Low Range

[RWGesla]

Hi there,

I have a Model X 75D with 22inch wheels. I have had it for about 600miles now. When I fully charge the car (which i have done twice) I have a "typical" range estimated at around 200 miles (325km). To date, the car has been averaging around 60% of this so total range of around 120 miles. On the current charge, range mode and chill mode are on and we are averaging around 280wh/km and the car is tracking at about 68% of what was estimated when it was fully charged so will probably acheive around 135 miles for this charge. This is clearly dramatically lower than any published figures and seems much lower than most of the information I see on forums etc - my figures arent normal are they? Any ideas what could be dragging on the performance so much?

 

[Troy]

Normally the larger wheels in Tesla cars cause around 10% range loss but for the Model X, it's 18.4%. The reason is that the 22" rear wheels are 10mm wider (285mm wide instead of 275mm). This is not the case for Model S or 3.

20"
265/45R20 (F)
275/45R20 (R)

22"
265/35R22 (F)
285/35R22 (R)

https://iaspub.epa.gov/otaqpub/display_file.jsp?docid=39829&flag=1
Here you can see 12.49/15.3= 81.6%. This is the range you get with 22" wheels compared to 20".

In addition, the following factors will affect your range:
1. Speed
2. Elevation changes,
3. Tire pressure. Your range will drop if tire pressure is low.
4. A/C
5. Road surface
6. Temperature. Batteries don't perform as well in cold weather.

Here are the range numbers you are supposed to achieve with the Model X 75D 22" in ideal conditions. Look at the blue cells on the right. Your car has 7 km less range than the Model X 60D because of the 22" wheels.

I update this range table regularly. The latest version can be found here in the future.

Tesla used to display the following information on the Model X design studio:

 

[RWGesla]

[QUOTE="Troy, post: 3353810, member: 38689"

This is great - thanks .That's crazy range loss for relatively small additional rubber! Would have been nice to know.

I live in a flat area, city driving (well below 100km/h) and it's not cold. We use a/C a fair bit but I wouldn't have thought that uses 100km+ which is the shortfall I am getting.

 

[Whisky]

[QUOTE="Troy, post: 3353810, member: 38689"
I live in a flat area, city driving (well below 100km/h) and it's not cold. We use a/C a fair bit but I wouldn't have thought that uses 100km+ which is the shortfall I am getting.

EPA range is based on mostly highway driving. Stop and go driving in traffic, while slow, is less efficient. I've been seeing worse numbers than yours in 20" wheels in the cold winter of Canada (300-360Wh/km). I'm basically achieving 55% efficiency in city driving in the cold. However, I have done 300km+ range on a charge highway driving. You'll get less here with the bigger tires, but it's not as dramatic at what you're seeing now.

Do a few hour road trip, and you'll see those numbers closer to the EPA rating. But also, don't expect numbers near the EPA range. On road trips, on the first 100% charge I'll drive 300km and subsequently you'll be stopping every 180-220km depending on supercharger locations.

If you're looking at this from a cost perspective, the MX is still way cheaper to run than other cars in its class, but the electric vs gas savings are not as advertised. Overall, once you consider breaks, oil changes, etc.. you're still ahead of the game.

 

[ewoodrick]

While it is summer in Sydney, once it gets cold, expect a 30% decrease in range. (If you get less, just be happy)

Also, if it gets really hot, you may see some range loss.

 

[jgreer121X]

Recently my total range has dropped from 234 miles to 215 miles for my MX 75D. Now my 80% target charge is much lower than it used to be. How do I get it "reset" to the original value? I can understand getting worse actual performance in winter, but not the default range changing.

 

[Rocky_H]

Recently my total range has dropped from 234 miles to 215 miles for my MX 75D. Now my 80% target charge is much lower than it used to be. How do I get it "reset" to the original value? I can understand getting worse actual performance in winter, but not the default range changing.

I've seen a few people over the years have that symptom, where the total displayed range is just suddenly and permanently about 20 miles less. That usually indicates that one of the blocks of batteries inside the pack has failed.

The difficulty may be phrasing it specifically and convincingly enough to a service center to get them to listen and actually check it out. Please understand that with the huge quantity of new Model 3 owners, service center personnel are constantly flooded with people calling service worried because "My range is less." These people are freaking out from just a few rated miles difference that shows up sometime during the first few weeks or months. (No kidding--I saw a post on the other forum of someone flipping out over 1 rated mile.) That is normal, and the service people are going to default to just telling people not to worry about it (as they should) because they're overwhelmed with that nonsense and won't want to check on it.

You will need to be very specific, that this isn't just the normal reduction of 5-8 miles or so that happens gradually in the first few months from the range estimate getting a little off. Let them know that it has been at a steady level for a while, but then all of a sudden, overnight, the car has a big permanent reduction of about 20 rated miles.

 

[animorph]

Recently my total range has dropped from 234 miles to 215 miles for my MX 75D. Now my 80% target charge is much lower than it used to be. How do I get it "reset" to the original value? I can understand getting worse actual performance in winter, but not the default range changing.

The rated miles display will show gradual battery degradation over time. I don't think you'll see that with the percentage display. There is no way to directly reset the rated miles.

Two things you can do might help. You can use more of the battery capacity, like occasionally take it down to 10% and charge it back to 100%. That allows the battery monitor to observe how the battery is performing and make better estimates. The range won't actually get better but it might be more accurately displayed. The other thing is just to charge to about 93% or above. That's supposed to start battery rebalancing, which will help range if a few cells are lower in charge than most.

A sudden large drop in range could be due to a sudden cold snap. Other than that, I'm generally with Rocky_H. This sounds like an extreme case that might indicate a problem and you'll have to broach it to the SvC carefully in order to have them check it out.

 

[Big Earl]

Recently my total range has dropped from 234 miles to 215 miles for my MX 75D. Now my 80% target charge is much lower than it used to be. How do I get it "reset" to the original value? I can understand getting worse actual performance in winter, but not the default range changing.

If you only ever charge to 80%, the calculation can become inaccurate over time. Try charging to 95 or 100% and discharging to 10% a couple of times and see if it improves.