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"There are three kinds of liars: liars, damn liars and battery makers," an engineer once told me.
He was bitter about an electric-vehicle program that had been canceled years earlier, but anyone who has used a battery-powered device can understand his anger.
Whether it is an iPod, cell phone or laptop computer, the charge just never seems to last as long as the manufacturer says it will.
Battery makers don't really lie, of course. Their predictions are just based on ideal conditions. And the real world seldom is ideal.
In the case of electric vehicles, driver behavior, temperature, accessory use, terrain and battery age all have an impact on range.
I experienced this recently at a test drive sponsored by the organizers of the North American Car of the Year award, where I serve as a judge.