330 Wh/mile average on 1,500 trip with roof box + winter wheels

[noshadow]

Here's a quick recap of my drive from Berkeley, CA to Bend, OR, and back.

Car: Model Y performance
Cargo: Tesla roof rack + Thule Motion XL
Wheels: TSportline 20" forged TY115 (25.6lbs) + Michelin X-Ice SNOW
Temp: Ranging from 60 degrees F to 20 degrees F
Extra weight: Two people (about 280lbs total), a dog (80 lbs), and a lot of packed stuff (about 200 more lbs)

I started from home with about 80% charge and stopped in Vacaville to top the car off to 100%. This was my first mistake, the charger was so slow and it took about 50 minutes to get about 50% charge to 100. Next time I'm going to do a scheduled departure at 100% at home and find a faster charger en route.

The first leg I was averaging 400 Wh/mile. The headwind was extremely strong. From Vacaville to Red Bluff, I was averaging 450 Wh/mile, with stretches at 500 Wh/mile. The headwind was insane. We were also gaining a slight amount of elevation the whole time. I greatly underestimated the wind factor pushing us. When we got to Red Bluff, we were down to 12% charge with the average of 450 Wh/mile. I charged to 100% because I was freaked out.

The next destination was Mt Shasta, I was worried the colder temps and elevation change would really eat into the charge, but the headwind was a bit less and we made it with 395 Wh/mile. I forget, but I definitely charged to 100 again just in case for the leg to Klamath Falls. This leg from Shasta to Klamath was actually quite calm. Despite the colder temps and elevation changes, we were seeing about 320 Wh/mile averages.

The last leg from Klamath Falls to Bend was scary. It was the longest leg (2 hours, 45 minutes) with cold temps and a lot of elevation. Putting 380 Wh/mile into ABRP told us to drive 50mph to make it with 5% left. There weren't too many options in between (no SC, a few wall plugs, but we went for it). We ended up getting 295 Wh/mile on this lag leg, and ended up in Bend with 40% charge left! What!?

On our way back, I was averaging 290 Wh/mile or less. We did go down in elevation quite a bit, and there was minimal headwind.

It seems like elevation and temperature was very minimal in terms of efficiency, and the headwind was the biggest factor.

Without headwind, we had great efficiency.

Anyway, hope this helps for anyone taking a similar trip or interested in how much a roof box messes with efficiency!

 

[mark95476]

Thanks for the report. This is great data and very applicable for me when I start taking road trips.

I carry bikes on a hitch mounted rack so I'm anticipating a big efficiency hit. I might transport them inside if I can fit them and only carry them around outside after arrival.

I've also found that elevation change doesn't seem to affect overall efficiency so long as you go back down. I guess ABRP or other nav systems that can factor in headwind will provide accurate estimate.

Here's a quick recap of my drive from Berkeley, CA to Bend, OR, and back.

Car: Model Y performance
Cargo: Tesla roof rack + Thule Motion XL
Wheels: TSportline 20" forged TY115 (25.6lbs) + Michelin X-Ice SNOW
Temp: Ranging from 60 degrees F to 20 degrees F
Extra weight: Two people (about 280lbs total), a dog (80 lbs), and a lot of packed stuff (about 200 more lbs)

I started from home with about 80% charge and stopped in Vacaville to top the car off to 100%. This was my first mistake, the charger was so slow and it took about 50 minutes to get about 50% charge to 100. Next time I'm going to do a scheduled departure at 100% at home and find a faster charger en route.

The first leg I was averaging 400 Wh/mile. The headwind was extremely strong. From Vacaville to Red Bluff, I was averaging 450 Wh/mile, with stretches at 500 Wh/mile. The headwind was insane. We were also gaining a slight amount of elevation the whole time. I greatly underestimated the wind factor pushing us. When we got to Red Bluff, we were down to 12% charge with the average of 450 Wh/mile. I charged to 100% because I was freaked out.

The next destination was Mt Shasta, I was worried the colder temps and elevation change would really eat into the charge, but the headwind was a bit less and we made it with 395 Wh/mile. I forget, but I definitely charged to 100 again just in case for the leg to Klamath Falls. This leg from Shasta to Klamath was actually quite calm. Despite the colder temps and elevation changes, we were seeing about 320 Wh/mile averages.

The last leg from Klamath Falls to Bend was scary. It was the longest leg (2 hours, 45 minutes) with cold temps and a lot of elevation. Putting 380 Wh/mile into ABRP told us to drive 50mph to make it with 5% left. There weren't too many options in between (no SC, a few wall plugs, but we went for it). We ended up getting 295 Wh/mile on this lag leg, and ended up in Bend with 40% charge left! What!?

On our way back, I was averaging 290 Wh/mile or less. We did go down in elevation quite a bit, and there was minimal headwind.

It seems like elevation and temperature was very minimal in terms of efficiency, and the headwind was the biggest factor.

Without headwind, we had great efficiency.

Anyway, hope this helps for anyone taking a similar trip or interested in how much a roof box messes with efficiency!

View attachment 635098

 

[noshadow]

Thanks for the report. This is great data and very applicable for me when I start taking road trips.

I carry bikes on a hitch mounted rack so I'm anticipating a big efficiency hit. I might transport them inside if I can fit them and only carry them around outside after arrival.

I've also found that elevation change doesn't seem to affect overall efficiency so long as you go back down. I guess ABRP or other nav systems that can factor in headwind will provide accurate estimate.

If you know how to calculate headwind, let me know. I know there's a way to input it into ABRP, but I have no idea how I would know what the headwind will be like or what it is while driving.

