Fast drivers?

Driving fast with a Model S is not a problem. Driving slow is much, much more difficult.

Gooch said:

Hello! first time poster, long time lurking.

I have the benifit of living and working in the Bay Area and work not even 10 minutes from the fremont factory. Although I've never stopped by I do see a good amount of MS around and usually they are driving respectable speeds and for good reason! Must make that battery life last. My question though is there anyone on here that owns a MS a more aggressive driver? I'm curious how much reduction in the advertised range there is for drivers who average higher speeds?

thanks for your time!

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I drive the P85 as well as a Ducati 1198. I love that the P is very motorcycle-like in straight-line acceleration, and drive it with a similar confidence that I can get out of situations, pass people - whatever, without thinking much about it. The MS though is so heavy I don't really drive aggressively. I think if anything I drove more aggressively in my Jetta TDI (and could beat the MS on a curvy road too) probably because it had a "zippy" feel thanks to the low weight. MS is also so relaxing to drive, I usually just turn on a podcast or some music, hit the cruise, and float along. If I want adrenaline... well it used to be fun to smoke a mustang or camaro at a stoplight, but not really anymore. Adrenaline -> Ducati. I never intentionally drive the S conservatively because of range though. Range has never been a concern for me in this car.

if you go to the Wh/mi thread, you'll find the range goes from around 250 to around 450 Wh/mi with most being in the 290 to 320 range. IIRC 308 Wh/mi gets the EPA 265 miles. The last time the numbers were calculated was in April on post #725 in that thread.

LIKE your answer MikeC, exactly the way I feel. I feel slow drivers (slower than the normal flow of traffic) are a real hazard on the road. I am embarrassed by slow Tesla owners who are saving enough KW's to get home. That's not why we bought one, is it?
old burt

Depends how far i am going. Long trips, stretch for miles, otherwise fun fun fun.

I may or may not have been known to drive faster than some... Previous cars include M3 and M Roadster. To give the idea of my driving habits, the M Roadster used to get 18-19 mpg.

Model S is my daily driver and I get about 50/50 highway/streets mix. Just checked: my lifetime energy usage is 372 Wh/mi.

100mph will still get you ~170 miles range on a full charge.

I came from a Dodge Viper. I drive the Model S a bit faster as, despite being MC red, it doesn't draw quite the attention as a V-10 with catback exhaust and high flow cats. Recently I was around my old high school and always remembered high school a friend bragging about his 440 Roadrunner being able to top a long , steep local hill at 100 mph. Had to try it. The P85 easily beat that...

I drive my P85 safely but spiritedly every chance I get My LT average Wh/mi is currently 355. So maybe 20% less range than the EPA rated 300 Wh/mi range of 265 miles.

yep, i drive fast too (but safely), every chance i get, it's a pure joy and makes life worth living!

my average is high, but my commute is small so i never have an issue and i get electrons from the sun so i don't give it a second thought. i have the 85kWh pack, nominally 300 mi/full charge, effectively ~265 for a 'normal' speed driver, i usually expect around 200mi/full charge the way i drive... loving it. every day.

I've done several tests to see, on my trip down to San Diego, what the difference would be between driving carefully to save range, vs. not caring at all and driving a little on the fast side. It is a 114 mile trip for me. I lost only about 10 miles by not driving super careful and trying to save range. I was really surprised that it was only 10 miles. So its good to know.

Keep in mind though, it depends on if the leg is mostly net uphill, or mostly net downhill, or net flat. That will impact the savings as well, since driving fast uphill is a quick way to drain your pack.

On average, I used to drive faster in my ICE cars (about 20% over the speed limit), but in the Model S I just don't find myself in as much of a hurry. It's much easier to drive the speed limit and be content, for some reason. Perhaps it's the knowledge that I could beat the pants off pretty much any other vehicle I meet that does it? As the saying goes: "The faster the ride, the slower the drive"

I will admit to being a bit of a hazard on the first leg of a road trip, though. My home is rather rural and there is 253 miles of up-and-down highway (2/3 of which has no cellular service) between me and my first charging station. If I don't drive very conservatively (usually 50-55mph), I won't make it, and will have no way of calling for help short of hitchhiking.

My driving style in town when I'm not force to hypermile is much more reasonable, similar to my old ICE days.

I have an MC Red and drive it the way a car that resembles Jessica Rabbit should be driven. Lifetime 370 Wh/mi. I know I could get better mileage if I drove more boringly. Don't care.

A few years ago there was a news segment about a guy who was researching severe calorie restriction as a way to promote longevity. He was trying it not just on mice, but on himself. The reporter asked him whether it was worth it. He thought a moment, and said: "100 years is an awfully long time to be this hungry."

I am so not that guy. Almost 50 and if bacon kills me, what a way to go.

Gooch said:

My question though is there anyone on here that owns a MS a more aggressive driver? I'm curious how much reduction in the advertised range there is for drivers who average higher speeds?

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I won't comment on the "aggressive" description, but lifetime average was 400 Wh/mi before TMC Connect 2014 and is now around 394 Wh/mi (with a local minima around 392 Wh/mi). By "advertised range" I suspect you mean "rated range" or "ideal range" of the vehicle. I've had my vehicle since Nov 2012 and my rated 90% was 221 mi. before TMC Connect and is now 223 mi. (@balancing-enthusiasts: I've never charged to 100%.)

As for Jerry's 308... I calculated that number at one point for Rated but since roughly Jan 2013, I've found that never to track. I think I have to do somewhere around 290 Wh/mi. to get rated miles to match actual distance.

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dtich said:

85kWh pack, ... i usually expect around 200mi/full charge the way I drive

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For 90% charge, agree if I go exactly the speed limit.

On german autobahn you can easily bring the Model S over 400 Wh/mi. It is not my way to drive, but for example there is this video from Bjorn Nyland (Europe road trip 2014). Look at minute:second 49:17 in the video:

The woman in his video looks THRILLED!

yobigd20 said:

100mph will still get you ~170 miles range on a full charge.

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Indeed.

I drive from Amsterdam to my home (200km) quite often at night and I usually cruise at 160km/h (100mph) and that goes just fine.

Sure, it consumes more energy, but it's not a problem at all for Model S.

I've never been a fast driver, usually speed limit to about 5 over when conditions are good. On my recent trip to Nashville, I didn't see much range difference in going 60mph vs 75mph (in very ideal conditions), AC on or off, etc. The rated miles were dead on the physical miles most of the time at any freeway speed, which is really cool.

The car is smooth as silk at any speed that's for sure..... so calming.

-m