Model Y Long Range constantly showing 315-317 mile range when fully charged.

[J-a-x]

First time Tesla owner here, and my car is about 10 months old. Is it normal for my Long Range Model Y to be showing no more than 317 miles (sometimes as low as 315) when charged to 100%?

Occasionally I charge to 100% during a long road trip when I know it won't sit at 100% for long and may not have another chance to charge for a while which I understand is not a problem since it is not spending long at 100%, however whenever I check the range estimate at 100% charge its always 10s of miles below the range of 330 which is advertised and also which used to be the max range my car would show for the first 10,000 miles of its life or so.

I've noticed the same behavior in summer and in winter. My odometer has about 14,000 miles on it and last month my car was averaging 253 Wh/Mi which I think is pretty normal.

I understand that the computer presents the user with a range that's supposed to be indicative of the behavior and expected performance of the car, but I did consistently get 330 for the first 10,000 miles or so with similar Wh/Mi energy consumption. So I am wondering if this is potentially a sign of battery issues or just a quirk and someday I might see the computer report 100% again.

I am aware with the limitations of comparing to other cars, but TeslaFi tells me that other similar cars with similar miles are getting range estimates around 320-330 under similar conditions.

On average I charge to 80% and leave my car around 50% for most of the week, rarely let it drop below 20% (but sometimes I do on long road trips) and I rarely charge above 80% (except when I know it'll drain down below 80% before I park it). I am pretty careful about being a good steward of my battery health so if this is true battery degradation it seems a bit worrying to me.

 

[Sophias_dad]

Please do a search. TLDS: You'll find out it's entirely expected.

 

[E90alex]

Normal degradation. If you are obsessing about the amount of degradation then you should read the very numerous threads on recommended charge level and degradation.

In short, your stated charging habits don’t seem to be optimal for reducing degradation.

 

[J-a-x]

Normal degradation. If you are obsessing about the amount of degradation then you should read the very numerous threads on recommended charge level and degradation.

In short, your stated charging habits don’t seem to be optimal for reducing degradation.

Not optimal?

I've read plenty of threads on the subject and the consensus seems to be 100% charge on a road trip is not detrimental, (only letting a car sit at 100% is detrimental). Can you provide any links to publications to the contrary?

So I've been very careful about charging to 100% and only do it occasionally, and only when I need to and know the battery will drain to at least 80% before idling.

Anyway I've read numerous threads but still wasn't sure if the behavior I'm seeing is normal degradation or just a temporary calibration quirk.

 

[E90alex]

You said you charge to 80%. 80% is not the magic number. Below 55% is.

Also how do you charge to 80% but also say the car is at 50% most of the week?

 

[GHammer]

You said you charge to 80%. 80% is not the magic number. Below 55% is.

Also how do you charge to 80% but also say the car is at 50% most of the week?

OMG, there is nothing wrong with the way they are charging it. There is nothing wrong thier battery. In short, there is NOTHING WRONG. OP, change your battery mile guess-o-meter to percent, drive your car and be happy.

 

[J-a-x]

You said you charge to 80%. 80% is not the magic number. Below 55% is.

Also how do you charge to 80% but also say the car is at 50% most of the week?

My general workflow is, charge it up to 80% on Friday, go out of town on the weekend and drive a lot, charge when I'm out if I need to, and aim to return home at around 50%. That way I park it at home and let it sit at 50% most of the week, and charge again at the end of the week and repeat. My goal is to let the battery be around 50% for the days I don't drive a lot (M-F) and charge it up to higher levels for short periods before trips. Sometimes for a really big trip I do charge to 100% but in that case I'd charge the same day I drive if possible. Charging to 100% is maybe once every month or two?

Obviously the above description is not precisely what I do but it's a good approximation. Sometimes it sits during the week at 55% or 40% or 60% instead of precisely 50% but it averages around 50.

Anyway, if others see max range from their Tesla estimated ranges in the range of 315 than I guess it's not abnormal, I just haven't seen anybody report that their car shows 315 at 100% so it kind of scared me when I saw that today....

Apologies for freaking out and hopefully others can learn from this thread.

 

[E90alex]

My general workflow is, charge it up to 80% on Friday, go out of town on the weekend and drive a lot, charge when I'm out if I need to, and aim to return home at around 50%. That way I park it at home and let it sit at 50% most of the week, and charge again at the end of the week and repeat. My goal is to let the battery be around 50% for the days I don't drive a lot (M-F) and charge it up to higher levels for short periods before trips. Sometimes for a really big trip I do charge to 100% but in that case I'd charge the same day I drive if possible. Charging to 100% is maybe once every month or two?

Obviously the above description is not precisely what I do but it's a good approximation. Sometimes it sits during the week at 55% or 40% or 60% instead of precisely 50% but it averages around 50.

Anyway, if others see max range from their Tesla estimated ranges in the range of 315 than I guess it's not abnormal, I just haven't seen anybody report that their car shows 315 at 100% so it kind of scared me when I saw that today....

Apologies for freaking out and hopefully others can learn from this thread.

Ok that’s not too bad then.

