Electric car losing charge

[ILoveJoeBrown]

I have a Kia Niro PHEV electric hybrid. Charged up at work to 34 miles [full charge]. Drove home via pet shop in teeming rain. Drove 12.3M, so should be 21.7M left but when I got home the battery shows 16M left.

So that means it's used an 'extra' 5M or so somehow? Does anyone know why it would drain that fast? Does it use that much more battery if the wipers are on full pelt and the bum-warmers are on, for example? Or is the estimated figure for battery left really that unreliable?

I have a Volvo PHEV which ostensibly can do 34km on a full charge but invariably does less. I find the battery goes faster in winter than in summer which I have always put down to heat, wipers (and bum warmers!). Also how you drive impacts the battery draw too - if you’re heavy on the accelerator the battery drains quicker. It doesn’t bother me that much - i mainly use it for city driving so rarely need the full 34km on a daily basis and just plug it in when I get home.

I'm not a fast driver really esp this evening when 40 was about the max on a 70mph ring road due to the heavy downpours! Still, I live somewhere famous for its roundabouts now with added traffic lights, so the constant stop/start won't help.

Sudden acceleration from junctions, air con, heated seats, heated windscreen will all zap electricity.

We have a Renault Zoe and the optimum battery temperature is about 15degrees. A lot of pre warm functions on EVs are actually more about the battery than comfort (though it's a perk!)

It's winter, that's expected.

I get the same thing with a petrol car. I can start a 4 mile trip with a range reading of 50 miles and end it reading 40 miles. These estimates can vary wildly.