Dramatic Loss of Range - Not a Problem says Tesla

[RossBrindleyAU]

Over the last month or two I have noticed my range reducing and lately dramatically reduced.

My car is a 2015 P85D with a little under 60,000 kms traveled and had a genuine range of around 340km (tested) when i purchased it.

After charging my car to 90% (as usual) and driving locally for 2 days my trip display shows:

73.1km travelled, 19.4Kwh used and 265Wh/Km (I am a little heavy footed so the high power usage is not too much of a shock, although a little higher than I would have expected) and my current state of charge is 52%.

I am no expert but here is my simple math: (feel free to tear it apart - all responses appreciated)

90% battery is 76.5Kwh
76.5Kwh (90%) / 19.4Kwh (used) = 3.94
73.1km * 3.94 = 288km range on a 90% charge (assuming zero phantom drain)

But I have used 38% of the available charge, so estimated range is actually:

90% (available) / 38% (used) = 2.37
73.1km * 2.37 = 173km range

Tesla says this is because it is cold and more power is required to heat the battery and to heat the car when in use. They also say the battery is only down by 4% from new. I have been advised to charge to 100% and do a long trip to a low % (not specified but I assume around 10%) and then do a full charge to reset the battery.

I have had the car for 3 years. When I first purchased it I had to park outside as the garage was full of junk. During winter of the first year I traveled from home to Wodonga (328km) leaving at 5am with temperature below 10c with a 100% charge and had 5% left on arrival.

For the last 2 years the car lives in the garage and I would not even attempt that trip now.

Am I missing something basic or does this battery have an issue?

 

[beatle]

No Tesla battery has ever had its full rated capacity available to the car. For an 85, there is a buffer that reduces it well into the 70s.

Cold affects the car in a few ways:

1. The pack has higher resistance, so more of its energy is wasted in going to heat.
2. If it is particularly cold, the battery heater will run and use energy.
3. The cabin heater runs and uses 6kw. This is less efficient than using the AC.

I've found my average range is only about 80-85% of rated range when it's cold, depending on driving conditions (short trips are worse, super cold is worse, wind is worse, etc.)

Get an OBD2 adapter cable, a bluetooth OBD2 module, and the ScanMyTesla app. It will tell you a lot of metrics on the car and how much actual capacity your battery has. TeslaFi is another service that will track your car's stats when charging and driving.

 

[RossBrindleyAU]

No Tesla battery has ever had its full rated capacity available to the car. For an 85, there is a buffer that reduces it well into the 70s.

Cold affects the car in a few ways:

1. The pack has higher resistance, so more of its energy is wasted in going to heat.
2. If it is particularly cold, the battery heater will run and use energy.
3. The cabin heater runs and uses 6kw. This is less efficient than using the AC.

I've found my average range is only about 80-85% of rated range when it's cold, depending on driving conditions (short trips are worse, super cold is worse, wind is worse, etc.)

Get an OBD2 adapter cable, a bluetooth OBD2 module, and the ScanMyTesla app. It will tell you a lot of metrics on the car and how much actual capacity your battery has. TeslaFi is another service that will track your car's stats when charging and driving.

I have an ODBLink MX+ and the app but still waiting for the adapter cable I ordered about 3 weeks ago. I am hanging out for it as I really want to look at this myself.

All of what you say I agree with but it does not explain why my range is less than half of what it was 3 years ago under the same weather conditions.

 

[RossBrindleyAU]

Beatle,

What sort of range and power usage are you getting in general?

 

[Chaserr]

Tesla might have downgraded you. Head over to the batterygate thread and measure your volts.

 

[brkaus]

Any other changes? Different tires?

 

[beatle]

Beatle,

What sort of range and power usage are you getting in general?

I have only had my car since October so I don't have the biggest sample size, and I have not been driving the car very much since the weather started warming up back in May. That all said, my lifetime average is 337wh/mi. That's pretty crummy from what I gather, but my back-of-the-napkin calculations for the warmer months drops my consumption about 15% or so. That would put me a little higher than the car's required average consumption to make its rated range (292wh/mi).

TeslaFi is also a good resource for tracking consumption, though I have found it is also a little fiddly and not always accurate.

 

[RossBrindleyAU]

Any other changes? Different tires?

No other relevant changes.

I did replace the tyres about a year ago, but the new tyres are Tesla recommended Michelin, and I have only noticed the change in the last few months.

