The ad said 400 km. Why aren't you getting them?

What is a test cycle?

No carmaker measures range by driving the car down the street until the battery runs flat. Instead, they put it on rollers (a dynamometer) and have it "drive" a simulated route: a fixed sequence of acceleration, braking, cruising and stops, at a controlled temperature, with the air conditioning off.

That sequence is called a test cycle. Here's the key point: every range figure is tied to a cycle. "400 km" on its own means nothing. "400 km CLTC" or "400 km EPA" does, because it tells you which rulebook was used.

And the rulebooks don't measure the same thing.

CLTC, WLTP and EPA: three different rulebooks

CLTC (China). The Chinese cycle was built from real traffic data in Chinese cities: heavy congestion, low speeds and frequent stops. The test lasts 30 minutes and covers 14.5 simulated kilometers, with an average speed of about 29 km/h, a top speed of 114 km/h, and the car standing still for more than a fifth of the time. That's ideal for an EV: it uses little energy at low speed and recovers some every time it brakes. That's why CLTC produces the highest numbers of the three.

WLTP (Europe). The European cycle is tougher. It includes an extra-high-speed phase that reaches 131 km/h and averages about 46 km/h. Its figures usually come in below CLTC for the same car.

EPA (United States). The strictest of the three. It includes aggressive driving, air conditioning use and high speeds, and then applies a downward correction to the lab result. That's why the EPA figure is the lowest, and the closest to what drivers actually see.

How big is the gap? InsideEVs compared cars sold in all three markets and found that, as a rule of thumb, the WLTP figure runs about 22% higher than EPA, and CLTC about 35% higher. But the gap varies a lot from model to model, so there is no exact conversion between cycles. Any equivalence is an estimate, not a formula.

Here's a real example with a car sold in Costa Rica: the BYD Seal AWD is listed in our catalog at 650 km CLTC. In Europe, BYD rates that same version, with the same battery, at 520 km WLTP. Same car, 130 km less, just because the rulebook changed.

What happens to your range in Costa Rica

We don't drive in a 25 °C lab. These are the things that really move the number:

• Mountains. San José sits about 1,100 meters above sea level, and the beaches are at zero. Driving down to the coast on Route 27 or Route 32 is almost free: regenerative braking turns the descent into energy that goes back into the battery. But physics is unforgiving: what you recover going down never covers the climb back up. Hauling two tonnes of car up 1,100 meters costs energy, and plenty of it.
• Speed. On the highway, this is the biggest factor. Air resistance grows with the square of your speed: Car and Driver found that going from about 90 to about 120 km/h cut one EV's range by 23% and another's by more than 30%. Typical speeds on our highways hurt less than that, but speed is still the biggest drain on a trip.
• Heat and air conditioning. The sources don't fully agree, so here are both ends: Recurrent, analyzing data from about 30,000 real EVs, found only a 5% loss at 32 °C, while AAA, in lab tests with the A/C running at 35 °C, measured up to 17%. On a trip to the coast with the A/C on full, expect something in between.
• Rain, weight and tires. Wet pavement adds rolling resistance, every passenger and suitcase adds weight, and underinflated tires make the motor work harder. None of these is dramatic on its own; together, you'll notice them.

How to estimate your real-world range

There's no exact formula, and anyone selling you one is guessing. But putting the sources above together gives you a practical rule for turning a CLTC figure into real life in Costa Rica:

• City (traffic, lights, errands): 75% to 85% of the CLTC figure. This is the closest thing to the Chinese cycle, and some drivers come close to it.
• Highway (steady 80–110 km/h): 55% to 70%.
• Trip to the coast with family, luggage and A/C: 50% to 65%. The descent gives you some back; the climb home charges you interest.

For example, a car rated at 400 km CLTC will give you roughly 300–340 km in the city, 220–280 km on the highway and 200–260 km on a fully loaded beach trip. These are estimates, not promises: the exact number depends on your car, your right foot and your route. The best measurement will always be your own, using your car's consumption in kWh/100 km after a few weeks of driving.

How to compare two cars properly

If you're torn between two models, don't just look at the advertised kilometers. Compare them in this order:

1. Same cycle. A car rated at 400 km CLTC and another at 380 km WLTP can't be compared directly: they were measured under different rules. First make sure both figures come from the same cycle.
2. Same version. Range changes between versions of the same model (battery, wheels, motor). Compare the exact version you plan to buy.
3. Battery size (kWh). That's the "tank". Two cars with the same range and different batteries don't use energy the same way.
4. Consumption (kWh/100 km). The most honest number of all: how much energy the car uses per distance. Lower is better.
5. DC fast-charging power (kW). On a trip, how long it takes to charge matters as much as how far it goes.

Why QueCargan shows CLTC

Almost every electric car sold in Costa Rica today comes from China and is certified under the CLTC cycle. We could convert every figure into a "realistic" estimate, but that would mean guessing model by model, and we'd rather not.

Instead, we show the CLTC figure so every car is compared under the same rulebook. If the manufacturer didn't publish a CLTC figure for a version, we calculate it from the cycle it did publish, so it stays comparable. The golden rule is simple: compare CLTC with CLTC, and apply the percentages above to set your own expectations.

Your turn

If you're comparing your first electric car, open the QueCargan comparison tool and put the models you're considering side by side: same rulebook, same data, no fine print.

And if you already own an EV, your experience is worth more than any test cycle. Leave a review telling others how far it really goes: in the city, on the highway, heading down to the beach. Coming from an owner in Costa Rica, that's exactly what the next buyer is looking for.