Elektrum Drive, in cooperation with car dealers, has created a catalogue of tests of electric vehicles available on the market, which is unique for the Baltic states. The test is designed to help potential electric car buyers make their choice, and assesses the efficiency of more than 50 electric vehicle models that are available on the market in Latvia with consideration of the country’s climate and traffic conditions. The test drives have provided data on the maximum range of the electric vehicles on a full battery, average consumption in urban, highway and combined modes, as well as the speed of charging. The results of the practical tests are available at here.

Electromobility is developing at a rapid rate. There are already more than 30 million electric vehicles on the roads of the world. According to CSDD data, there were 672 electric vehicles in Latvia in 2020, while today the number already exceeds 7,100. The number of charging points has also grown rapidly – in 2019 Elektrum Drive started with three charging ports in Rīga and Jūrmala, and we plan to have more than 800 public charging ports across the Baltic states by the end of 2024.

"While the choice of electric cars was quite limited a few years ago, a wide range of options in terms of models, price and features are available today. If you are not sure which model of electric vehicle to choose, the wide range of offers can leave you overwhelmed. This is especially true due to these types of cars becoming more and more technologically similar. Statistics also show that the average annual mileage of an electric car is the same as that of an internal combustion engine car," says Edgars Korsaks-Mills, the electromobility expert of Elektrum.

The Elektrum Drive electric vehicle test catalogue can therefore be helpful to potential buyers in making a rational choice from the wide range of models, prices and features. It already brings together more than 50 electric vehicle models that are available on the Latvian market, the efficiency of which has been tested by Elektrum experts. You will find the results of electric vehicle tests in the catalogue, as well as other useful information, including the comparison of each electric vehicle model with the WLTP* standard data, as well as the most suitable home charging equipment from the range of elektrumveikals.lv offers.

Edgars Korsaks-Mills continues: "Elektrum tests the efficiency of electric vehicles by carrying out a test drive on a specific route and in accordance with the same test procedure. Some electric vehicle models have been tested in both summer and winter conditions, and we are continuing to add new models to the catalogue. It should be noted that each electric vehicle model test is unique, with different traffic and climatic conditions, which also might affect the electric vehicle test result; therefore, we would advise not to compare electric car test data between models. The purpose of the test result is to demonstrate what the efficiency of a given electric vehicle is based on the data obtained during a test drive. This is something a potential buyer can take into account before buying an electric vehicle, by doing their research and comparing different publicly available information and data regarding the electric vehicle model of interest."

The electric vehicles were test driven on three routes:

• city ~ 90 km (average speed 30–35 km/h);
• highway ~ 80 km (average speed 90–95 km/h);
• combined ~ 150 km (average speed 50–60 km/h).

The main assessment criteria were as follows:

• Maximum mileage at full charge (in combined mode);
• Average consumption on different routes;
• Charging speed at the Elektrum Drive 50 kW and/or 150 kW DC charging station (from 5% to 95%).

All test drives were performed in ECO mode, maintaining a comfort temperature of ~ 21 ^oC in the interior, and the obtained data was read from the on-board computer of the specific electric vehicle model.

WLTP* (Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure) standard has been developed on the basis of worldwide driving data and includes driving situations in both urban and highway traffic.