Removing one common car item can boost electric car range by '92 miles'

Removing a cycling roof rack could dramatically improve fuel efficiency and range, according to a new study. , electric car battery specialists, found the range of an electric car dropped while a roof rack was installed.

The experiment compared the efficiency of a VW ID4 in three states, with a roof-mounted bicycle carrier, a rear-mounted bicycle carrier and with none at all. The study found that while travelling at around 75mph, the ID4 held a range of around 3.5 miles per kWh. However, this fell down to just 2.3mi/kWh when the roof-mounted bike carrier was installed.

Experts say this would have by around 92 miles in a major blow.

However, using a rear-mounted carrier had less of an impact on fuel use with EV range dropping to just 3.2 miles per kWh.

AVILOO's say their study was conducted in controlled conditions in Vienna, Austria before the results were analysed by experts.

Nikolaus Mayerhofer, CTO of AVILOO stressed that having roof racks fitted did lead to "noticeable losses" on the road.

He said: "There are many half-truths about extra consumption due to loading.

"Our measurements clearly show that rear-mounted racks have minimal impact on range and driving behaviour.

"Roof loads, however, result in noticeable losses. The main physical reason for the clear differences is air resistance - it doesn't increase linearly but quadratically. At double the speed, air resistance increases energy use fourfold."

The findings suggest there is a close link with electric and combustion vehicles

According to motoring experts at , a previous study suggested that having a roof rack installed

They added: "The heavier your car is, the more fuel is consuming. A lot of us might use our car as a bit of a dumping ground for things we don't need immediately.

"By having a clear out, you can reduce the overall weight your car needs to propel up the road.

"This could be small things like rubbish and clothes or larger things like removing a roof rack when it's not being used."