Test Details and Conditions
Out of curiosity and a bit of free time, I decided to test the Leopard 5 by maintaining a steady 75 km/h speed in EV mode on a highway for a 180 km journey. The goal was to find out the absolute maximum range the battery could achieve regardless of normal driving conditions.
I started with the odometer at 1630 km and the battery at 100%, in EV mode with no headwind and calm weather. Most of the road was flat, though there were some slight climbs, descents, and gentle curves. The elevation at the start was 300 meters according to the GPS on the dashboard, dropping to 200 meters by the end of the test.
A total of roughly 150 km on battery alone — but the whole point was to see the absolute maximum the battery could do, and that's what we got.
Stage One: EV Mode Until Generator Kicks In
I began in EV mode at 75 km/h. The car covered 110 km until the battery dropped to 25%, at which point the generator automatically started. Right then, I dropped the speed to 58 km/h and switched to EV MAX mode.
Stage Two: EV MAX Mode and Battery Recovery
Since there was a downhill section after switching to EV MAX, most of the distance was spent either charging the battery or consuming very little. This basically made up for what was used during the climbs when I was in EV mode.
EV MAX mode took me another 40 km. When the battery hit 18%, EV MAX automatically shut off and the car switched to HEV mode with no option to change it.
Results and Takeaway
The odometer ended at 1779 km. Total distance covered on battery alone: roughly 150 km.
Does this mean you can drive 150 km without using a drop of fuel? Yes. But is this a realistic or practical test of normal driving? Not a chance. Nobody maintains 70 km/h on a highway. What took two hours of normal driving took three and a half hours. The whole point was to see the absolute maximum the battery could do, and that's what we got.
