Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

How high can you get your estimated range?

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.

xytor

Roadster #221
Jan 13, 2015
97
1
Seattle
While driving to Ellensburg from Spokane at 55mph in Max Range mode, I noticed that my estimated range was significantly higher than the ideal range. Something like 170 ideal miles to 200 estimated miles.
So now I'm wondering. Can I make it to Seattle from Spokane on a single charge? Maybe at 40mph? That may actually be faster than stopping to charge once.

What was the highest estimated range you've ever gotten?
 
I did a few calculations with different driving speed vs charging speeds. It turned out that roughly, you are best off driving a little faster than you can charge. For example if you have a charger that gives you say 30 miles per hour of charging, you ideal speed would be a little above that. Maybe around 40 mph. If you go slower, you use less energy and need less time to charge, but you waste more time on the slow drive. If you go faster, you make up time on the drive, but the higher energy usage requires more time on the chargers and overall you spend more time.
Again, doing a few examples on paper adding up all times it's best to drive slightly over your charge speed. With Superchargers it's a little different and depends on the distance between them, but that doesn't apply to Roadsters anyways.
 
Wow SabrToothSqrl, 999 miles wins! Congrats!

I did a few calculations with different driving speed vs charging speeds. It turned out that roughly, you are best off driving a little faster than you can charge. For example if you have a charger that gives you say 30 miles per hour of charging, you ideal speed would be a little above that. Maybe around 40 mph. If you go slower, you use less energy and need less time to charge, but you waste more time on the slow drive. If you go faster, you make up time on the drive, but the higher energy usage requires more time on the chargers and overall you spend more time.
Again, doing a few examples on paper adding up all times it's best to drive slightly over your charge speed. With Superchargers it's a little different and depends on the distance between them, but that doesn't apply to Roadsters anyways.

I actually took a similar approach. But instead of using mph, I used the small ammeter display below the odometer. When the roadster is charging, I can turn it on to see the "negative draw", as if it's using regen braking. The highest I've seen is when it's charging 70/70A at a HPC, showing about 40A on the little display.
My strategy is to keep the amp draw as displayed on that screen roughly equal to the negative draw it would show when charging. So if my next destination is a HPC, I try to keep it around 40A, which -- on a flat road with decent weather -- is about 60mph.
When going uphill I go slower, and when going downhill I go faster (because regen braking is not as efficient as the motor).

Of course, the first rule is always to actually make it to the charger, so that trumps everything else. :) I tend to give myself about 50 ideal miles as a buffer just in case.
 
attachment.php?attachmentid=10523&d=1349667620.jpg


:biggrin:
Okay, I must admit that's really old. They quickly changed the software to prevent such results. Here's my original post:
Biggest and Smallest Wh/mi and Biggest Projected Range