For prospective EV buyers: "How much range will I actually get?"

[3sr+buyer]

Since a common type of thread here is "I bought a Model 3, so why am I getting much less range than the rated range?", here is a thread for prospective EV buyers to try to get a more realistic estimate of their actual range before they choose or buy an EV based on its rated range.

If your current or previous vehicle was an EV (or PHEV driven mainly within its EV range), you probably already know how your actual range compares to the rated range.

If your current or previous vehicle was an ICEV, consider your fuel economy in comparison to the rated fuel economy for your vehicle (see FuelEconomy.gov - The official U.S. government source for fuel economy information. for US EPA ratings if you are in the US). However, note the following:

• Consider city and highway economy separately, since ICEVs normally do better on the highway, while EVs normally do better in the city.
• Be aware that, during cold weather, cabin heat is free in ICEVs, but is not free in EVs, where using cabin heat can be a significant economy and range penalty.

Other than the above considerations, most driving habits that improve or degrade economy in ICEVs have similar effects on economy and range in EVs. It is just that many drivers notice the difference more in EVs because "refueling" an EV takes longer than refueling an ICEV. So whether your economy is better or worse than rated in your current or previous ICEV can be a good indicator of whether your economy and range will be better or worse than rated in an EV (assuming not a lot of cold weather cabin heat).

Here are common reasons why economy and range are worse than rated for many drivers:

• Highway speeds significantly greater than 65mph.
• Hard acceleration and braking.
• Cold weather cabin heat use (EV only).
• Cold weather tire air pressures getting low and not checked.
• Higher rolling resistance replacement tires (including many higher performance tires and winter tires).
• Roof racks and cargo.
• Sentry mode or other reasons that the car does not "turn off" or "sleep" when parked (Tesla only).

 

[GtiMart]

We notice it more in EVs because it has a bigger impact. On an EV that might be 85% efficient with its energy, your driving habit changes affect that 85%. On an ICE that loses 70% in external heat (thus is only 30% efficient) you only act on the 30%.

 

[Shelburne]

As I wrote in another thread, the only time my 2020 M3AWD meets or exceeds its rated range is under the following conditions:

Driving at speeds under 50mph
No heat or AC in use
No passengers
No cargo
No headwinds
No hills to climb
No sudden, rapid acceleration

Driving under the conditions listed above, it is easy to meet or even exceed the car's EPA range rating, but how often can you drive like that?
I love my M3 and will never go back to ICE cars, but this is the reality of ALL EV's, not just Tesla's

 

[nate704]

As I wrote in another thread, the only time my 2020 M3AWD meets or exceeds its rated range is under the following conditions:

Driving at speeds under 50mph
No heat or AC in use
No passengers
No cargo
No headwinds
No hills to climb
No sudden, rapid acceleration

Driving under the conditions listed above, it is easy to meet or even exceed the car's EPA range rating, but how often can you drive like that?
I love my M3 and will never go back to ICE cars, but this is the reality of ALL EV's, not just Tesla's

Not really.
Keeping it at 70 mph with good weather will give you close to EPA range. Head/tail wind, up/down hill are negligible unless very strong wind or steep elevation changes.

 

[Mikecm1]

As I wrote in another thread, the only time my 2020 M3AWD meets or exceeds its rated range is under the following conditions:

Driving at speeds under 50mph
No heat or AC in use
No passengers
No cargo
No headwinds
No hills to climb
No sudden, rapid acceleration

Driving under the conditions listed above, it is easy to meet or even exceed the car's EPA range rating, but how often can you drive like that?
I love my M3 and will never go back to ICE cars, but this is the reality of ALL EV's, not just Tesla's

Same. I’m lucky if I get 220 real miles every 100% with my 2020 LR, originally it was rated at 322 miles. And my 100% range indicator now only shows 283 miles (11% loss) which from what I’ve read is sadly pretty normal for 2020s, with 2018 and 2019s often still at or above 300. My theory is that 2020 batteries have some issue that’s not catastrophic but negatively impacts battery health at a faster rate than normal.

