Can i actually do regular 190 mile trips?

[Patfink]

Hi
I was (before reading everything on here) about to sign up for a lease on the longest range Tesla 3, assuming the 300+ miles advertised would more than cover my weekly 190 mile journey that i do (nearly all motorway), even if i drove like a lunatic, as surely you cant lose over 100 miles out of 300...

From reading forum it appears i may be misguided, and i may need to drive at exactly 50mph (or whatever the most efficient is) wearing my thickest coat and gloves to avoid heating and leaving my kids at home as they are too heavy! (i'm exaggerating, but you get the point), and even then i shouldn't do it, as i shouldn't be regularly charging to 100% and then using it all.

Can anyone allay these fears, or is there no electric car yet that will comfortably do that journey in all conditions without having to go through a long checklist of considerations.

My normal daily commutes are nothing (a few miles) but once a week i need to make this trip. Does anyone have experience with doing regular long trips, and is it worth the range anxiety that would no doubt set in? Thanks in advance...

 

[Wandering_Soul]

I have Long Range and I took recent trip with following analysis:

 

[Manitoba Keith]

Depends on the temperature, but you being in the UK it doesn't get THAT COLD!
So, take a look at the chart here and see what the range is vs your speed.
In summer, I can easily do 240 miles and probably more. In winter (-20C to -40C) I would not chance it so I would charge.
In our severe winters, I calculate a range of ~300Km or 200 miles VS ~500Km/300 miles, a loss of 33%.
If you can draft behind a Lorrie/Semi you can get even better range.
To me, the biggest range factors are Temperature and Speed.

 

[Wandering_Soul]

Depends on the temperature, but you being in the UK it doesn't get THAT COLD!
So, take a look at the chart here and see what the range is vs your speed.
In summer, I can easily do 240 miles and probably more. In winter (-20C to -40C) I would not chance it so I would charge.
In our severe winters, I calculate a range of ~300Km or 200 miles VS ~500Km/300 miles, a loss of 33%.
If you can draft behind a Lorrie/Semi you can get even better range.
To me, the biggest range factors are Temperature and Speed.

i agree

 

[DaveRZ]

Yes, you can definitely do a 190 mile trip in a LR

The biggest killers of range are (not necessarily in order):

- Sustained high speed driving
- Cold Weather (battery needs to be heated)
- Cold Weather + cabin heater usage
- Cold Weather + cabin heater usage + short trips (everything has to be re-heated each time you start)

And of course all of these things can occur at the same time making your range seem almost criminally overstated.

Yes, you may need to slow down a bit (not sure how fast you would typically go), and you may need to keep the heat set a bit lower than you normally would in a gas car. I think the overall benefits to having an EV easily outweigh the negatives, however.

I live in southern California so my data won't translate very well to your situation, but I drive 120 mile round trip to work. I drive 80MPH as much as possible, but due to traffic I average 40-45MPH for the day. My car is kept in my garage so it's not super-cold. It does get cold (for CA) where I live - low 30's in the early mornings when I leave. I use the pre-heat option so I'm not using much battery before leaving. Usually the pre-heating and then seat-heater usage is enough to get me all the way to work without needing to turn on the cabin heater (wearing a light jacket). If I do turn on the heater I set it to 68 degrees. I also have the 18" aero wheels with the covers on them. With all this, I tend to use 37-39% of the battery for my round-trip. I don't have any hard-data, but if I were able to do this drive at 80MPH the whole way, I would assume I would burn through 50% or more of the battery for the same drive.

Try using "A better route planner" online to plot your trip, speed, temperature, and car specifics and see what it comes up with. That site is known to be accurate.

I also assume Tesla has the "7 day return" policy in the UK? If so, worst case you can try the trip and return the car if it can't make it the way you want to drive it.

Also, are there no superchargers on your route? Having to stop for a 5-10 minute "boost" isn't that big a deal.

 

[jrweiss98020]

Is there a convenient Supercharger on/near your route? In the worst case scenario, you may only need to stop for 15 or 20 minutes for a quick charge.

 

[Artieg911]

Hi
I was (before reading everything on here) about to sign up for a lease on the longest range Tesla 3, assuming the 300+ miles advertised would more than cover my weekly 190 mile journey that i do (nearly all motorway), even if i drove like a lunatic, as surely you cant lose over 100 miles out of 300...