Now, I just update ABRP with the current consumption Wh/mile and let it calculate based on that. It's still not the best, but I'm not sure how else to factor this in with all the variables.

I'm guessing the hitch setup wouldn't be nearly as bad as the roof box. Unfortunately, I really don't like hitch box setups (mostly because my dog is in the cargo area and it might be inconvenient to have the hitch setup in the way).

 

[AquaY]

If you know how to calculate headwind, let me know. I know there's a way to input it into ABRP, but I have no idea how I would know what the headwind will be like or what it is while driving.

Now, I just update ABRP with the current consumption Wh/mile and let it calculate based on that. It's still not the best, but I'm not sure how else to factor this in with all the variables.

I'm guessing the hitch setup wouldn't be nearly as bad as the roof box. Unfortunately, I really don't like hitch box setups (mostly because my dog is in the cargo area and it might be inconvenient to have the hitch setup in the way).

NOAA tracks wind speed and direction and posts it as well as forcast it
Most weather apps use that data.
you can even ask Alexa , Siri or Google Asst .
I just asked google what the wind speed will be today in a town in another state and it said “ Today (insert town name) there will be 15 mph winds from the Southwest.”
So I guess you can check for wind speed and direction along a route for planning .

 

[wooi]

I've been looking for a post like this for quite some time.

I have a LRY on order and currently use the same cargo box on my Kia Telluride. Do you have any more data to provide from more trips with the cargo box since this post? Thank you so much for sharing!

 

[everydaychris]

Wow that's crazy.

WE just did the trip to portland, went to bend, dundee etc and didn't have any issues. Was considering the roof box but may need to reconsider

 

[Bbarton]

Here's a quick recap of my drive from Berkeley, CA to Bend, OR, and back.

Car: Model Y performance
Cargo: Tesla roof rack + Thule Motion XL
Wheels: TSportline 20" forged TY115 (25.6lbs) + Michelin X-Ice SNOW
Temp: Ranging from 60 degrees F to 20 degrees F
Extra weight: Two people (about 280lbs total), a dog (80 lbs), and a lot of packed stuff (about 200 more lbs)

I started from home with about 80% charge and stopped in Vacaville to top the car off to 100%. This was my first mistake, the charger was so slow and it took about 50 minutes to get about 50% charge to 100. Next time I'm going to do a scheduled departure at 100% at home and find a faster charger en route.

The first leg I was averaging 400 Wh/mile. The headwind was extremely strong. From Vacaville to Red Bluff, I was averaging 450 Wh/mile, with stretches at 500 Wh/mile. The headwind was insane. We were also gaining a slight amount of elevation the whole time. I greatly underestimated the wind factor pushing us. When we got to Red Bluff, we were down to 12% charge with the average of 450 Wh/mile. I charged to 100% because I was freaked out.

The next destination was Mt Shasta, I was worried the colder temps and elevation change would really eat into the charge, but the headwind was a bit less and we made it with 395 Wh/mile. I forget, but I definitely charged to 100 again just in case for the leg to Klamath Falls. This leg from Shasta to Klamath was actually quite calm. Despite the colder temps and elevation changes, we were seeing about 320 Wh/mile averages.

The last leg from Klamath Falls to Bend was scary. It was the longest leg (2 hours, 45 minutes) with cold temps and a lot of elevation. Putting 380 Wh/mile into ABRP told us to drive 50mph to make it with 5% left. There weren't too many options in between (no SC, a few wall plugs, but we went for it). We ended up getting 295 Wh/mile on this lag leg, and ended up in Bend with 40% charge left! What!?

On our way back, I was averaging 290 Wh/mile or less. We did go down in elevation quite a bit, and there was minimal headwind.

It seems like elevation and temperature was very minimal in terms of efficiency, and the headwind was the biggest factor.

Without headwind, we had great efficiency.

Anyway, hope this helps for anyone taking a similar trip or interested in how much a roof box messes with efficiency!

View attachment 635098

I have a mule w/19” coming mid sept. I also have the same thule top box we use on our Q5. I can’t wait to add bars and install top box to our new Y. Does the lift gate clear the back end of the thule or do you have to grab it each time so it doesn’t hit?
Thanks
“New member” Bruce

 

[TwelveVoltMan]

Does the lift gate clear the back end of the thule or do you have to grab it each time so it doesn’t hit?

You can set the height that the liftgate opens in the Y:

1. Open the trunk, then manually raise or lower the liftgate to the desired opening height.
2. Press and hold the button on the underside of the liftgate for three seconds until you hear a confirmation chime.

 

[Glass Dome]

Yikes - just found this and am doing a trip tomorrow. One leg is 183 miles which I thought would be easy. But now as we have a roof box and winter wheels I am nervous. It sounds like we can expect half the range in bad conditions is that right? Our Model 3 is a long range AWD and should do 320 miles on a 100% charge. We tend to get more like 280 miles if we drive carefully. Does that mean with a roof box and winter wheels we don't stand a chance for the 183 miles we need between superchargers?

 

[noshadow]

Yikes - just found this and am doing a trip tomorrow. One leg is 183 miles which I thought would be easy. But now as we have a roof box and winter wheels I am nervous. It sounds like we can expect half the range in bad conditions is that right? Our Model 3 is a long range AWD and should do 320 miles on a 100% charge. We tend to get more like 280 miles if we drive carefully. Does that mean with a roof box and winter wheels we don't stand a chance for the 183 miles we need between superchargers?

It'll really depend on the headwinds. I've done 140 miles in pretty bad conditions and still had 20% left. I think you should be alright. Find some kind of plug on the way (if no superchargers, look for other types of chargers).