Range Concerns

[NeverGoingBack]

Just posted this as a reply to another thread …… but felt like putting it out there a little more prominently …… just to see if it starts something.

I gotta say ….. I think the whole range discussion is totally artificial. Maybe helpful when comparing cars for purchase … maybe.

Around town ……. Charge at home, drive around, plug back in, no problem.

In the rurals (where I live) …… charge at home, drive around a little farther, plug back in, no problem.

On road trips (which I take a lot) ……. Charge at home, drive to next supercharger, charge, repeat, have a plan for destination charging, no problem.

How many miles can I go on a single charge? Don’t know ……. And don’t care.

 

[jjrandorin]

The problem with creating a thread like this is, even though it looks like your goal is to reassure people, its likely not going to turn out any different than any of the other 100s of range threads here.

1. Some people will agree with you because this is how we know the cars work.
2. some people will say "but Tesla llllliiieeeessss!!!!!"
3. Some people will say "but I saw online that tesla bjorn did......."
4. Some people will start pulling out wh/mi numbers
5. More people will say "but Tesla Lllllieeessss!! There has to be a problem with my battery! It lost X miles since Y months ago and the car only has Z miles on it and is A months old!!!!!!

They all end up turning out the same way, no matter whether the intent of the thread starter is to ask a question (that likely has been asked 100 times), make a statement to reassure people (which has been done repeatedly) or just to "start stuff" which has also been done several times.

 

[NeverGoingBack]

The problem with creating a thread like this is, even though it looks like your goal is to reassure people, its likely not going to turn out any different than any of the other 100s of range threads here.

1. Some people will agree with you because this is how we know the cars work.
2. some people will say "but Tesla llllliiieeeessss!!!!!"
3. Some people will say "but I saw online that tesla bjorn did......."
4. Some people will start pulling out wh/mi numbers
5. More people will say "but Tesla Lllllieeessss!! There has to be a problem with my battery! It lost X miles since Y months ago and the car only has Z miles on it and is A months old!!!!!!

They all end up turning out the same way, no matter whether the intent of the thread starter is to ask a question (that likely has been asked 100 times), make a statement to reassure people (which has been done repeatedly) or just to "start stuff" which has also been done several times.

OK

 

[Vicj]

Well. Tesla does sort of lie. Quite often.
Let's see what becomes of the now 3 class action lawsuits. We'll let a jury decide.

 

[Rice&Curry]

I have stopped worrying about range as it has never been a problems for me as Tesla still has the best charging infrastructure and experience. As to whether Tesla intentionally mis-states range I am not sure about it. Frankly the exact mileage promised by Tesla does not bother me if it is a few miles or few % lower than the stated miles. What really affects range is : weight of passengers and cargo ( remove unnecessary stuff in frunk and trunk, speeds in excess of 65 mph affects range as does external head wind/cross winds, outside temp and elevation gain. The 20~30 miles you are trying to gain is easily eaten up by these factors. Full disclosure , I do own a few Tesla shares, but my views expressed here is based on my experience of owning 3 Tesla's over the past 5 years.

 

[Pianewman]

I think for the vast majority of EV owners, "range" just isn't an issue. Charging infrastructure is, which is why the slow ramp-up of non-EV sales.

Of course, misrepresenting efficiency is a rather serious offense, and should be litigated accordingly. We've had decades of experience with this in ICE vehicles, of course.

 

[Tes3P]

After a year and three months with my 2022 M3P two days ago I drove 86 miles and used 23 kwh. Started at 90% and had 57% when I got home. This was in 100+ temperatures with AC blowing fairly hard. That translates to approximately 306 miles of range if I ratio from 0-100%. That equated to only 3% less than the 315 listed. Under the circumstances I think Tesla got the numbers pretty close.

 

[RichBenn]

Just posted this as a reply to another thread …… but felt like putting it out there a little more prominently …… just to see if it starts something.

