I see the benefits of battery percentage!

[james649]

Just got my model 3 two days ago. Spent the first day showing miles to empty where the battery icon is. I understand that this is the rated miles left at any given point. Which makes sense why so many people get confused.

anyways, I switched to percentage and learned that if I really need to see my miles left, I should tap Energy and choose my last 30 miles and it gives the projected range left.

this is of course much realistic depending on the situation. If I drove smooth for 5 miles, or 30, I can get a realistic calculation. But most of the time I just care about percentage of charge!


Am I doing this right? Haha

 

[Knightshade]

Just got my model 3 two days ago. Spent the first day showing miles to empty where the battery icon is. I understand that this is the rated miles left at any given point. Which makes sense why so many people get confused.

anyways, I switched to percentage and learned that if I really need to see my miles left, I should tap Energy and choose my last 30 miles and it gives the projected range left.

this is of course much realistic depending on the situation. If I drove smooth for 5 miles, or 30, I can get a realistic calculation. But most of the time I just care about percentage of charge!


Am I doing this right? Haha

Yup. I switched to % a while ago and seem to have a much lower stress life than the folks who keep it on miles

 

[eprosenx]

It drives me crazy that the charging screen does not show both percentage AND range.

I get having the main screen “widget” just be one or the other, but there it tons of space on the charge screen UI. It should be used!

It also is crazy that my phone app shows either percent or range depending on what the car is set to. You can’t change it remotely!

My wife’s profile in the car is set to range and mine is percent, so if she drove it last, my phone won’t show me percent. A very strange UI choice.

 

[james649]

I agree, that is annoying. Makes me want to build my own personal tesla mobile app since the api is fully documented. It would be cool to set the battery icon to show percent and rated range based on my choosing, with options for rated, 30 mile average, etc

 

[KenC]

The Stats app already does that. I have an Xvida Qi charger attached to the back of the upper left corner of the center display. My iPhone sticks there, magnetically, and I can have Stats open, showing me the current estimated range, ie based on the 30 mile average, the Rated Range, the SOC %, etc., etc., etc.

 

[David99]

I agree, that is annoying. Makes me want to build my own personal tesla mobile app since the api is fully documented. It would be cool to set the battery icon to show percent and rated range based on my choosing, with options for rated, 30 mile average, etc

Dashboard for Tesla does it. Android only, though.

 

[dmurphy]

... I must be stupid, because I don't see the value of the percentage display over the miles miles remaining.

Having 27% of battery remaining means nothing to me in the moment. I need to make a single, binary decision whenever I drive: "Can I get where I need to get without stopping for a charge?" Yes, or no. If yes, I'm done looking. If no, I have to plan to stop.

That's a decision I can't make with a percentage display, at least not without factoring other data.
It's one that I CAN with a miles remaining display.

Same reason I hate gas gauges on a regular car - the "miles to empty" display is useful. Gas gauge is generally not, for the same reasons as the percentage display.

So for the percentage crowd... please help me understand the appeal. I know it's popular, and I know so many say it reduces stress - and I'm ALL for that! So please explain it to me so I can understand ... thank you!

 

[Knightshade]

Because for the 99% of the year I am NOT on a road trip I don't constantly fuss over "OMG! IT SAID 302 MILES RANGE LAST WEEK BUT NOW IT"S ONLY 298 MY CAR MUST BE DYING!!" as some owners appear to.

 

[tccartier]

... I must be stupid, because I don't see the value of the percentage display over the miles miles remaining.

Having 27% of battery remaining means nothing to me in the moment. I need to make a single, binary decision whenever I drive: "Can I get where I need to get without stopping for a charge?" Yes, or no. If yes, I'm done looking. If no, I have to plan to stop.

That's a decision I can't make with a percentage display, at least not without factoring other data.
It's one that I CAN with a miles remaining display.

Same reason I hate gas gauges on a regular car - the "miles to empty" display is useful. Gas gauge is generally not, for the same reasons as the percentage display.

