We’ve learned from experience that the Cadillac Escalade IQ is all about big numbers. Edmunds has just added a rather surprising big number to its credentials: 558 miles of range, more than any EV that Edmunds has tested so far. That’s particularly impressive for a hulking 10,700-pound vehicle, which Edmunds couldn’t even weigh because its scales only go up to 9,000 lbs.
The EPA’s range estimate for the Escalade IQ is 460 miles. That’s already farther than many fossil fuel-powered vehicles will go on a tank of gas and more EV range than you actually need. It’s not unusual for real-world driving situations to vary a bit from the EPA’s estimates, but a difference of nearly 100 miles is quite significant.
Out of all the EVs that Edmunds has tested, the Escalade IQ is the only one to exceed 550 miles, and one of four to break the 500-mile mark. Two of the others are the Chevy Silverado EV and the GMC Sierra EV, both of which share the Escalade IQ’s Ultium EV platform and also beat their EPA estimates. Like its siblings, the Escalade IQ wasn’t particularly efficient, consuming 43 kWh per 100 miles, though slightly better than 48.1 kWh in the Sierra EV. The only other member of Edmunds’ 500-mile club, the Lucid Air, consumed just 28.3 kWh per 100 miles. The vast range of the GM trucks comes more from their enormous batteries than energy efficiency.
Why the difference between the EPA and Edmunds?
In Edmunds’ hands, all three vehicles on GM’s Ultium EV platform outperformed EPA estimates by a significant margin. Despite the better numbers, Edmunds says its test isn’t necessarily better, just different. For example, the EPA tests vehicles in their default configuration, while Edmunds selects the most efficient drive mode available. In other words, if a vehicle starts in Normal mode, but an Eco mode is available, Edmunds will switch to Eco mode, while the EPA will leave it in Normal mode for testing.
Additionally, the EPA runs all of its tests on a dyno, while Edmunds actually drives the cars in the real world. The EPA simulates a mix of 45% city driving and 55% on the highway, while Edmunds does 60% in the city and 40% on the highway, driving from a full charge until there’s only about 10 miles of range left. EVs are more efficient in stop-and-go city driving, which gives them a good shot at beating the EPA numbers in Edmunds’ hands.
Still, numbers aren’t everything. Although the Lucid Air takes Edmunds’ number four spot below the GM entries, it recently set a Guinness World Record for a 749-mile drive on a single charge, much farther than any of Edmunds’ results. That just goes to show how much range can vary depending on who is driving an EV and how they drive it.
