EPA rated range on new 2023 LR?

[dramsey]

Seduced by the price drop and massive interior upgrade over my existing car, I traded in my 55,000-mile 2016 Model S 90D on a new 2023 Model S LR. For some reason my local showroom had three identical cars, all Multi Coat red with black interiors and 21" Arachnids, available for immediate sale, and after a quick test drive I was hooked.

ANYWAY! My 2016 car had an EPA rated range of 294 miles, which it reached multiple times over the first year of ownership (I like road trips). By the time I traded it in, the displayed range on a full charge had dropped to 269 miles, a 25-mile decrease. Not bad!

I took a short road trip yesterday in my new car (<200 miles on the odometer), scheduling the battery charge so that it would reach 100% right before I left. To my surprise, the car only indicated 355 miles of range rather than the EPA rating of 375. Admittedly it's very cold here in Reno now, and temps were about 20 degrees when I left. But my previous car never seemed to adjust the maximum range with the temperature. So: is what I'm seeing normal?

 

[glide]

Seduced by the price drop and massive interior upgrade over my existing car, I traded in my 55,000-mile 2016 Model S 90D on a new 2023 Model S LR. For some reason my local showroom had three identical cars, all Multi Coat red with black interiors and 21" Arachnids, available for immediate sale, and after a quick test drive I was hooked.

ANYWAY! My 2016 car had an EPA rated range of 294 miles, which it reached multiple times over the first year of ownership (I like road trips). By the time I traded it in, the displayed range on a full charge had dropped to 269 miles, a 25-mile decrease. Not bad!

I took a short road trip yesterday in my new car (<200 miles on the odometer), scheduling the battery charge so that it would reach 100% right before I left. To my surprise, the car only indicated 355 miles of range rather than the EPA rating of 375. Admittedly it's very cold here in Reno now, and temps were about 20 degrees when I left. But my previous car never seemed to adjust the maximum range with the temperature. So: is what I'm seeing normal?

Yes. Weather, elevation, and 21” wheels can severely impact range.

 

[dramsey]

Yes. Weather, elevation, and 21” wheels can severely impact range.

I know the wheels affect the range, but the rated range WITH the 21” wheels is 375 miles, 20 more than my car shows. And there’s no elevation change when the car is sitting in the garage.

My previous car didn’t do temperature-adjusted full charge range (until I started driving anyway). You think the new cars do?

 

[glide]

I know the wheels affect the range, but the rated range WITH the 21” wheels is 375 miles, 20 more than my car shows. And there’s no elevation change when the car is sitting in the garage.

My previous car didn’t do temperature-adjusted full charge range (until I started driving anyway). You think the new cars do?

It’s not the new cars but rather the new software that takes weather conditions into account when calculating range.

Battery temp is factored into the calculation. It has been like this since at least 2021

 

[dramsey]

It’s not the new cars but rather the new software that takes weather conditions into account when calculating range.

Battery temp is factored into the calculation. It has been like this since at least 2021

Huh. Wonder why I never noticed this in my 2016? So I should expect better full-charge indicated range when things warm up? Good to know.

 

[glide]

Huh. Wonder why I never noticed this in my 2016? So I should expect better full-charge indicated range when things warm up? Good to know.

Bottom line is; don’t worry about it. The displayed range doesn’t really mean anything wrt your battery. Too many variables go into the calculation.

 

[Rocky_H]

Huh. Wonder why I never noticed this in my 2016? So I should expect better full-charge indicated range when things warm up? Good to know.

Yeah, that's been a very long time thing. I have a 2014, and it's always been that way. Cold temperature of the battery will generally show lower rated miles on the display.

 

[GSP]

@dramsey - Tesla’s “Rated miles” are an estimate of the energy available in the battery. Less energy is available when the battery is cold, but I your rated miles should increase when the battery warms up.

For a prediction of how far you can drive under current conditions and driving habits, like other EVs have for their milage displays, look at Tesla’s “Energy” app for ”predicted miles.” Tesla recently added weather forecasts including wind speed to this prediction.

GSP