So for the percentage crowd... please help me understand the appeal. I know it's popular, and I know so many say it reduces stress - and I'm ALL for that! So please explain it to me so I can understand ... thank you!

No you're not stupid at all I don't get it either and I've worked in the automotive industry all my life. The percentage is useless to me for making real-world decisions in real time as to whether or not I can reach where I'm trying to go. Yes I get those that say you can do the math in your head 50% remaining equals x miles but why should I need to do that when the car already does?

 

[dmurphy]

Because for the 99% of the year I am NOT on a road trip I don't constantly fuss over "OMG! IT SAID 302 MILES RANGE LAST WEEK BUT NOW IT"S ONLY 298 MY CAR MUST BE DYING!!" as some owners appear to.

So true. So, so so true ... I don't get the freak-outs. There's a slop factor to all of it - just have to keep that in mind. I'm kinda mentally calibrated at somewhere around 50 miles. If where I have to go will leave me with less than about 50 miles of range, I've got to think some more about it. Maybe closer to 100 in the winter. If not, I can safely ignore the battery altogether and just enjoy the drive.

 

[camalaio]

The last 30 miles could be very deceiving if you live in an area with mountains. If I really need to know estimated range for my route, I punch the destination into the nav and then that gives me a much more accurate estimate accounting for elevation change.

I changed the display to percentage because it actually helped with my "range anxiety" to just treat it like a gas tank. Have 40% left? I can easily make it home from the next city over. Only 20%? Can still make it, just gotta drive nice!

Even on a day where I went from 85% to 17%, I no longer really thought about the remaining range.

 

[ucmndd]

So for the percentage crowd... please help me understand the appeal. I know it's popular, and I know so many say it reduces stress - and I'm ALL for that! So please explain it to me so I can understand ... thank you!

Making a “single, binary decision” based on the number of miles the EPA says the car should go under some never-to-be-reproduced in the real world lab condition is equally useless as doing so based on the percentage remaining. After spending any amount of time driving a car and understanding its consumption habits, a “quarter tank” is just as valuable to me, if not more so, than an artificial range estimate that is basically never accurate.

 

[dmurphy]

Making a “single, binary decision” based on the number of miles the EPA says the car should go under some never-to-be-reproduced in the real world lab condition is equally useless as doing so based on the percentage remaining. After spending any amount of time driving a car and understanding its consumption habits, a “quarter tank” is just as valuable to me, if not more so, than an artificial range estimate that is basically never accurate.

On one hand, you're right - you can't use the entire EPA mileage as the Golden Source of the Truth for range. Exactly the same as any other car - MPG isn't exact either. However, it's still a heck of a lot easier than calculating percentages.

I can estimate a slop factor based on how far off the EPA estimate has been historically. If I figure a 20% slop factor, let's say ....

Calculating 20% Slop factor on 26% is ..... well, 26% - 5.2% = 20.8%, assuming 3 miles for every percent, that's about 62 miles give or take of range.

Calculating 20% Slop factor on 100 miles to go is ... well, about 80 miles.

Just a matter of which mental math is easier. For me, calculating miles-to-go with a fudge factor is way way easier than remembering what a quarter battery means.

so yeah - of course the miles-to-go isn't exact. Never is. But adding a safety factor to that is easy. It's a lot more complex math on a percentage calculator.

Thing is, we're chasing tails. this only really matters if I'm leaving the state. There's nowhere in state I can go where I'm not in range. Even easier gauge for me - "Crossing borders? Think about it. Not crossing borders? Just drive."

 

[doghousePVD]

I don't get how you all are confused, seems super self-evident to me. I always use percent. I put in the destination to navigate, and it shows how much percent I will arrive at. If the answer is >15%, no worries.

As I drive, the percent remaining may change. For me I usually drive a bit more efficient that its calculation, so it may start with 20% remaining, and slowly climb to 21% or 23%. I know I am going to make it easily, and can monitor in real time.

More rarely (for me), the percent drops - I'm lead footed, very cold weather, heat on high, strong headwinds, whatever. I see the percent drop, and know to slow down or find a charger.