It’s just normal degradation between 4-5%. Unavoidable. Best to just not look at it.

 

[M3BlueGeorgia]

Suggestion: Change the display from "EPA miles" to percentage.

"EPA miles" is sometimes a little wrong, sometimes a lot wrong, and therefore pretty damn useless.

 

[J-a-x]

Suggestion: Change the display from "EPA miles" to percentage.

"EPA miles" is sometimes a little wrong, sometimes a lot wrong, and therefore pretty damn useless.

I do use the percentage display 99% of the time but switched today to miles out of curiosity... which is what spurred these questions.

 

[johnnycnote]

It's fine. Carry on

 

[Big Earl]

Drive more, worry less.

 

[sublimejackman]

Not optimal?

I've read plenty of threads on the subject and the consensus seems to be 100% charge on a road trip is not detrimental, (only letting a car sit at 100% is detrimental). Can you provide any links to publications to the contrary?

So I've been very careful about charging to 100% and only do it occasionally, and only when I need to and know the battery will drain to at least 80% before idling.

Anyway I've read numerous threads but still wasn't sure if the behavior I'm seeing is normal degradation or just a temporary calibration quirk.

Easy rules to follow:

Avoid charging above 90%. Every time you do, you degrade the battery.

(The individual batteries create dead lithium "dendrites" and once they are dead, they can't be reversed. This happens in all lithium-based batteries to varying degrees. The higher and faster you charge the battery, the more of these will form.)

Daily charge (if you want to keep the car for 8+ years) you would keep your daily limit below 80% and preferably you would keep the charge between 45-75% most of the time. (for the same reason as above)

Discharging too low isn't a huge deal so generally, discharging to 5% is fine on occasion. Just wouldn’t recommend keeping it below 20% for long periods of time.

Supercharging degrades that battery faster than home charging. But not enough that you should avoid road trips.

(Battery charge rates are expressed with "C", that's the rate that it would take to charge the battery to full in one hour. So, if you charge the battery from 0%-100% in 30min, that means you charged the battery at 2C. 2x its capacity. For lithium batteries you want this number to typically be below 1C, but newer batteries and better cooling systems allow for faster charging with less degradation)

Also, some degradation is unavoidable. In the first year, all Teslas lose about 5-10% of their initial range. This is normal. But if you just keep the battery below 90% and only supercharge when you need to, you’ll have a good long life with your battery.

-------

For me personally, I found about 5 years ago that switching to percentage from range in miles made a huge difference. The range in miles displayed in the app and on your screen is a made up marketing number and in no way reflects the actual range of the car in that moment. Your real world range is (almost) always lower than the reported range in the car/app.

There are also other tools out there like TezLab that will display your real world range in real time, this can be a better way for you to understand your true range in a given situation. However, with any EV, there are tons of factors that play into the acutal range you get (weather, hills, road surface, tire pressure, etc), it will never be perfect.

 

[ucmndd]

Avoid charging above 90%. Every time you do, you degrade the battery.

No. There is nothing magic about 90%. This is wrong.

Daily charge (if you want to keep the car for 8+ years) you would keep your daily limit below 80% and preferably you would keep the charge between 45-75% most of the time. (for the same reason as above)

There is nothing magic about 80% either. In fact the observed degradation is practically identical to 90%.

There IS a decent bump in degradation when stored above ~55%. So if you really want to minimize aging, that’s a key number to remember.

Supercharging degrades that battery faster than home charging.

Recent studies are showing this is more or less a myth too.

Full Speed Ahead: EV Study Reveals Impacts of Fast Charging

www.recurrentauto.com

Also, some degradation is unavoidable.

Hey, this part is true.

But if you just keep the battery below 90% and only supercharge when you need to, you’ll have a good long life with your battery.

Odds are you’ll have a good long life with your battery in pretty much any case. But if the goal is minimizing battery degradation, this advice is not going to help at all.

 

[sublimejackman]

I guess it's gonna be another round in the forums today...

No. There is nothing magic about 90%. This is wrong.

Not sure where you got that info? But yeah 80% isn't great either.

There is nothing magic about 80% either. In fact the observed degradation is practically identical to 90%.

There IS a decent bump in degradation when stored above ~55%. So if you really want to minimize aging, that’s a key number to remember.

Agreed 55% is better than 80%. A "storage charge". I agree that's ideal but not realistic for most people. I'm looking to provide insight to help a regular person get the most of their car.

Recent studies are showing this is more or less a myth too.

Full Speed Ahead: EV Study Reveals Impacts of Fast Charging

www.recurrentauto.com

So Tesla reported cars don't degrade as bad when you use Tesla superchargers; when you look at the made fairytale number Tesla has admitted is made up...

"In the charts above, the y-axis shows the percentage of original range as shown on the cars’ dashboards. Note that the dashboard range in Teslas is different from its Real Range, which is a value that factors in the range effects of temperature, drive style, and terrain."

Hey, this part is true.


Odds are you’ll have a good long life with your battery in pretty much any case. But if the goal is minimizing battery degradation, this advice is not going to help at all.

