2021 Model S (LR) - Real world driving range

[balvsal]

I recently purchased a 2021 (refreshed model) model s LR, tempest wheels.
the vehicle is rated at 405 miles, but i cannot get anywhere close to that range.

At best i am squeezing 60% of the range ( IE. charged to 324 miles(80%), driven down to 81 miles (20%) = in theory i should of driven 242. Real life results, i get 150 miles at best, ie the 60%ish efficiency rate)

Other notes:
i am coming from a model 3 LR and performance, i drive extremely moderate and always get 95% of the range on my model 3s. my driving is always kept under 70mph, warm so-cal weather, AC blowing low, music playing moderate, sentry mode off.
I had the vehicle inspected at SC, they ran driving unit test and battery test, as per the results everything checked out. My observations are over 5K mile trips, and 3 months of ownership.


Can 21,22 model s owners share their feedback on their real world driving range?
is 60% real world range efficiency realistic for a model s?

Thank you for your feedback.

Note:
suspension dynamics, and cosmetic quality control is garbage.

 

[ucmndd]

I recently purchased a 2021 (refreshed model) model s LR, tempest wheels.
the vehicle is rated at 405 miles, but i cannot get anywhere close to that range.

Yup. Neither can anyone else, because it’s not realistic.

What is the observed/reported wh/mi on your tests?

 

[zoomer0056]

i get 150 miles at best,

150 miles? That's the total range? I know that's not what you mean.

 

[danp]

150 miles? That's the total range? I know that's not what you mean.

He means 80 to 20%, see the rest of that paragraph.

 

[mswlogo]

Well on my model 3p, X Raven and Refresh S I got slightly better than EPA rating in ideal conditions (summer, AC low, 65-70 mph). I had the most efficient size wheels on each car too. With covers if applicable.

OP didn’t mention which tires he is running nor psi in them.

 

[Celledral]

Charged to 90% on my way back to Los Angeles from Las Vegas. Roughly 250 miles trip and I was able to make it back with 16% battery.

Speed ~ 77-80mph
19” with caps
70 degree weather

Extrapolating the data, that’s about 337miles
From 100-0. So just 83% of rated range or 87% of highway rated range of 387miles.

pretty great considering the speed at which I was going.

 

[jaguar36]

Well on my model 3p, X Raven and Refresh S I got slightly better than EPA rating in ideal conditions (summer, AC low, 65-70 mph). I had the most efficient size wheels on each car too. With covers if applicable.

Same here. On a 60-70 degree day, driving at 68mph on the highway without stops I can get better than the rated range.
In normal day to day use, or driving at higher speeds its alot less. For instace I usually drive 200 miles a week and charge once a week. So 90-20% over a week period I get roughly 200 miles. Lots of lost energy in vampire drain and heating/cooling the cabin for each trip.

 

[mswlogo]

Same here. On a 60-70 degree day, driving at 68mph on the highway without stops I can get better than the rated range.
In normal day to day use, or driving at higher speeds its alot less. For instace I usually drive 200 miles a week and charge once a week. So 90-20% over a week period I get roughly 200 miles. Lots of lost energy in vampire drain and heating/cooling the cabin for each trip.

Right. It goes down fast as speed goes up.

My vampire drain has been really good. 1-2 miles a day.

I formed a habit of turning of HVAC when I park. That saves me a lot of waste. I’m constantly putting stuff in and taking stuff out of the car for errands.

I also run no sentry or cabin overheat protection.

I’m building a house 120 miles away. So not charging at destination. Charged to 90% Friday morning. Drove 120 miles, did errand 25 miles away. And other short errands. Towed 3500 lbs 10 miles. Started home 120 miles Sunday. Charged for 10 minutes added 77 miles. Got home with 25% left on battery. Oh and lots of doggy mode. And it was pretty hot out. I think I could have skipped the charging but I don’t like running the battery that low. It was literally the time to pee and grab a snack.

 

[HAILERS]

I recently purchased a 2021 (refreshed model) model s LR, tempest wheels.
the vehicle is rated at 405 miles, but i cannot get anywhere close to that range.