 

[father_of_6]

The only time my 2020 M3AWD meets or exceeds its rated range is under the following conditions:

Driving at speeds under 50mph
No heat or AC in use
No passengers
No cargo
No headwinds
No hills to climb
No sudden, rapid acceleration

Driving under the conditions listed above, it is easy to meet or even exceed the car's EPA range rating, but how often can you drive like that?
I love my M3 and will never go back to ICE cars, but this is the reality of ALL EV's, not just Tesla's

That's probably true of all EPA ratings though, ICE miles per gallon included.

 

[KenC]

Since a common type of thread here is "I bought a Model 3, so why am I getting much less range than the rated range?", here is a thread for prospective EV buyers to try to get a more realistic estimate of their actual range before they choose or buy an EV based on its rated range.

If your current or previous vehicle was an EV (or PHEV driven mainly within its EV range), you probably already know how your actual range compares to the rated range.

If your current or previous vehicle was an ICEV, consider your fuel economy in comparison to the rated fuel economy for your vehicle (see FuelEconomy.gov - The official U.S. government source for fuel economy information. for US EPA ratings if you are in the US). However, note the following:

• Consider city and highway economy separately, since ICEVs normally do better on the highway, while EVs normally do better in the city.
• Be aware that, during cold weather, cabin heat is free in ICEVs, but is not free in EVs, where using cabin heat can be a significant economy and range penalty.

Other than the above considerations, most driving habits that improve or degrade economy in ICEVs have similar effects on economy and range in EVs. It is just that many drivers notice the difference more in EVs because "refueling" an EV takes longer than refueling an ICEV. So whether your economy is better or worse than rated in your current or previous ICEV can be a good indicator of whether your economy and range will be better or worse than rated in an EV (assuming not a lot of cold weather cabin heat).

Here are common reasons why economy and range are worse than rated for many drivers:

• Highway speeds significantly greater than 65mph.
• Hard acceleration and braking.
• Cold weather cabin heat use (EV only).
• Cold weather tire air pressures getting low and not checked.
• Higher rolling resistance replacement tires (including many higher performance tires and winter tires).
• Roof racks and cargo.
• Sentry mode or other reasons that the car does not "turn off" or "sleep" when parked (Tesla only).

So, I had a Service Center appt on Monday to check out my 2018 LR-AWD coming up on my 48month warranty expiration in a week.

On the way home, I studied the newish Energy graphs to see what I could learn about energy use broken down, in slightly more detail:

I turned off my climate after the start to reduce variables. No battery conditioning and minimal elevation change, left only 2 categories using power, Driving and Everything Else. What is using up so much power in Everything else? Headlights, radio? What did I learn?

It's 43F outside, and I have year-round snow tires, QuatracPro on the car, speed 80mph, but GPS-measured speed 78mph.

• drove 70.5miles, and used 26.6%, works out to 265miles of driving range at 78mph.
• Rated consumption was 19.5%; or 361miles of driving range; after including climate and everything else, 22.8% or 309miles of range.
• Tip to stay under 70mph, saving 4.1%, could result in 22.5% or 313miles of driving range.

Questions I have: The rated consumption resulting in 361miles of driving range, is that for new Model 3s, because mine is rated for 310miles.

Interesting that if I did keep it under 70mph, according to the tip, I could save 4.1% and that would put me at 313miles of driving-only range, and 302miles of range, including Everything Else. I'll have to test driving 70mph, because 4.1% improvement seems quite a bit from 78mph.

Anyone else with thoughts or insight?

 

[3sr+buyer]

It is not surprising that driving 78mph results in significantly worse economy and range than driving 70mph.