This advice is sound. Keep the car at lower state of charge and lower speed charging, will generally increase battery life. You're being pedantic on purpose to start something and I'm here for it, lets gooooooo

 

[ucmndd]

I guess it's gonna be another round in the forums today...

Nah, I’ve said what needed to said and everything is supported by facts. And it’s Christmas, so ho ho ho.

If you want to educate yourself, search for some posts by member @AAKEE and settle in for some holiday reading.

So Tesla reported cars don't degrade as bad when you use Tesla superchargers; when you look at the made fairytale number Tesla has admitted is made up...

I will respond to this though, as the assumptions you’re drawing here are egregiously wrong.

The Tesla EPA range estimate shown on the dashboard is the best available user-facing number to measure degradation, because it’s simply calculated battery capacity divided by a constant. Whether or not you can actually drive a mile on that EPA-derived constant is irrelevant to calculating degradation.

You're being pedantic on purpose to start something

No, I’m being factual because good data is important. The information you are providing about arbitrary charging thresholds and their relationship to degradation is just not true. The people you’re providing advice to should have good information on which to base a decision, so that’s why I’m “starting something”, but I have no intention of going back and forth about it.

 

[sublimejackman]

Nah, I’ve said what needed to said and everything is supported by facts. And it’s Christmas, so ho ho ho.

If you want to educate yourself, search for some posts by member @AAKEE and settle in for some holiday reading.

I will respond to this though, as the assumptions you’re drawing here are egregiously wrong.

The Tesla EPA range estimate shown on the dashboard is the best available user-facing number to measure degradation, because it’s simply calculated battery capacity divided by a constant. Whether or not you can actually drive a mile on that EPA-derived constant is irrelevant to calculating degradation.

Tesla has been manipulating the “range” displayed for years. They purposely alter the discharge rate curve. They display inflated numbers. This is known. It was literal policy. Using the “EPA” range as a baseline fundamentally undermines this data.

No, I’m being factual because good data is important. The information you are providing about arbitrary charging thresholds and their relationship to degradation is just not true. The people you’re providing advice to should have good information on which to base a decision, so that’s why I’m “starting something”, but I have no intention of going back and forth about it.

Again, slower charging and keeping the state of charge lower generally improves battery longevity.

Any cutoff number other than keeping each cell at 3.7v at all times is technically arbitrary. But you gotta call it somewhere.

 

[dgpcolorado]

Agreed 55% is better than 80%. A "storage charge". I agree that's ideal but not realistic for most people. I'm looking to provide insight to help a regular person get the most of their car.

"Most people." This is the part that puzzles me as a twelve year EV driver.

My assumption, for typical TMC forum members, is that they have home charging. So, how much local driving do "most people" do in a day?

The Y LR has a useful range at 50% of about 100 to 150 miles, depending on weather and driving conditions. Do most people drive more than that in a day? My guess is no. And I'm a remote rural owner in mountainous snow country who drives 70 miles (round trip) just to go grocery shopping!

So, given the large range of my Y LR, compared to the old S60 it replaced, I've been charging to 50%. That's plenty to get to and from work, as well as run errands and make those long grocery shopping trips. I plug-in at home every day with the car set to do scheduled charging. (I think that some people seem to think that a lot of little charges is somehow worse for the car than fewer large cycles, which we know is not true.)

My suggestion for the OP, and others who are interested in this topic, is that he sets his car to 50%, picks a convenient time for scheduled charging, and plugs-in every time the car comes home. If planning a longer trip, then change the charge limit to something higher for the next charge session. Pretty simple, really.

 

[sublimejackman]

"Most people." This is the part that puzzles me as a twelve year EV driver.

My assumption, for typical TMC forum members, is that they have home charging. So, how much local driving do "most people" do in a day?

The Y LR has a useful range at 50% of about 100 to 150 miles, depending on weather and driving conditions. Do most people drive more than that in a day? My guess is no. And I'm a remote rural owner in mountainous snow country who drives 70 miles (round trip) just to go grocery shopping!

So, given the large range of my Y LR, compared to the old S60 it replaced, I've been charging to 50%. That's plenty to get to and from work, as well as run errands and make those long grocery shopping trips. I plug-in at home every day with the car set to do scheduled charging. (I think that some people seem to think that a lot of little charges is somehow worse for the car than large cycles, which we know is not true.)

My suggestion for the OP, and others who are interested in this topic, is that he sets his car to 50%, picks a convenient time for scheduled charging, and plugs-in every time the car comes home. If planning a longer trip, then change the charge limit to something higher for the next charge session. Pretty simple, really.

The OP made it seem like they needed 80% charge. I probably should have been less broad with my wording.

Completely agree! I keep mine at 60% when i don’t have any drives planned.

 

[sublimejackman]

No, I’m being factual because good data is important. The information you are providing about arbitrary charging thresholds and their relationship to degradation is just not true. The people you’re providing advice to should have good information on which to base a decision, so that’s why I’m “starting something”, but I have no intention of going back and forth about it.

Look I’m trying to help a regular person who hasn’t spent years diving into this subject. Obviously there are simplifications and arbitrary lines. My advice is sound and gives the OP a real world answer to their question.