Highway range @ 80 mph?

[Zcd1]

I'm just about to pull the trigger on an M3P, and am trying to understand as much about it as I can before placing the order...

I do a 400-mile each way road trip several times a year. There are superchargers along the way, and the trip planner suggests that I stop at one that's about 125 miles into the trip, then another that's about 150 miles further. Given the car's rated 310-mile range, this makes me think that 275 miles of highway driving isn't feasible.

Can anyone tell me the car's realistic range at 80 mph with the AC running? Sales dude ("Owner Advisor") suggested 260 miles, but I'm not sure that I believe that...

TIA for the input!

 

[ewoodrick]

I'm just about to pull the trigger on an M3P, and am trying to understand as much about it as I can before placing the order...

I do a 400-mile each way road trip several times a year. There are superchargers along the way, and the trip planner suggests that I stop at one that's about 125 miles into the trip, then another that's about 150 miles further. Given the car's rated 310-mile range, this makes me think that 275 miles of highway driving isn't feasible.

Can anyone tell me the car's realistic range at 80 mph with the AC running? Sales dude ("Owner Advisor") suggested 260 miles, but I'm not sure that I believe that...

TIA for the input!

If you are going 80, then it probably isn't. Drop 10mph and it should be, but do you want to arrive near empty?
The Supercharger map algorithm isn't really that obvious either. It tries to minimize time, which means it tends to charge only when battery is on lower side

 

[Zcd1]

If you are going 80, then it probably isn't. Drop 10mph and it should be, but do you want to arrive near empty?
The Supercharger map algorithm isn't really that obvious either. It tries to minimize time, which means it tends to charge only when battery is on lower side

Thanks for the input. There are also Superchargers about 230 miles from home, but the app didn't suggest those, which again makes me think that they're too far away to safely count on reaching them...

By contrast we also own a diesel SUV, which can make it the entire 400-mile trip and halfway back on a single tank, even running 80mph. 80 mph is the average speed of traffic on this route, believe it or not...

I've done the trip in my current DD a couple of times non-stop, but generally have to stop once regardless of vehicle range, because MY tank can't make it! ;-)

It's really the highway range issue more than anything else that has given me pause. I understand that these trips will require more time (about an hour extra), and that the rest of the time the range won't be an issue. Just trying to convince myself that I can live with that...

 

[MikeATL]

I understand that these trips will require more time, and that the rest of the time the range won't be an issue. Just trying to convince myself that I can live with that...

I drive 600 miles one way to family multiple times a year, so I went though the same analysis. A few years ago, a Tesla wasn’t an option as the SuperChargers were not even on that route. Now, there are more than enough that I probably will only have to stop at every other one (I don’t have my M3P so I haven’t done it yet.) I realize it may add some time to my trips, but if I work my breaks around the Supercharger locations (even ones I didn’t necessarily have to stop at) then I don’t think it will add that much.

Keep in mind that the charging rate of the batteries slows down as you approach 100%, therefore the SuperCharger stops are designed not only to make sure you have enough range but also to minimize your cumulative charging time. While the night before you leave on your trip you’ll make sure the Tesla is charged to 100%, as you depart each SuperCharger stop on your route, you might only be at 90% or 80% or less. You might think if your range is 310, then your SuperCharger stops could be ~275-300 miles between each, however its more likely they are 150-200 miles apart. You’ll stop twice as often, but you’ll spend less time actually charging. You also never want to even get close to running out of charge.

The other thing that a long time Tesla owner would probably tell us is that driving long distance in a Tesla is so much less mental tiring that you’ll be less concerned about how long it takes.

Buy it!

 

[DanCar]

One thing that is interesting about EVs is that sometimes if you drive slower you get to your destination faster, if it reduces the number of super charging stops required. You might be surprised how much driving fast costs in terms of battery usage compared to driving 10 or 20 mph slower. Wind resistance rises at a squared value rather than linear.
Drag (physics) - Wikipedia

 

[MikeATL]

Can anyone tell me the car's realistic range at 80 mph with the AC running? Sales dude ("Owner Advisor") suggested 260 miles, but I'm not sure that I believe that...

BTW, If you haven't already, check out A Better Routeplanner

 

[Zcd1]

One thing that is interesting about EVs is that sometimes if you drive slower you get to your destination faster, if it reduces the number of super charging stops required. You might be surprised how much driving fast costs in terms of battery usage compared to driving 10 or 20 mph slower.../QUOTE]

An interesting point that I hadn't really thought of. How would one calculate the optimum speeds for a given route?

Speed limits on this route range from 55-75 mph, but actual traffic speeds hover between 70-85 mph except for the last 70 miles, where it's more like 63 mph...

