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I am not even sure I would dare give a distance estimate.

If I look at some mobile devices I have access to:

Dell laptop: estimates time remaining in hours and minutes; in my experience, that estimate isn't reliable.

iPod Touch: the most concrete it gets is a warning "20% battery charge remaining". Is likely to show it multiple times. The display only shows a tiny bar.

iPad (and, I think, the iPhone): goes a bit further; can show a numerical battery percentage.

For both iOS devices, the Settings app also shows a "Time since last charge" section with "Usage" and "Standby" times. It does not dare give a time remaining.

Mobile phone: 5-bar battery full indicator.

Back to the electric car: especially given the short range for a full charge, I understand owners will want a distance remaining estimate, but I would say: if you can't give a reliable one, don't. 'Percentage charge remaining' plus a 'at similar speed and weather, you typically would have stretched this for x miles' indicator, IMO, would be better. And that is even more than a gasoline powered car will give you.



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