I gotta say ….. I think the whole range discussion is totally artificial. Maybe helpful when comparing cars for purchase … maybe.

Around town ……. Charge at home, drive around, plug back in, no problem.

In the rurals (where I live) …… charge at home, drive around a little farther, plug back in, no problem.

On road trips (which I take a lot) ……. Charge at home, drive to next supercharger, charge, repeat, have a plan for destination charging, no problem.

How many miles can I go on a single charge? Don’t know ……. And don’t care.

I’m a rural driver as well. I stepped up to the long range, but now that I’ve had it, a standard range would have been fine. If they were using LiFeP04 like in the model 3 standard range, I probably would have ordered that, as a 100% charge on those is actually a good thing, unlike the regular lithiums. As it is, I rarely charge over 70% as it lengthens battery longevity.

There are some fast charger limitations in my state(northern Nevada). For example, try going out highway 50 from Tahoe east to Great Basin National park. No level 3 chargers past Fallon, currently. Tesla is considering Ely, Nevada, which would “barely“ do it. There are FAR more rural places I go, but these often need my truck’s ground clearance.

 

[RichBenn]

I think for the vast majority of EV owners, "range" just isn't an issue. Charging infrastructure is, which is why the slow ramp-up of non-EV sales.

Of course, misrepresenting efficiency is a rather serious offense, and should be litigated accordingly. We've had decades of experience with this in ICE vehicles, of course.

i thought the EPA publishes range according to some manufacturer formula/testing, although they may accept too much hand waving from the manufacturer compared to gas vehicles. Hopefully someone who knows can chime in. i’m not positive it can be litigated, from that standpoint anyway. As to what they did to software….

 

[kpanda17]

I’m a rural driver as well. I stepped up to the long range, but now that I’ve had it, a standard range would have been fine. If they were using LiFeP04 like in the model 3 standard range, I probably would have ordered that, as a 100% charge on those is actually a good thing, unlike the regular lithiums. As it is, I rarely charge over 70% as it lengthens battery longevity.

There are some fast charger limitations in my state(northern Nevada). For example, try going out highway 50 from Tahoe east to Great Basin National park. No level 3 chargers past Fallon, currently. Tesla is considering Ely, Nevada, which would “barely“ do it. There are FAR more rural places I go, but these often need my truck’s ground clearance.

Btw
M3RWD in sport mode is a rocket ship
Amazing for the $

 

[E90alex]

There is no sport mode for Model 3 RWD

 

[kpanda17]

There is no sport mode for Model 3 RWD

My bad, standard mode vs chill
M3RWD natively in standard mode, is a rocket ship off of the line

Thanks for the clarification

 

[E90alex]

I wouldn’t say it’s a rocket ship but definitely feels faster than the numbers suggest and still faster than most other cars on the road.

 

[kpanda17]

I wouldn’t say it’s a rocket ship but definitely feels faster than the numbers suggest and still faster than most other cars on the road.

Ok, came from trucks before

M3 RWD very quick
MYP sport mode, faster (did sport with track, wow)
M3P sport mode, even faster
MS unbelievable (just drove)
MSP insane (a dream)

For the money, M3RWD is amazing

 

[RichBenn]

Btw
M3RWD in sport mode is a rocket ship
Amazing for the $

Sadly, for me, I needed more ground clearance than the 3 and AWD. So had to pony up some more $ for the Y. I love bargains, and the 3 really is for what you get. So is the Y, compared to other EV AWD SUVs, with the federal rebate.

 

[NeverGoingBack]

I’m a rural driver as well. I stepped up to the long range, but now that I’ve had it, a standard range would have been fine. If they were using LiFeP04 like in the model 3 standard range, I probably would have ordered that, as a 100% charge on those is actually a good thing, unlike the regular lithiums. As it is, I rarely charge over 70% as it lengthens battery longevity.