From reading forum it appears i may be misguided, and i may need to drive at exactly 50mph (or whatever the most efficient is) wearing my thickest coat and gloves to avoid heating and leaving my kids at home as they are too heavy! (i'm exaggerating, but you get the point), and even then i shouldn't do it, as i shouldn't be regularly charging to 100% and then using it all.

Can anyone allay these fears, or is there no electric car yet that will comfortably do that journey in all conditions without having to go through a long checklist of considerations.

My normal daily commutes are nothing (a few miles) but once a week i need to make this trip. Does anyone have experience with doing regular long trips, and is it worth the range anxiety that would no doubt set in? Thanks in advance...

yes you can. I have a P3+ and drive 190-200 miles each way each week for the past 1 1/2 years. I drive at 72-73mph. It only gets dicy if its very cold but I usually arrive showing 30-60 miles remaining. Keep in mind I have the20 inch wheel/ tires and have lower efficiency then you will with the LR model. Get the car and enjoy it as I do.
Art

 

[Uncle Paul]

As you travel to your set destination, your trip computer will constantly calculate your range Vs. your chosen destination. If you are in conditions where it will determine you might not make it, you will get a display message to slow down to a certain speed.

Owners set a % of buffer they feel comfortable with, and the computer will also take than into calculations.

So, if you want to drive 100 mph, keep the heater on full blast, drive in very cold temperatures without first warming up your battery on shore power, you can see your range drop. But once you get familiar with your car and your route, it will soon be apparent how much charge you will have remaining at your destination.

Good idea to check if there is a Supercharger or other charging source along your route, that you could use in extreme conditions, to make your trip less worrisome.

Point is that you need to become aware of conditions, and don't drive like a lunatic

For your condition, a long range Model 3 is perhaps your best choice among all the available EVs.

Offsetting new owner worries, you will also experience many joys of EV commuting. Don't need to buy expensive petrol, travel on autopilot can make your trip much more enjoyable, you will no longer be polluting as you go, the car handles great, the power is fantastic and chicks dig it .

 

[KenC]

Hi
I was (before reading everything on here) about to sign up for a lease on the longest range Tesla 3, assuming the 300+ miles advertised would more than cover my weekly 190 mile journey that i do (nearly all motorway), even if i drove like a lunatic, as surely you cant lose over 100 miles out of 300...

From reading forum it appears i may be misguided, and i may need to drive at exactly 50mph (or whatever the most efficient is) wearing my thickest coat and gloves to avoid heating and leaving my kids at home as they are too heavy! (i'm exaggerating, but you get the point), and even then i shouldn't do it, as i shouldn't be regularly charging to 100% and then using it all.

Can anyone allay these fears, or is there no electric car yet that will comfortably do that journey in all conditions without having to go through a long checklist of considerations.

My normal daily commutes are nothing (a few miles) but once a week i need to make this trip. Does anyone have experience with doing regular long trips, and is it worth the range anxiety that would no doubt set in? Thanks in advance...

Run some simulations in ABRP. If you have a supercharger on your route, it's no problem at all. At 50mph, you could go 300+ miles, I know I could. Here's my temperature vs efficiency graph. Anything about 100% is 300+ miles. I'm at 100% at 30 degrees F.

 

[jdcollins5]

Hi
I was (before reading everything on here) about to sign up for a lease on the longest range Tesla 3, assuming the 300+ miles advertised would more than cover my weekly 190 mile journey that i do (nearly all motorway), even if i drove like a lunatic, as surely you cant lose over 100 miles out of 300...

From reading forum it appears i may be misguided, and i may need to drive at exactly 50mph (or whatever the most efficient is) wearing my thickest coat and gloves to avoid heating and leaving my kids at home as they are too heavy! (i'm exaggerating, but you get the point), and even then i shouldn't do it, as i shouldn't be regularly charging to 100% and then using it all.

Can anyone allay these fears, or is there no electric car yet that will comfortably do that journey in all conditions without having to go through a long checklist of considerations.

My normal daily commutes are nothing (a few miles) but once a week i need to make this trip. Does anyone have experience with doing regular long trips, and is it worth the range anxiety that would no doubt set in? Thanks in advance...

