Late last year I decided to drive 322 km from the suburb of Turin where I live to Bologna, Italy, for a dealer event.
Having a Renault Megane E-Tech press car at my disposal, I figured the trip was an ideal opportunity to make a true test of an electric model with a 60 kilowatt-hour battery that promised a range of 450 km based on WLTP testing.
Even if I factored in the expected 25 percent reduction in real-life range compared with the overly generous WLTP number, I should have had a range of 337 km, meaning I wouldn't have to recharge.
With a 100 percent charge done at home, the Megane's Google-based navigation system said I would arrive in Bologna with 6 percent left on the battery.
My plan was altered because at about 100 km (about 62 miles) into the trip -- at the 115 kph maximum speed allowed by the car's energy-saving Eco mode -- there was an accident on the highway.