I just completed a trip from SJ CA to Dallas TX and back in my 2022 RWD Model 3. Bottom line -the "standard range" 3 is an excellent long distance travel machine, but for those interested in more details, read on.
For reasons I won't go into, I needed to make a family trip to the Dallas area in a very short window and flying wasn't an option. I should note my model 3 has the following "modifications" that are relevant to this story:
Trip legs were 1.5-2.5 hours long, charge stops were usually around 20-30 min, and total miles/total time was around 70mph.....which isn't Cannonball run territory, but better than many travelers see even in ICE vehicles with big tanks. The frequent stops were a welcome relief to stretch, eat, and empty the bladder and made it possible to keep going much longer than would have otherwise been possible.
What was surprising to me though, was our efficiency for the trip out was 262 wh/mi! Round trip it was 272 whi/mi. That's way lower than I expected considering the speeds we were maintaining. Also consider the temperature was over 90F for most of the trip. We saw a high of 119F and a low of 73F. Which brings me to a major caveat:
When outside temps reach 104F or higher, the Model 3 is horrible at predicting range. Below this temp it is quite good and reliable, even at the elevated speeds we were traveling. But once temps got to 104F or beyond, the car's ability to predict consumption went out the window. Leaving Kingman AZ (104F at the time) the car claimed we would arrive at Flagstaff with about 20% SOC. But that quickly became negative, even as we slowed way down and reduced the AC. The car insisted we take a huge detour to Wickenburg (near Phoenix) and that we would only make that (with 6% left) if we kept it under 60mph. We reluctantly accepted, but after a short period of reduced speed wound up traveling back at our "normal" speed and arrived with over 25% left in the tank.
We encountered similar issues on our return trip, but knew not to trust the car and used our own judgement. It appears the car does not know how to properly judge the battery cooling requirements at these elevated temperatures. Leaving the charger it is overly optimistic how far it can go in extreme heat, but then quickly becomes overly pessimistic. Mid and upper 90's temps appear to present no issue for the car, but prepare for chaos once you enter triple digit temps. BTW - we encountered another model 3 driver at a charging stop who was experiencing the same thing. He had a LR model, so it doesn't appear to be a battery chemistry related.
Bottom line: unless you are traveling in extreme temps (I assume there is a low temp extreme as well), the RWD (SR) Model 3 is a highly capable and efficient long distance travel machine. While there are reasons one might pick the AWD over the RWD, long road trips (in reasonable temperatures) shouldn't be one of them.
For reasons I won't go into, I needed to make a family trip to the Dallas area in a very short window and flying wasn't an option. I should note my model 3 has the following "modifications" that are relevant to this story:
- Tires were set to 50 psi cold (max listed on sidewall). This was to minimize rolling resistance.
- Windows and roof were tinted with a quality ceramic tint to minimize heat transfer and AC drain
- Unplugged performance's front lip was installed which is claimed to reduce aerodynamic drag. Their rear spoiler is on backorder and thus was not installed.
- The car was NOT lowered or modified in any other way. Stock tires, aero hubcaps on.
Trip legs were 1.5-2.5 hours long, charge stops were usually around 20-30 min, and total miles/total time was around 70mph.....which isn't Cannonball run territory, but better than many travelers see even in ICE vehicles with big tanks. The frequent stops were a welcome relief to stretch, eat, and empty the bladder and made it possible to keep going much longer than would have otherwise been possible.
What was surprising to me though, was our efficiency for the trip out was 262 wh/mi! Round trip it was 272 whi/mi. That's way lower than I expected considering the speeds we were maintaining. Also consider the temperature was over 90F for most of the trip. We saw a high of 119F and a low of 73F. Which brings me to a major caveat:
When outside temps reach 104F or higher, the Model 3 is horrible at predicting range. Below this temp it is quite good and reliable, even at the elevated speeds we were traveling. But once temps got to 104F or beyond, the car's ability to predict consumption went out the window. Leaving Kingman AZ (104F at the time) the car claimed we would arrive at Flagstaff with about 20% SOC. But that quickly became negative, even as we slowed way down and reduced the AC. The car insisted we take a huge detour to Wickenburg (near Phoenix) and that we would only make that (with 6% left) if we kept it under 60mph. We reluctantly accepted, but after a short period of reduced speed wound up traveling back at our "normal" speed and arrived with over 25% left in the tank.
We encountered similar issues on our return trip, but knew not to trust the car and used our own judgement. It appears the car does not know how to properly judge the battery cooling requirements at these elevated temperatures. Leaving the charger it is overly optimistic how far it can go in extreme heat, but then quickly becomes overly pessimistic. Mid and upper 90's temps appear to present no issue for the car, but prepare for chaos once you enter triple digit temps. BTW - we encountered another model 3 driver at a charging stop who was experiencing the same thing. He had a LR model, so it doesn't appear to be a battery chemistry related.
Bottom line: unless you are traveling in extreme temps (I assume there is a low temp extreme as well), the RWD (SR) Model 3 is a highly capable and efficient long distance travel machine. While there are reasons one might pick the AWD over the RWD, long road trips (in reasonable temperatures) shouldn't be one of them.