I have a LR RWD and completed a 230 mile trip in 35F weather with rain/snow and an 800 foot elevation rise. I had 32 miles or 10% battery when I arrived at a SC. I averaged 65 mph with speed limits ranging from 55 to 70 mph.

 

[Wandering_Soul]

I have a LR RWD and completed a 230 mile trip in 35F weather with rain/snow and an 800 foot elevation rise. I had 32 miles or 10% battery when I arrived at a SC. I averaged 65 mph with speed limits ranging from 55 to 70 mph.

Did you charge 100% before start?

 

[jdcollins5]

Did you charge 100% before start?

Pretty close. It was about 306 rather than 310 when I stopped charging.

 

[Wandering_Soul]

Pretty close. It was about 306 rather than 310 when I stopped charging.

That's very good. You got almost 85% efficiency. I am assuming you did run heater for some time.

 

[jjrandorin]

Can anyone allay these fears, or is there no electric car yet that will comfortably do that journey in all conditions without having to go through a long checklist of considerations.

My normal daily commutes are nothing (a few miles) but once a week i need to make this trip. Does anyone have experience with doing regular long trips, and is it worth the range anxiety that would no doubt set in? Thanks in advance...

No, there is currently no Electric car that can make that 190-200 mile Journey, IN ALL CONDITIONS, with No concern for how fast you are driving.

You dont have to go through a "long checklist of considerations", but no you are NOT going to be able to drive 80-90 MPH, with 4 adults in the car, when its 40 degrees out and you have the heat on, without stopping, in any current electric car. If being able to drive 200 miles, without stopping, at any speed,. with the heat on, and 4 adults in the car is your baseline for buying an EV, you will need to wait.

 

[jdcollins5]

That's very good. You got almost 85% efficiency. I am assuming you did run heater for some time.

Heat set to 66F Auto which included AC on/off to keep windows from fogging. I was lucky to get behind a few 18 wheelers to help break the wind and rain.

 

[JBT66]

What speed do you expect to travel at? Anywhere close to 80mph is a big hit to efficiency.

 

[jerry33]

FWIW, we've been driving on trips with some 200 mile charging intervals for seven years now. Unless there is snow or rain (both add a lot to the energy required) on the road it's not a big deal with our early 2013 S loaded with luggage (now with 130K miles). The current production shouldn't have any trouble at all.

 

[user212_nr]

Hi
I was (before reading everything on here) about to sign up for a lease on the longest range Tesla 3, assuming the 300+ miles advertised would more than cover my weekly 190 mile journey that i do (nearly all motorway), even if i drove like a lunatic, as surely you cant lose over 100 miles out of 300...

It is not clear if your 190 mile trip is "round trip" or one way. If it is a 95-mile trip, then you can handle this easily by charging at your destination.

I have the SR+ which was rated at 210 miles, and I can go 94 miles in 75% battery in the worst weather w/ generous heat settings and driving. That makes ~125 mile range in the cold, 60% of advertised range.

For you, that would equal 180 miles range. So maybe you are almost there, just one supercharger stop maybe needed. Plugging in to a UK "domestic socket" at your destination for a few hours will certainly get you what you need, if it was round trip miles.

 

[Saghost]

No, there is currently no Electric car that can make that 190-200 mile Journey, IN ALL CONDITIONS, with No concern for how fast you are driving.

You dont have to go through a "long checklist of considerations", but no you are NOT going to be able to drive 80-90 MPH, with 4 adults in the car, when its 40 degrees out and you have the heat on, without stopping, in any current electric car. If being able to drive 200 miles, without stopping, at any speed,. with the heat on, and 4 adults in the car is your baseline for buying an EV, you will need to wait.

Or he could just not drive at 90 mph. Even in the cold weather, it should be easily achievable at 65, and likely achievable at 75. Just how high are the speed limits in the UK, anyway?

 

[user212_nr]

Or he could just not drive at 90 mph. Even in the cold weather, it should be easily achievable at 65, and likely achievable at 75. Just how high are the speed limits in the UK, anyway?

He was using that as an example. "even if i drove like a lunatic, as surely you cant lose over 100 miles out of 300..." - yes, driving at 90mph would loose more than that. The graph is exponential from what I hear, 90 mph being double or more the wind resistance of 80 mph.

Whats the point of getting nice car, if not to drive it. I agree, but he just needs to prepare some charging outlet or visit a supercharger sometimes.