battery chemistry and thermal management, such as the Audi Q6 E-Tron, Porsche Macan EV, and Polestar 3, are at their lowest efficiency during the winter months. If you also drive on the highway, the range will be even greater.
Norway’s Chris Rifa took these three new electric crossovers to a group motorway winter range test. All three vehicles traveled a 120-mile (194 km) route at a constant speed of 75 mph (120 km/h) and average efficiency was monitored throughout the trip.
All three EVs were significantly less efficient than advertised, as the tests were conducted in Norway in temperatures as low as -5 degrees Celsius. The vehicle interior temperature was set at 70°F (21°C) and operated only in the most efficient mode. The Macan EV did not have a range improvement mode, so it was driven normally.
Of this trio, the Polestar 3 (the largest of the trio and with the longest wheelbase) was rated the most luxurious, quiet and comfortable for highway driving, while the Audi It was much noisier than an EV. The Polestar also had the largest battery pack in this test (107 kilowatt-hours available compared to 94.9 kilowatt-hours for the mechanical Porsche and Audi).
At the end of the test, driving up and down the same highway, the Polestar appeared to be able to achieve the longest range. They did not completely deplete the batteries in the three vehicles, instead looking at available battery packs and efficiency numbers to calculate the theoretical maximum range.
The Polestar 3 Long Range Dual Motor used in the test had an average power consumption of 2.15 miles/kWh (28.8 kWh/100 km) and a theoretical range of 225 miles (360 km) or approximately 57% of range. It will be. The WLTP’s range was claimed to be 394 miles (634 km). This variant has a more modest EPA range of 315 miles (507 km).
Next came the Audi Q6 E-tron quattro. It was the most efficient of the three cars tested, averaging 2.42 miles/kWh (25.7 kWh/100 km), with a theoretical range of 223.9 miles (358 km), nearly matching the Polestar. . . This is 64% of the WLTP range of 344 miles (554 km) and even closer to the EPA rating of 307 miles (494 km).
The Porsche Macan is built on the same PPA platform as the Q6 E-Tron, but the Macan 4 used in this test was less efficient than the Audi (probably due to its larger wheels). With an average of 2.28 miles/kWh (27.2 kWh/100 km), the theoretical range is 211.5 miles (338 km), or about 63% of the WLTP range. The EPA rates the Macan 4 at 308 miles, one mile more than a similarly configured Q6 E-Tron.
Chris also published a video with a more detailed side-by-side comparison of the three vehicles, charging the batteries without pre-conditioning after range testing, with some interesting results. What struck me after watching these two videos is how tasteful the Polestar’s interior is, even though the Audi and Porsche are mechanically very similar.