 

[Zcd1]

Whoops - accidentally deleted the first bracket, placing my entire response within the quote... and I'm too new to have edit privileges...Boo!

 

[fparent]

BTW, If you haven't already, check out A Better Routeplanner

Nice planner.

 

[Birdman325]

Would make a great license plate, or sticker!

 

[COrocket]

A/C on and 80 MPH I get 300 Wh/mi car consumption, so on a 75 kWh battery that’s a range of 250 miles. That’s with 19” wheels, so I’d strongly recommend getting Aero wheels if high speed efficiency is a top priority. 10% improvement is realistic with them.

 

[brkaus]

Prior to my S purchase, I did a lot of "what if" with "abetterrouteplanner.com" that @MikeATL mentioned. Helped me know what to expect and pick the best model for my needs.

 

[Zcd1]

I had played around a bit with that alternative planner - agreed, it's useful.

Can anyone answer the question about the optimum speed for a given route? The "ABRP" suggests that I'd be doing 47 mph for a portion of the trip I'm referencing (speed limit is 55 mph) - I can't imagine that I'd be willing to live through that!

 

[ratsbew]

Model 3 is AMAZINGLY efficient. You'll probably get about 250 miles at 80mph with the AC during the summer. Given the spacing of the chargers along your route it sounds like you'd need to stop at both to comfortably make it even at 65mph. With that being said, if you're going to stop at both anyway you might as well do 80mph because you can charge at nearly 500mph. The charging difference between 65 and 80mph will be less than 5 minutes per stop and you'd arrive about 30 minutes earlier by doing 80 so there is a reduction in overall trip time.

One thing that is interesting about EVs is that sometimes if you drive slower you get to your destination faster, if it reduces the number of super charging stops required.

I'm not sure the data supports this unless the charger is a big detour from your route. The general thought is that it's best to drive 140mph (top speed) and stop at every charger. Obviously that isn't practical, but supercharging is so fast that you can recoup much faster than you can burn it off.

The only time to drive slowly is if there is a BIG gap in superchargers as I had in the story below.

I personally did a 275 mile leg in my Model 3 and arrived with 12%. This included about 200 miles at 65mph and then bumping it to 75mph once it was obvious I'd make it with range to spare.

 

[brkaus]

I had played around a bit with that alternative planner - agreed, it's useful.

Can anyone answer the question about the optimum speed for a given route? The "ABRP" suggests that I'd be doing 47 mph for a portion of the trip I'm referencing (speed limit is 55 mph) - I can't imagine that I'd be willing to live through that!

It’s using what google returns as the average speed for a segment. Google gets it by tracking phones.

You can apply a speed multiplier to the entire trip to see various results based on different speeds.

 

[golfpilot]

Go 80 and slow as the car suggests to you. Or start slower and deal with people flipping you off.
If it’s really a big deal making a stop halfway, take the gas guzzler.
That trip will cost you less than $15 of electricity in a Tesla
It’s like $120 in gas in a truck getting 20. Plus you get to stop and stretch you legs.

 

[animorph]

We drive a Model X on road trips. Most of the time we'll charge just enough to reach the next Supercharger with 20% charge remaining. Usually that's a little over 50% charge. That minimizes you total charging time, since after 50% charging slows down quite a bit. You definitely don't want to charge to 100% while you're waiting. The route planners will optimize this for you. To me, the Tesla nav in the car favors longer drives and more charge time, but I have been sticking with A Better Route Planner for now. However, once we've entered the next Supercharger into the nav we leave when it tells us we'll have 20% at the destination.

 

[Zcd1]

It’s using what google returns as the average speed for a segment. Google gets it by tracking phones.

You can apply a speed multiplier to the entire trip to see various results based on different speeds.

That's very helpful information - I misunderstood what the "Reference Speed" meant, and didn't realize I could set it to exceed 100%.

This actually helps me with my purchase decision because for this trip, the higher speed doesn't change the required charging locations but does knock ~30 minutes off the total elapsed time...

 

[Zcd1]

Go 80 and slow as the car suggests to you. Or start slower and deal with people flipping you off.
If it’s really a big deal making a stop halfway, take the gas guzzler.
That trip will cost you less than $15 of electricity in a Tesla
It’s like $120 in gas in a truck getting 20. Plus you get to stop and stretch you legs.

Now that I understand the ABRP better, it makes my purchase decision easier. My current DD gets about 24 mpg at 80 mph...

In addition, because I'm planning to buy a Performance model prior to the 9/16 deadline, Supercharging will be free for me for as long as I own the car!

 

[JulienW]

Chicago area, you may be more interested in what is going to happen to range in sub freezing weather than at 80MPH.