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Does hard driving put a strain on the electric motors?
- Thread starter Zorak03
- Start date
In theory, yes, you're pushing the motors harder, leading to more heating in the windings and wires. In practice, I doubt there'll be any measurable difference in wear or failure rates for anything you can do on the streets. Electric motors tend to be a lot more reliable and less subject to wear.
seattlite2004
Active Member
Yes, of course driving with energy puts more heat load and rotational torque into the motor wearing it out faster.
It's one reason the P3D is more expensive. Supposedly better testing + increased warranty costs.
That said, it won't be anything like the wear on a gas engine. far more moving parts in that type of engine that wear when you push it hard, compared to an electric motor.
It's one reason the P3D is more expensive. Supposedly better testing + increased warranty costs.
That said, it won't be anything like the wear on a gas engine. far more moving parts in that type of engine that wear when you push it hard, compared to an electric motor.
Grossly oversimplifying it, but ICE's are 25-40% efficient (poor gasoline - great diesels). Electric motors are 90-95% efficient. That which isn't converted to power is converted to heat. So......the electric motor, due to its much greater efficiency, will not produce nearly as much excess heat as an ICE (which is why ICE's have multiple cooling fluids, typically water and oil). So while you will increase the heat, which is the enemy of both, you won't increase nearly as much as with an ICE, so it won't be as negatively affected.
SammichLover
Banned
Swampgator
Active Member
I think the motors will respond just fine as will the battery. Your tires will protest though. 
Leafdriver333
Somewhat Active Member
I accelerate As Fast As I Can every chance I get.
I love my Model 3.
The gears in the drive train must be force-rated. I remember Force = Mass x Acceleration.
If the gear teeth are rated to withstand the Force the motor puts on them at max acceleration, they should be OK for the life of the car unless they are defective.
I cannot get enough of my car. I wish my commute was longer.
I love my Model 3.
The gears in the drive train must be force-rated. I remember Force = Mass x Acceleration.
If the gear teeth are rated to withstand the Force the motor puts on them at max acceleration, they should be OK for the life of the car unless they are defective.
I cannot get enough of my car. I wish my commute was longer.
It's not that simple. You're describing an overload failure mode, which is just one of the ways parts can fail. Much more common is a fatigue failure, where a part can take the load, but fails after the load is put on and taken off a bunch of times - each time it takes the load, it does a tiny bit of damage that adds up over time.
With gears, that'd typically be a crack starting at the base of a tooth and gradually growing until the tooth snaps off.
I do think Tesla designed the system to handle a fair amount of abuse for an extended period, but all mechanical systems wear with use over time.
I would be more worried about wearing out your tires faster. Lots of P owners complain how fast their 22" tires wear out. Once you start asking how often they launch their cars at stop lights to show off how fast the acceleration is, they get quiet as they start reflecting on their driving style ....
Leafdriver333
Somewhat Active Member
Yep. I agree.
The chances are very slim to none.
I love EV. Simple tranny = fewer parts.
I've worked on massive electric motors in the local steel mill.
The motors that are pushed closer to their duty cycle need more service and repair.
Hard driving in any vehicle stresses everything from the wheels in.
The motors that are pushed closer to their duty cycle need more service and repair.
Hard driving in any vehicle stresses everything from the wheels in.
Wear on the battery will be in the form of high discharge rates. And for that, you'd be most harsh with a performance or AWD since they power two motors instead of one. Given how many cells there are, I doubt this will really do much to the batteries in the Model 3 since the draw is shared across so many cells and the overall draw is not significant individually.
Leafdriver333
Somewhat Active Member
I would drive gently if the plan is to keep the car for 30 years and replace the battery half way.
SammichLover
Banned
The RWD probably not, yeah, but the P is inherently at the border of cooking the battery (and maybe the power inverter). The degradation per kW is non-linear, the only question is how much Tesla decided to tolerate.
I guarantee part of the cost of the P3D is Tesla planning on additional warranty repairs of the motors in that version of the car.
Leafdriver333
Somewhat Active Member
And the price is in the ball park of M3. I would bet Tesla makes more money on m3p than BMW makes on M3
On the motors themselves? Not especially
Certainly on the transmission.
So much so that Tesla even tried to limit the Ludicrous runs with one of the P versions of the Model S, but I think they caved into pressure to remove the limitation. I typically take off fast, but rarely to the extreme levels the P3D is capable of.
I make up for it by slowing down more than average for road issues (construction, pot holes, etc). I guess I care more about my suspension than my transmission.
I doubt I'll keep it for more than 3-5 years.
My next car will be FSD capable. Err, I mean for real this time.
Certainly on the transmission.
So much so that Tesla even tried to limit the Ludicrous runs with one of the P versions of the Model S, but I think they caved into pressure to remove the limitation. I typically take off fast, but rarely to the extreme levels the P3D is capable of.
I make up for it by slowing down more than average for road issues (construction, pot holes, etc). I guess I care more about my suspension than my transmission.
I doubt I'll keep it for more than 3-5 years.
My next car will be FSD capable. Err, I mean for real this time.
I completely agree that increased warranty costs are priced in. But, the warranty cost are going to assume every part of the transmission.
I am curious about how reliable it will be over 1000's of P3D's.
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