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Estimate range on full charge dropped to 300 miles
- Thread starter Pebbles
- Start date
TomServo
Active Member
I’m down to 294. I tried the so called battery recalibration procedures but to no avail. I’m not worried or care because I just completed a 1800+ mile road trip and I can easily see getting 250 to 260 miles from a fully charged battery at freeway speeds in the July heat and humidity. My wh/mi was 270 during that trip. I had one segment (Mt Vernon to Louisville) that was 199.3 miles plug to plug, drove it in exactly 3 hours and consumed 55 kWh. When I arrived I had 22% still showing.
sleepydoc
Well-Known Member
The problem is that they give an estimated range at all. Most ICE cars give you a window sticker that says xx MPG and a yy gallon gas tank. If they give you a range you take it with a grain of salt. Most people don’t look at their real-world economy and don’t actually expect to achieve the numbers on the sticker.
In an EV, people focus on the range. If it drops by 5% (2% in this case) we freak out and ask ‘what’s going on?’
The reality is the range is an estimate and driving conditions and driving style will play a large role on what you actually achieve, exactly like an ICE vehicle.
edit: the other factor is battery age. From what I’ve read, it’s typical for a Tesla battery to lose a bit of range over the first year then plateau for several years. Of course ICE engines can lose efficiency as they age, too.
In an EV, people focus on the range. If it drops by 5% (2% in this case) we freak out and ask ‘what’s going on?’
The reality is the range is an estimate and driving conditions and driving style will play a large role on what you actually achieve, exactly like an ICE vehicle.
edit: the other factor is battery age. From what I’ve read, it’s typical for a Tesla battery to lose a bit of range over the first year then plateau for several years. Of course ICE engines can lose efficiency as they age, too.
This has ALWAYS been the case with ALL of Tesla's vehicles, going back a decade. Within about the first 6 months, everyone WILL see about 5-10 go off of that number. This is two factors: Yes, a lithium ion battery will lose a tiny bit of capacity fairly soon, but mainly, the calculation algorithms lose a little bit of visibility to how much energy is in it. This is just how things are, and there is nothing wrong.
TomServo
Active Member
After 24.4 I dropped to 297 at 100% indicated. My max indicated range was 311 miles at 2 weeks of ownership. And yes I know that number is BOGUS and just the result of some formula, but it does bug the crap out of folks. To get that range you’d need to drive at about 50 mph on a nice day.
sleepydoc
Well-Known Member
Does anyone know exactly how the range is calculated? Does the car take driving history into account or does it just assume xx watt-hours per mile?
whether it’s an EV or an ICE car, estimated range is always a estimate that makes assumptions on efficiency. As I said above, people never really pay attention to the range in ICE cars they way EV drivers do.
Edit:
related to range and estimates, I just finished a 150 mile trip. The first half I drove on state roads at 59 MPH and got 225 Wh/mi. The second half was on an interstate going 74 MPH and I got 282 Wh/mi. Same weather, wind, load, etc. Autopilot used on both legs as well. Increasing my speed from 60 to 75 MPH caused a 25% drop in efficiency.
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Well, some general ideas, but no, not "exactly". And besides, over the years, Tesla has tweaked that some, with exactly what they are measuring and how and when. It changes somewhat.
No, it DEFINITELY does not take your driving efficiency into account and never has. This is a really noticeable difference from how Tesla does things, versus how most other car makers have done their electric cars. The other ones, which move all over the place, depending on who has been driving and how are known as a Guess-O-Meter. Teslas always are based on some fixed efficiency constant, so it is much more like a fuel gauge, where it is really showing the amount of energy, but scaled by a number to a unit that is a little bit more understandable than kWh. But because one of these "rated miles" almost never equals exactly someone's real miles, some people get very upset and angry about that. I don't really mind it, because I just know they are a bit optimistic and ballpark high, because it's based on the EPA testing, which is not how most people drive.
That main number on the front display in a Tesla is NEVER referred to as an estimate, because that's not what it is. It is not doing any projections of your route or how you are driving. It's strictly a fuel gauge.
There is an estimate, but that is somewhere else. If you open up the "Energy" app on the screen, it will have a line graph, and a number on the right that says something like estimated range remaining. That is constantly doing that projection thing, based on your own efficiency over the last 5, 15, or 30 miles (whichever you have selected).
Just do the math. The battery is 75kWh at 100% at ideal conditions (eg slow and flat with warm temp) you could get 230Wh/mile. 75000/230 = 326 miles.
So if you are using more than 230 you will get less. The displayed range is an estimate (just like an ice) based on previous usage
So if you are using more than 230 you will get less. The displayed range is an estimate (just like an ice) based on previous usage
sleepydoc
Well-Known Member
You can call it whatever you want, but if it gives miles it’s an estimate. A ‘fuel gauge’ is percentage of battery remaining. As soon as it calculates miles it’s using some sort of approximation of Wh/mi and it becomes an estimate.
No it's not.
No it's not.
And this is a measurement of the amount of energy remaining.
No it isn't. It's not an "approximation" of Wh/mi; it is the amount of energy, converted by the fixed number of Wh/mi from the EPA testing procedure, to express it in a different unit than kWh.
TomServo
Active Member
Nope, I departed Louisville for Mt Vernon at 97% (I misspoke when I said I departed Mt Vernon) it was the other way around. I drafted a big truck for the first 25 or 30 minutes to get my wh/mi down with TACC set to 72 mph (posted is 70) and ducked in/out of the left lane to pass slower cars as necessary. My arrival SoC started off at 11% but kept climbing due to judicious drafting and construction along that portion of I-64. But in the end, my average speed was just at 63 mph with the results as posted. My screen shows temp as well. And I wasn't running my Aero Caps but tire PSI was at 43 psi sometimes 44 psi.
I use TeslaFi which will not only give your estimated range, but that of other MY's with a similar number of miles.
BTW - I am at 294 after 12,000 miles.
sleepydoc
Well-Known Member
Estimate: noun
an approximate judgment or calculation, as of the value, amount, time, size, or weight of something.
Energy is measured in joules, watt-hours, etc. Miles/kilometers is a measure of distance. Any measurement of energy remaining should be in joules (and given as a percentage)
Even if it is a 'conversion from the EPA testing procedure' as you allege, it is still an estimate. Tesla even states this on their web site: (hint - 'est' is an abbreviation for 'estimate') Sorry, but stamping your feet and shouting 'No it's not' doesn't change what it is.
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