At best i am squeezing 60% of the range ( IE. charged to 324 miles(80%), driven down to 81 miles (20%) = in theory i should of driven 242. Real life results, i get 150 miles at best, ie the 60%ish efficiency rate)

Other notes:
i am coming from a model 3 LR and performance, i drive extremely moderate and always get 95% of the range on my model 3s. my driving is always kept under 70mph, warm so-cal weather, AC blowing low, music playing moderate, sentry mode off.
I had the vehicle inspected at SC, they ran driving unit test and battery test, as per the results everything checked out. My observations are over 5K mile trips, and 3 months of ownership.


Can 21,22 model s owners share their feedback on their real world driving range?
is 60% real world range efficiency realistic for a model s?

Thank you for your feedback.

Note:
suspension dynamics, and cosmetic quality control is garbage.

I've a 22 Tesla S Model with the 19" wheels. I find numerous times, when driving 75 mph on Interstate 35 in Texas, that I get 30 miles for each 10% of battery. Happens at night with lights on, a/c on and during the day also.
Supposedly I could go 300 miles with a charge of 100% but who wants to degrade their battery ?

It's very difficult to drive at 75 mph and still have 90% of the other cars pass around you. I could Never bare driving at 70 mph in a 75 mph zone. I'd rather walk than do that.

IF drivng to Corpus Christi, Texas from Ft Worth, Texas I'll charge up to 90% and make it to Del Valle, Tx and then charge up to the same 90% in Del Valle and make it to the New Superduper Charge in Corpus Christi to charge up and spend the day surf fishing on North Padre Island for the day

 

[HAILERS]

Charged to 90% on my way back to Los Angeles from Las Vegas. Roughly 250 miles trip and I was able to make it back with 16% battery.

Speed ~ 77-80mph
19” with caps
70 degree weather

Extrapolating the data, that’s about 337miles
From 100-0. So just 83% of rated range or 87% of highway rated range of 387miles.

pretty great considering the speed at which I was going.

Curious and ignorant here. But, why can't a Tesla or other ev with so much torque, gear the darn thing so it can acturally have range worth a darn ? My 220 mile range at 75mph on interstates isn't very impressive to me. My other two cars have a range of 520 miles. As in Ft Worth to Santa Rosa NM or Ft Worth to Sierra Blanca, Texas.

 

[David_Cary]

There is no "gearing" that can change range significantly. There is little change in efficiency for an electric motor over its RPM range. That is in stark contrast to an ICE (ie gas/diesel) engine which has vast differences in efficiency over its RPM range.

Gas and diesel carry a lot of energy in a small package relative to the battery. That is the main issue.

220 miles at 75 mph is pretty horrible. Tires?

I get about 10% less than EPA at 75mph (but I have a 2015).

 

[EVfourme]

I recently purchased a 2021 (refreshed model) model s LR, tempest wheels.
the vehicle is rated at 405 miles, but i cannot get anywhere close to that range.

At best i am squeezing 60% of the range ( IE. charged to 324 miles(80%), driven down to 81 miles (20%) = in theory i should of driven 242. Real life results, i get 150 miles at best, ie the 60%ish efficiency rate)

Other notes:
i am coming from a model 3 LR and performance, i drive extremely moderate and always get 95% of the range on my model 3s. my driving is always kept under 70mph, warm so-cal weather, AC blowing low, music playing moderate, sentry mode off.
I had the vehicle inspected at SC, they ran driving unit test and battery test, as per the results everything checked out. My observations are over 5K mile trips, and 3 months of ownership.


Can 21,22 model s owners share their feedback on their real world driving range?
is 60% real world range efficiency realistic for a model s?

Thank you for your feedback.

Note:
suspension dynamics, and cosmetic quality control is garbage.

I have had a similar experience with my '21 SLR. Very disappointing range at 75MPH compared to what is advertised. I expect to get roughly 70% of Tesla's estimated range when I travel on the highway, rarely more and sometimes a little less

 

[bai2020]

I have a '21 Model S LR and have a similar experience. Was my first EV and disappointed that I wasn't getting anywhere near the stated range initially, but have gotten used to typical range for my driving and know better what to expect. I assume if I drove 60-65 for road trips, my range would be closer to stated. Typically driving between 70-80 mph on most road trips which results in range similar to yours. Just drove from Houston to Waco last week which was about 180 mi., started at 90% and ended at ~22%.

 

[Rocky_H]

Very disappointing range at 75MPH compared to what is advertised.

