I'd just like to do a quick thread on how we as car journos talk about EVs, in particular range vs efficiency (and how you, the consumer, need to start thinking about those two figures). Now seems as good a time as any.

Most of us journos still talk about range first when discussing EVs, and this is understandable and right, given it's the hot-button topic and almost every reader's/viewer's first question when it comes to electric cars.

However, we can't forget to talk about energy efficiency, too. Manufacturers are sometimes happy to leave out efficiency figures in press packs, perhaps hoping we won't ask - but we should, and we should publish them alongside range figures, with just as much importance.

The reason is because talking about an EV's range without mentioning its efficiency is a bit like talking about an ICE car's fuel tank size without mentioning its economy. It's useful to know, but it doesn't actually tell you how much that car will cost to run.

And while electric cars are cheap to run, they're certainly not free. A full (86.5kWh usable) charge in an E-Tron Sportback 55 will cost you £12.98 at 15p/kWh, and get you 247 miles (WLTP). So over the course of 10,000 miles (e.g. a year), it'll cost you £525.51.

By comparison, a Hyundai Ioniq Electric won't go as far on a charge (193 miles WLTP) but also has a much smaller battery (38.3kWh usable), so while you'll have to charge more often, your full charge will cost £5.74, and your year's motoring £297.40.

All this is obvious, of course. Just as with ICE cars, a big, heavy SUV will cost more to run than a smaller, lighter hatchback. But if we only ever talk about range, that fact gets lost. Compare two cars like-for-like on range alone, and you don't tell the whole story.

This is especially true if one car has a bigger battery than the other. That'll give it a longer range - but if the heavier battery makes it less efficient, you'll be paying more to run that car. Case in point: the Audi and the Hyundai above.

This is why we need to talk about efficiency, not just range. In the example above, the Hyundai gets 4.5 miles per kWh (mpkWh) - think of a kWh as a little blob of electricity. The Audi? 2.5 - almost half.

(I am admittedly comparing two very dissimilar cars to emphasise the point, but there are sometimes significant differences in EV efficiency when comparing like-for-like rivals, too. Which is where it really matters.)

Why does this matter for us journos? Well, put it this way: a comparison between two rivals shouldn't give credit to one of the two just because it has a greater range - it should also factor in whether the car is actually more efficient to get that range.

Otherwise, in ICE terms, we're basically giving credit to a car because it has a bigger fuel tank.

And if you're a reader (or prospective EV buyer), you need to be asking about efficiency, not just range. If a dealer or a manufacturer's website can't give you an efficiency figure, it's like not being able to tell you a petrol car's MPG. And it's a poor show. (Ends)