 

[aerodyne]

Tires will only be a factor for increasing consumption for the first 1500 Km.

Listen to Beatle. Get the cable and hook up SMT.

Best full pack number I have seen is 76.9 KwH, nominal full pack.

 

[beatle]

I just checked and SMT shows my nominal full pack is 76.7kwh. From what I've read this is pretty good for my car's vintage.

Using a similar nominal full pack for your car (let's say 76.5 since you pegged that as 90%) would mean your car actually gets 192km on a full charge. That is still pretty low, but there are several variables, and your sample of 73km is still not very long to "amortize" the initial cold. Efficiency will improve as you continue to drive, though only to a point. My record worst for a long trip was 150.17 miles driven, and
204.35 rated miles used. That's an efficiency of 73.5% and an average consumption of 394wh/mi. It was 40F outside, but my car was in my garage and fully charged when I left. It was windy as hell and my average speed for the whole trip was 70mph. That consumption is still not quite as high as your 442wh/mi, but I could see my own consumption creeping up that high if the car's battery and cabin were stone cold, the mercury was well below freezing, and the elevation was increasing.

I want to do more research on consumption myself. I am planning a 200 mile trip next weekend which should be no problem during the summer if I charge to 100%. It was I am wondering if Tesla artificially shows higher consumption to mask battery degradation. This would give people the sense that their battery is healthy by seeing a high range number, but then give them an out for efficiency based on someone's driving, HVAC preferences, temperature, tires, etc.

 

[RossBrindleyAU]

Listen to Beatle. Get the cable and hook up SMT.

From an earlier reply:

I have an ODBLink MX+ and the app but still waiting for the adapter cable I ordered about 3 weeks ago. I am hanging out for it as I really want to look at this myself.

Well the cable finally arrived - after waiting a month - and... it is the wrong one.

My car's build date is July 2015 and according to Tesla the ODB II connector changed in September - but mine has the later connector.

The guys at Maxwell Auto Tech have been great and I am currently organising the later adapter cable to be express shipped.

On a separate note: Are any Australian contributors interested in the early adapter cable?

 

[DrHoon]

From an earlier reply:



Well the cable finally arrived - after waiting a month - and... it is the wrong one.

My car's build date is July 2015 and according to Tesla the ODB II connector changed in September - but mine has the later connector.

The guys at Maxwell Auto Tech have been great and I am currently organising the later adapter cable to be express shipped.

On a separate note: Are any Australian contributors interested in the early adapter cable?

Hey mate I am waiting on a cable to arrive. I’ve ordered one. Maybe DM me a price.

 

[Battpower]

The cabin heater runs and uses 6kw. This is less efficient than using the AC.

So the MS has a heat pump?

 

[RossBrindleyAU]

Sorry to all for not getting back earlier.

After experiencing the genuinely dramatic loss of range it mysteriously returned after about 2 weeks. I have since received the correct cable and the battery condition appears to be fine.

I cannot think of any reason for the huge - like 50% - drop in range for those 1.5-2 weeks but I am back to normal range now.

AND - nothing has changed in either the way I am driving OR the weather, which is still damn cold.

DrHoon - sorry, already sold it.

 

[Jcave]

I have only had my car since October so I don't have the biggest sample size, and I have not been driving the car very much since the weather started warming up back in May. That all said, my lifetime average is 337wh/mi. That's pretty crummy from what I gather, but my back-of-the-napkin calculations for the warmer months drops my consumption about 15% or so. That would put me a little higher than the car's required average consumption to make its rated range (292wh/mi).

TeslaFi is also a good resource for tracking consumption, though I have found it is also a little fiddly and not always accurate.

ive had my 2019 model S since September. I’ve only charged it to the max 3 or 4 times and have driven it 18,000 miles; none at extreme temperatures and almost always slightly below posted speed limits. The highest mileage possible is now 352, compared to 371 when new. That’s a 5% degradation. Is that low, high or normal for a 10 month old car?

 

[Battpower]

ive had my 2019 model S since September. I’ve only charged it to the max 3 or 4 times and have driven it 18,000 miles; none at extreme temperatures and almost always slightly below posted speed limits. The highest mileage possible is now 352, compared to 371 when new. That’s a 5% degradation. Is that low, high or normal for a 10 month old car?

Is that Raven LR?

Mine was showing 350 roughly, and with 2020.28.1 / 2 it went up to 371.

11000 ish on clock. Not much Supercharging.