I wasn't getting anywhere near the stated range

"what is advertised" "stated range"
Those are according to official EPA testing procedures, which are notoriously easygoing, mild, low speed kind of driving. Most people know that at any highway speed, they usually aren't going to match that in any car. You're welcome to drive fast, but you obviously aren't going to match EPA efficiency doing that.

 

[sorka]

I've a 22 Tesla S Model with the 19" wheels. I find numerous times, when driving 75 mph on Interstate 35 in Texas, that I get 30 miles for each 10% of battery. Happens at night with lights on, a/c on and during the day also.
Supposedly I could go 300 miles with a charge of 100% but who wants to degrade their battery ?

It's very difficult to drive at 75 mph and still have 90% of the other cars pass around you. I could Never bare driving at 70 mph in a 75 mph zone. I'd rather walk than do that.

IF drivng to Corpus Christi, Texas from Ft Worth, Texas I'll charge up to 90% and make it to Del Valle, Tx and then charge up to the same 90% in Del Valle and make it to the New Superduper Charge in Corpus Christi to charge up and spend the day surf fishing on North Padre Island for the day

All those other ICE cars are also getting WAY less than their rated EPA range.

 

[danp]

All those other ICE cars are also getting WAY less than their rated EPA range.

Not necessarily. Take a look at the Edmunds test leaderboard for EPA vs real world range, Teslas tend to underperform EPA, which isn't the case for many other EVs. The Taycan in particular. This isn't a highway only test, but there are plenty of 70 mile range test videos on Youtube, including on the Out of Spec Reviews channel.

Edmunds Tested: Electric Car Range and Consumption | Edmunds

Which EVs have the best electric car range? The EPA provides range estimates for every electric vehicle, but they don't test EV range in the real world -- and Edmunds does. Read all the latest real-world EV test results from the Edmunds experts.

www.edmunds.com

 

[sorka]

Not necessarily. Take a look at the Edmunds test leaderboard for EPA vs real world range, Teslas tend to underperform EPA, which isn't the case for many other EVs. The Taycan in particular. This isn't a highway only test, but there are plenty of 70 mile range test videos on Youtube, including on the Out of Spec Reviews channel.

Edmunds Tested: Electric Car Range and Consumption | Edmunds

Which EVs have the best electric car range? The EPA provides range estimates for every electric vehicle, but they don't test EV range in the real world -- and Edmunds does. Read all the latest real-world EV test results from the Edmunds experts.

www.edmunds.com

Not in EVERY example, but most of the time. The Porsche is the only example I can think of that came under rated. Heck, even my P85D was under rated. It's rated range was 310 wh / mile but I consistently got 280 or less on long trips any time other than the winter.

My MXP on the other hand is a bit of disappointment. I'm only managing about 300 wh / mile when it's rated at 291 wh / mile. I'm driving the same speeds and routes and can't quite manage rated where I easily beat it in my P85DL. That said, my front toe is currently 0 so I'm hoping this will improve once I get total set to -0.2 degrees or so (toe out).

That said, my point still stands. All ICE cars get way less than EPA rated when driving at 75 mph.

 

[bai2020]

"what is advertised" "stated range"
Those are according to official EPA testing procedures, which are notoriously easygoing, mild, low speed kind of driving. Most people know that at any highway speed, they usually aren't going to match that in any car. You're welcome to drive fast, but you obviously aren't going to match EPA efficiency doing that.

Fair point, but EVs seem to be far more sensitive to speeds and other driving factors than I was initially aware. If I drive 75-80 in my SUV, mileage is probably 2-3 mpg less than advertised MPG (~10-15%) whereas EV's seem to be 30%+. I'm not unhappy and wouldn't trade in my Tesla bc of this, just was different than my expectations.

 

[danp]

Not in EVERY example, but most of the time. The Porsche is the only example I can think of that came under rated. Heck, even my P85D was under rated. It's rated range was 310 wh / mile but I consistently got 280 or less on long trips any time other than the winter.

My MXP on the other hand is a bit of disappointment. I'm only managing about 300 wh / mile when it's rated at 291 wh / mile. I'm driving the same speeds and routes and can't quite manage rated where I easily beat it in my P85DL. That said, my front toe is currently 0 so I'm hoping this will improve once I get total set to -0.2 degrees or so (toe out).

That said, my point still stands. All ICE cars get way less than EPA rated when driving at 75 mph.

Ah, sorry, I just realized your point was about ICE cars, and not other EVs.