There are some fast charger limitations in my state(northern Nevada). For example, try going out highway 50 from Tahoe east to Great Basin National park. No level 3 chargers past Fallon, currently. Tesla is considering Ely, Nevada, which would “barely“ do it. There are FAR more rural places I go, but these often need my truck’s ground clearance.

Yeah …. the M3RW is totally fine in the rurals …. Unless ground clearance is a need. I got the MYLR because I was (buying my first EV) worried about range. Based on experience, realized range was not a worry, got the M3RW second. As you say, because charging to 100% is no problem, I can always have enough for what I need to do in a given day, but usually don’t need that much.

 

[Glenlasvegas]

We have a 2022 Tesla model Y performance. When we purchased it it said it had a 300 mile capacity after driving 16,000 miles we’ve had the car for less than a year and a half and we have lost 40 miles of capacity. 90% of our charging we do at home through a standard electrical receptacle. Tesla told us they did diagnostics and everything is functioning correctly. I just can’t believe that we would lose 40 miles this quickly seems like a serious rip off.

 

[skriefal]

Tesla's advertised range numbers are fairly "optimistic." They usually won't be met in the real world. You're about 13% below the advertised range - which is about right during good weather periods. Cold weather will drop the range further, as will high-speed driving.

(I'm assuming that you're getting a typical 260-mile range from a 100% charge.)

 

[Glenlasvegas]

Tesla's advertised range numbers are fairly "optimistic." They usually won't be met in the real world. You're about 13% below the advertised range - which is about right during good weather periods. Cold weather will drop the range further, as will high-speed driving.

(I'm assuming that you're getting a typical 260-mile range from a 100% charge.)

Yep 260 range. I just spoke to the Tesla service representative on the phone and they said that the battery is in excellent condition and suggested that we turn off camera based detection as that feature is meant for the 2023 models and also to switch to auto for air conditioning as opposed to manual and lastly suggested that we completely log out of the app when we’re not driving. Apparently this will reduce energy consumption and they say in about a month if we follow these steps, our range should go back to a much higher capacity.. fingers crossed. I’ll check back in a month.

 

[Tronguy]

Tesla's advertised range numbers are fairly "optimistic." They usually won't be met in the real world. You're about 13% below the advertised range - which is about right during good weather periods. Cold weather will drop the range further, as will high-speed driving.

(I'm assuming that you're getting a typical 260-mile range from a 100% charge.)

Um. Just sold a 2018 M3 LR RWD for a 2023 M3 LR AWD; updating and transferring FSD.

Having said that, put a boatload of miles on that 2018 M3. Mind you, no heat pump on that model and year. But, from late March through mid-October, when the weather wasn't cold, the car really did get its 250 W-hr/mile rating. Yes, if I was driving 70, that would drop a bit; but, if I was driving 50 or lower, it'd better the range.

In the winter: You betcha, 325 to 350 W-hr/mile, but that wasn't a surprise.

In 2021 we got a Model Y which, indeed, comes with the heat pump. Still, it gets its advertised EPA rating during the warm months, 270 W-hr/mile plus or minus a bit, and around 280-290 during the winter months, once things have warmed up a bit.

Now, FWIW, I've been driving econoboxes around since forever: 71 VW Beetle, Datsun B210, Honda Civic station wagon, a Honda Civic 4-door, and a Gen III Prius. I did the maintenance on all those cars, keeping a little black book with gas pump buys and mileage. The black books were handy, in a way: One could tell when a car got out of tune because the mileage would drop off. While I've never been afraid to floor it, depending upon the car (especially on that '71 bug, seeing that one had better do that rather than getting squashed by semis), generally, Mr. Jackrabbit I haven't been. And after some 50-odd years of doing this, I drive the Teslas the same way. Yes, a Tesla can snap one's neck back, but one doesn't have to drive that way.

And the EPA testing is done the same way: SOP at the EPA is not to floor it or panic stop, but drive, well, normal. And, for whatever reason, I guess I drive like that, too. And therefor it's no surprise that I find the Tesla mileage numbers fairly accurate.