Current research on energy related problems such as eco-routing, eco-driving and range prediction for electric vehicles (EVs) primarily considers the effect of longitudinal dynamics on EV energy consumption. However, real-world driving includes longitudinal as well as lateral motion. Therefore, it is important to understand the effects of lateral dynamics on battery energy consumption. This paper conducts an analysis of the stated effect and validates its significance through simulations. Specifically, this study demonstrates that inclusion of the effect of lateral dynamics can improve accuracy and reliability of solutions in eco-routing, eco-driving and range prediction applications.