Car and Driver magazine’s testing director Dave VanderWerp has compared the EPA’s fuel economy and range estimates to the results of his own real-world highway tests.

He found that electric vehicles underperform in efficiency and range relative to the EPA figures by a much greater margin than gas-powered vehicles. Gas vehicles averaged 4 percent better than their stickers indicated. The average range for an EV was 12.5 percent worse than the window sticker numbers.

VanderWerp says that while the EPA tests separate city and highway range figures, only a combined number is presented to consumers. The combined rating is weighted 55 percent in favor of the city figure, where EVs typically perform better. This inflates the EV range estimates.

We are not opposed to electric vehicles, but when car companies exaggerate their mileage performance, this is a scandal and they face steep fines. Will EVs face the same scrutiny? Or is the government a co-conspirator in green fraud?