Miles is for me a useless calculation. "Mileage" varies tremendously on speed, elevation, cabin heat, etc. I don't understand why anyone ever uses miles. I never know off the top of my head the exact mileage to my destination.

In my dino car, I never used mileage, either.

 

[dmurphy]

Miles is for me a useless calculation. "Mileage" varies tremendously on speed, elevation, cabin heat, etc. I don't understand why anyone ever uses miles. I never know off the top of my head the exact mileage to my destination.

Question: “How much further until we need to stop?”
Which answer makes more sense: ”24%” or “60 miles”?

I almost always know my destination‘s distance. Been calculating things that way since I started driving. First with an atlas, doing mental math between highway exits and such.... and then with the advent of routing software like Automap (yes, I’m old).

 

[JulienW]

Question: “How much further until we need to stop?”
Which answer makes more sense: ”24%” or “60 miles”?

I almost always know my destination‘s distance. Been calculating things that way since I started driving. First with an atlas, doing mental math between highway exits and such.... and then with the advent of routing software like Automap (yes, I’m old).

So all of your past ICE car's had a gas gauge that read in miles remaining instead of percent (fraction) of fuel left? You can use the same principal method you have always used and just substitute 75% for ¾, etc.

 

[Incredulocious]

So all of your past ICE car's had a gas gauge that read in miles remaining instead of percent (fraction) of fuel left? You can use the same principal method you have always used and just substitute 75% for ¾, etc.

Hmmm, yeah, the old method was “sign says 40 miles to go, let’s see... just under quarter of a tank... that’s probably enough...”

Personally, I’m happy to have the extra information of the mileage estimate whether that be an old-fashioned ICE or not. We previously needed to have a notion of how far we could go on a full tank or half a tank or even close to empty to make a judgement and same goes for seeing a mileage estimate. (And just to make things more interesting, analog fuel tank gauges weren’t consistent: first quarter was often different than last quarter!)

Anyway, it seems clear to me that it’s good both options are available now since people clearly have different preferences or ways of thinking. (Hey, but where’s the “no spoilers” option for those who would rather not know. I guess that would be a piece of tape!) And a good thing we have the internet so folks can still argue over which is the better / more sensible method to use.

 

[DrtyJrze]

I think knight said it best. It’s not about what we use on the daily, that’s your preference.

Using percentage displayed would significantly reduce the amount of threads/complaints concerned about “discrepancies” in miles at certain charges, when it’s really a ball park estimate at best.

Percent is clean: 80% is 80%, 50% is 50%, etc.

Miles get messy if at 80% charge my display says 267 miles, and at 80% yours shows 281 miles...and her screen at 80% says 245 miles, etc. This leads to unnecessary customer confusion and anxiety.

 

[dmurphy]

So all of your past ICE car's had a gas gauge that read in miles remaining instead of percent (fraction) of fuel left? You can use the same principal method you have always used and just substitute 75% for ¾, etc. ever\

Yes - at least every car (ICE or not) I've owned in the last 20 years has a "Miles to Empty" indicator on the dash, which by the way is almost always more accurate than the analog gauge. The gauge itself is so vague it's basically worthless... Distance to Empty is always much more useful.

 

[diamond.g]

Because for the 99% of the year I am NOT on a road trip I don't constantly fuss over "OMG! IT SAID 302 MILES RANGE LAST WEEK BUT NOW IT"S ONLY 298 MY CAR MUST BE DYING!!" as some owners appear to.

Since it is supposed to be a fixed constant, it would be a good way to measure battery life. The reality is the BMS is still guessing how much capacity is available, and Tesla is able to change the constant that is used. Really if they were to show those miles they should call them EPA(/WLTP/NEDC) Miles in the display (and actually spell out the constant to get said miles), and offer to display the energy page miles (GOM) instead (along with percentage).
I don't like showing the miles remaining, because unless you are driving at or under the constant it isn't realistic, you may as well have the energy page up and go based on that. That and cause the trip planner is in percent, lol.