Aerodynamic efficiency trick in electric vehicles?

A Chinese broadcaster who tested the drag coefficient of the Avatr 12 in a wind tunnel in China the other day revealed a huge discrepancy between the brand’s claimed data and the test results.

The broadcaster showed that the Avatr 12, marketed with a drag coefficient of 0.21 Cd, couldn’t go below 0.28 Cd in a real test, making headlines first in Chinese media and then trending on X after a post by Elon Musk. Hours later, the video was taken down.

The brand responded promptly, inviting Elon Musk to a new wind tunnel test and claiming the video didn’t follow proper procedures.

In electric vehicles, even a 0.001 Cd difference can lead to significant range gains. It’s alleged that some companies, using this as a marketing tool, manipulate results to show lower drag coefficients than reality.

On the same topic, a Li Auto executive, without naming names, stated that some manufacturers in the industry manipulate wind tunnel tests by using vehicles without side mirrors, lower-than-normal suspension settings, and wheels different from the production version.