 

[GtiMart]

It's not 4.1% improvement, it's 4.1% less SOC that you would have consumed. You consumed 26.6% for driving so that is actually 4.1/26.6 = 15.4% of your consumption that you would have saved.

 

[ngng]

So, I had a Service Center appt on Monday to check out my 2018 LR-AWD coming up on my 48month warranty expiration in a week.

On the way home, I studied the newish Energy graphs to see what I could learn about energy use broken down, in slightly more detail:
View attachment 882427
I turned off my climate after the start to reduce variables. No battery conditioning and minimal elevation change, left only 2 categories using power, Driving and Everything Else. What is using up so much power in Everything else? Headlights, radio? What did I learn?

It's 43F outside, and I have year-round snow tires, QuatracPro on the car, speed 80mph, but GPS-measured speed 78mph.

• drove 70.5miles, and used 26.6%, works out to 265miles of driving range at 78mph.
• Rated consumption was 19.5%; or 361miles of driving range; after including climate and everything else, 22.8% or 309miles of range.
• Tip to stay under 70mph, saving 4.1%, could result in 22.5% or 313miles of driving range.

Questions I have: The rated consumption resulting in 361miles of driving range, is that for new Model 3s, because mine is rated for 310miles.

Interesting that if I did keep it under 70mph, according to the tip, I could save 4.1% and that would put me at 313miles of driving-only range, and 302miles of range, including Everything Else. I'll have to test driving 70mph, because 4.1% improvement seems quite a bit from 78mph.

Anyone else with thoughts or insight?

Do you have snow on the ground yet? I think that greatly increases the resistance your tires see. Regarding speed, aero drag is directly proportional to velocity squared. Speed is likely your single most important factor.

 

[XPsionic]

Tesla's official range estimates on the website and vehicle stickers includes the emergency range below 0% indicated in the car. No one sane will use that part of the battery, nor charge it to 100%, nor drive below 65mph when everyone else on the road goes faster than that.

Fact of the matter is that the EPA range estimate is wildly irrelevant and unrealistic for how normal people actually drive on real roads in real weather. I went into buying a Tesla knowing all of this and am willing to accept the MUCH less than advertised range. However I can see why a lot of people are not happy about it, if they didn't do research before buying (and really, why should they have to research? The EPA range simply needs to be revamped to be more representative of real world range)

 

[3sr+buyer]

Tesla's official range estimates on the website and vehicle stickers includes the emergency range below 0% indicated in the car. No one sane will use that part of the battery, nor charge it to 100%, nor drive below 65mph when everyone else on the road goes faster than that.

Fact of the matter is that the EPA range estimate is wildly irrelevant and unrealistic for how normal people actually drive on real roads in real weather.

Given the forum population that seems to want to drive 80+mph whenever possible, it is easy to see why it is a "forum truth" that EPA numbers are "wildly unrealistic".

But lots of people do drive at 65mph or less, often due to traffic density, much of the time, so it is not hard for such drivers to attain or exceed the EPA numbers.

 

[KenC]

It's not 4.1% improvement, it's 4.1% less SOC that you would have consumed. You consumed 26.6% for driving so that is actually 4.1/26.6 = 15.4% of your consumption that you would have saved.

Earlier, I was going to edit my post, to make that clear, but the time had already run out. So, a 15% improvement if I drove 70mph, according to the Tip, vs 78mph.

Do you have snow on the ground yet? I think that greatly increases the resistance your tires see. Regarding speed, aero drag is directly proportional to velocity squared. Speed is likely your single most important factor.

Nope, dry roads from Mass to Maine.

I get that speed is the reason, but I don't recall it being 15% for 8mph more. Maybe, it's the detail, where before, the data was more of a blackbox.

A year ago, I drove to Colorado and back, and my car calibrated using ABRP at 235Wh/mile at 65mph. Then I drove 13% over the speed limit which meant I was typically driving 75 to 85mph, but probably averaging 80mph. At those speeds, I averaged around 274Wh/mile for over 2000 miles. The speed difference between 80mph and 65mph is greater than what I did yesterday, the difference is almost double. And, yet, the efficiency change was only about 16.5%.

