LR RWD to receive firmware upgrade to 325 miles...actual capacity bump??

[ratsbew]

$35,000 Tesla Model 3 Available Now

According to Tesla, "upgrades will increase the range of the Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive Model 3 to 325 miles".

Surely we aren't getting extra capacity unlocked...are we. It must just be adjusting the Wh/mile so that 100% equals 325 instead of 310.

If we are getting extra capacity then I'm MEGA excited about this!!!

 

[Benjamin Brooks]

Definitely not extra capacity. Even unlikely to be improved efficiency of the motors... most likely is that they're just updating the default wh/mile to make it seem you could fo 325 miles if you drove it super softly.

 

[TeeEmCee]

So it will be even farther off from real-life consumption.

 

[GregRF]

I'm guessing just a software bump in range.

But 5% power boost and the official 0-60 is now 5.0 seconds!

 

[ratsbew]

I've measured the actual usable capacity as 72kWh (by draining from 100% to 50% and multiplying by 2). The battery is supposedly 78kWh so who knows...maybe they are unlocking some of that?

An actual 5% boost in power sounds to be real though! This type of thing will help revive us Tesla enthusiasts who are now used to our 6+ month old Model 3. This is a real boost to the brand image!

 

[Kirby64]

So it will be even farther off from real-life consumption.

More like they're making it match how far off the AWD is from real-life consumption

 

[ucmndd]

The car could always go this far. No extra efficiency or capacity, they're just changing the constant used to calculate displayed range.

 

[Shygar]

I never got even 310 miles out of my LR RWD much less 325, even with efficient driving. So I am speculating that they have a bit of the battery reserved. But who knows, probably just a label change.

 

[No2DinosaurFuel]

I never got even 310 miles out of my LR RWD much less 325, even with efficient driving. So I am speculating that they have a bit of the battery reserved. But who knows, probably just a label change.

You need to drive like the EPA to get that range. Meaning driving in one sitting right after fully charged in decent climate with mix driving condition and like 60% city or something like that and do it for like 5 times or so and average it and run it down to 0% until the car stops. You will need to read the report to get their exact details.

I hear if you just do 100% highway at 70mph, most people are getting are around 250 miles or so in the summer before they get scared and searching for charging stations.

 

[MoreAgain]

The performance boost will be interesting to test out. I've done a ton of 0-60 tests with my LR RWD and 4.9 is the best I've ever gotten. I'll test with the same equipment in same location at same SoC and temperature range to see if I can beat it. If I get better range, great, may be able to stay out on the track for an extra lap.

 

[ratsbew]

I hear if you just do 100% highway at 70mph, most people are getting are around 250 miles or so in the summer before they get scared and searching for charging stations.

Not true at all. 70mph is the sweet spot (no wind, elevation changes, and about 85 degrees) to get right about 310 miles.

 

[CCIE]

$35,000 Tesla Model 3 Available Now

According to Tesla, "upgrades will increase the range of the Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive Model 3 to 325 miles".

Surely we aren't getting extra capacity unlocked...are we. It must just be adjusting the Wh/mile so that 100% equals 325 instead of 310.

If we are getting extra capacity then I'm MEGA excited about this!!!

The real EPA range for the LR RWD is 332, so likely they’re just changing what the screen says at full charge.

 

[ewoodrick]

Not true at all. 70mph is the sweet spot (no wind, elevation changes, and about 85 degrees) to get right about 310 miles.

I agree, I've done it. Just not during the winter though. Taking back roads and slowing to 55 gives really great miles.

 

[Sneakerhead]

I average 240 lifetime. 90% highway traffic to 100mph. No traffic avg about 80-90. 15k miles. 5/32 tread wear all 4 tires rotated once.

My freeway has elevation factor which is huge...has 170-200 downhillish freeway no a/c, on the way back its 270-310 even with slower speeds/traffic.

 

[dennis_d]

I've measured the actual usable capacity as 72kWh (by draining from 100% to 50% and multiplying by 2). The battery is supposedly 78kWh so who knows...maybe they are unlocking some of that?

An actual 5% boost in power sounds to be real though! This type of thing will help revive us Tesla enthusiasts who are now used to our 6+ month old Model 3. This is a real boost to the brand image!

Battery is 76kwh (+/-) 74 kwh usable + 2kwh buffer

 

[Shygar]

The real EPA range for the LR RWD is 332, so likely they’re just changing what the screen says at full charge.

But you don't know why they lowered it to 310. Maybe Tesla had to lock part of the battery to achieve the 310 EPA rating. Personally I never understood how the EPA could rate it for 334 and just downgrade it to 310 because the manufacturer asked them to do it. I wouldn't be surprised if there's an actual change, not just a label. But in reality it's probably just a label change.

 

[StellarRat]

You need to drive like the EPA to get that range. Meaning driving in one sitting right after fully charged in decent climate with mix driving condition and like 60% city or something like that and do it for like 5 times or so and average it and run it down to 0% until the car stops. You will need to read the report to get their exact details.

I hear if you just do 100% highway at 70mph, most people are getting are around 250 miles or so in the summer before they get scared and searching for charging stations.

The speed limit here is 65 mph for cars and 60 mph for trucks. If I stay in the truck lane I can easily exceed 300 miles on the freeway.

 

[StellarRat]

Battery is 76kwh (+/-) 74 kwh usable + 2kwh buffer

It's possible Tesla has made some type of adjust to the motor controls to make them slightly more efficient, or the regen, etc...

 

[TeeEmCee]

The speed limit here is 65 mph for cars and 60 mph for trucks. If I stay in the truck lane I can easily exceed 300 miles on the freeway.

As far as I could observe, the length of the journey also has a significant impact on range, perhaps more so that with ICE vehicles.
With many 10-20 miles trips, I never come anywhere close to the rated consumption. On a long enough drive (i.e. hours), in favorable environmental conditions, I could probably get a lot closer to the magic 310.

 

[StealthP3D]

So it will be even farther off from real-life consumption.

That depends upon your driving style. This change will actually make the range more accurate for those who drive sensibly in warm climates. It will also make it more comparable to other cars. The EPA never should have allowed Tesla to "massage" the rated range down in the first place because it made the ratings less valuable to consumers who want to compare apples to apples. The Model 3 LR with Aero wheels is really efficient and I found it easy to beat the rated range if one or more environmental factors like headwinds, cold temperatures or elevation gain weren't working against me.

My P3D, even with Aero wheels and the same tires, is quite a bit harder to hit the rated range. It's still doable but it requires lower speeds.