 

[ZenRockGarden]

Simplest way to explain to general public:

Around town in mild conditions it'll go 300 miles

You'll get the same range if you go slow on the highway around 60 MPH

Deduct 50 miles of range for every 10 mph faster you wanna go, and for poor driving conditions (freezing cold, blazing hot, snow, rain etc)

 

[Shelburne]

The fact is that no one would be complaining about these range discrepancies if charging stations were as common as gas stations. So, just wait a decade or so and then you can stop complaining. Of course there will be some who will still complain about how long it takes to charge the car.

 

[father_of_6]

The fact is that no one would be complaining about these range discrepancies if charging stations were as common as gas stations.

And no one complains about the discrepancy of their ICE vehicle between EPA and actual mpg... and most people don't get the rated range from their ICE.

 

[mswlogo]

As I wrote in another thread, the only time my 2020 M3AWD meets or exceeds its rated range is under the following conditions:

Driving at speeds under 50mph
No heat or AC in use
No passengers
No cargo
No headwinds
No hills to climb
No sudden, rapid acceleration

Driving under the conditions listed above, it is easy to meet or even exceed the car's EPA range rating, but how often can you drive like that?
I love my M3 and will never go back to ICE cars, but this is the reality of ALL EV's, not just Tesla's

I can meet or beat EPA

With modest cargo
With passenger (skinny wife and 2 30lb shelties)
With AC (in the Northeast)
With hills (what goes up must come down)
With 60 mph easily
With 65 mph sometimes I can depending on the other factors.

Heater does cost.
Always watch my air pressure and set it slightly over door tag.
I never pay attention to the wind.
I never hard break or hard accelerate

That applies to Model 3 AWD on 18” or 19”. Model X on 20” or 19”. Model S on 19”

Except for the first time my performance snow tires on Model S refresh are eating more than I’d like.

Also short drives in winter is a real killer. Long drives in winter can even be efficient once things are all warmed up and you go long enough to realize the efficiency.

 

[ZenRockGarden]

I can meet or beat EPA

With modest cargo
With passenger (skinny wife and 2 30lb shelties)
With AC (in the Northeast)
With hills (what goes up must come down)
With 60 mph easily
With 65 mph sometimes I can depending on the other factors.

Heater does cost.
Always watch my air pressure and set it slightly over door tag.
I never pay attention to the wind.
I never hard break or hard accelerate

That applies to Model 3 AWD on 18” or 19”. Model X on 20” or 19”. Model S on 19”

Except for the first time my performance snow tires on Model S refresh are eating more than I’d like.

Also short drives in winter is a real killer. Long drives in winter can even be efficient once things are all warmed up and you go long enough to realize the efficiency.

Speaking of short-drives in the winter, most IC cars are at like 50% of normal efficiency for the first couple of miles after a cold start. No one complains, ever

I think the whole "range concerns" on EV's come up because the soft spot in EV efficiency is cruising-at-80-mph which is when you notice range vs doing 20 trips to/from store and oh-yeah-I-need-to-fill-up-sooner-than-I-imagined

 

[father_of_6]

I think the whole "range concerns" on EV's come up because the soft spot in EV efficiency is cruising-at-80-mph which is when you notice range vs doing 20 trips to/from store and oh-yeah-I-need-to-fill-up-sooner-than-I-imagined

I think it's just because the car actually provides metrics. If it just had a gauge like an ICE vehicles, no one would measure, know, or care.

 

[ZenRockGarden]

I think it's just because the car actually provides metrics. If it just had a gauge like an ICE vehicles, no one would measure, know, or care.

My advice to new owners is to immediately switch the battery-display to percent, and never set it back.

Treat the thing like an iPhone - charge it when it's under 20%. Done