M3 SR+ or LR AWD

[cordless]

Hi folks,

I am looking to order a Model 3 and looking to get your advice on SR+ RWD vs LR AWD. My round trip commute is 45 miles. Wife's car is a minivan that I plan to use for long trips. In my understanding the charging for LR is 50% faster than that for SR+ when used with superchargers. Are there any other advantages of LR vs SR+?

The SR+ acceleration seems fine to me. I like the idea of being able to charge faster at the supercharger but I am finding it hard to justify paying 10K more for it.

 

[cordless]

EDIT: I plan to won the car for long term so any advice on battery life is welcome.

 

[jebinc]

The general view here is to "buy the most range your budget can handle". AWD is very nice and pulls strong out of corners. Also good in inclement weather. Battery is warrantied for 8 years, 120,000 miles.

 

[XLR82XS]

The general view here is to "buy the most range your budget can handle". AWD is very nice and pulls strong out of corners. Also good in inclement weather. Battery is warrantied for 8 years, 100,000 miles.

Agreed. If you live in an area that has snowfall the AWD is a no brainer.
Battery warranty: 8 year/120K according to my owners manual. (LR AWD)

 

[cordless]

Thanks for the reply. There is no snowfall here. Tesla website also says 8 years/120K warranty for LR AWD. It is 8y/100K for SR+

 

[bjhinkle]

I went with LR AWD because we get snow and ice in KY, and the M3 AWD seemed to have the best ability for getting out of being stuck based on YouTube videos.

Additionally, battery range in new cars is going to get better over time. I think 240 will seem like too little when the 400+ mile range batteries come out. Your future self will probably appreciate having that 310 range. If you can do LR, I would. IMHO.

 

[Big Earl]

If this is really just a commuter in the Silicon Valley area with some other short trips, the SR+ will probably meet your needs. If there's a possibility that you'll start taking road trips in the Tesla, I would strongly consider the long range version. Charging speed doesn't really matter for commuting, since most of your charging will be done at home. But once you're on the road, the time savings of being able to charge 50% faster will really add up.

Also consider battery life. Elon suggests that the battery packs should be good for about 1,500 cycles. On a standard range, that's 360,000 miles. On a long range, that's 465,000 miles. Both numbers sound pretty awesome, but keep in mind that's assuming 100% EPA driving efficiency, which is pretty optimistic, especially in cold weather or if you drive fast on the highway.

 

[cordless]

The growing EV range is a very good point. As a LEAF driver, I have drooled over the range available in other vehicles. I thought 240 miles would be good enough but I think range will always be an issue unless we hit 500 miles.

 

[cordless]

If this is really just a commuter in the Silicon Valley area with some other short trips, the SR+ will probably meet your needs. If there's a possibility that you'll start taking road trips in the Tesla, I would strongly consider the long range version. Charging speed doesn't really matter for commuting, since most of your charging will be done at home. But once you're on the road, the time savings of being able to charge 50% faster will really add up.

Also consider battery life. Elon suggests that the battery packs should be good for about 1,500 cycles. On a standard range, that's 360,000 miles. On a long range, that's 465,000 miles. Both numbers sound pretty awesome, but keep in mind that's assuming 100% EPA driving efficiency, which is pretty optimistic, especially in cold weather or if you drive fast on the highway.

sorry, I am not aware what constitutes a "cycle" for the battery pack. Also, what do you mean by "100% EPA driving efficiency". Both those numbers sound pretty good. I am hoping I would be able to use robotaxis by the time I hit that kind of mileage

 

[cordless]

sorry, I am not aware what constitutes a "cycle" for the battery pack. Also, what do you mean by "100% EPA driving efficiency". Both those numbers sound pretty good. I am hoping I would be able to use robotaxis by the time I hit that kind of mileage

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. A charge cycle is the process of charging a rechargeable battery and discharging it as required into a load. The term is typically used to specify a battery's expected life, as the number of charge cycles affects life more than the mere passage of time.

Ok, that was simple enough.

 

[Big Earl]

sorry, I am not aware what constitutes a "cycle" for the battery pack. Also, what do you mean by "100% EPA driving efficiency". Both those numbers sound pretty good. I am hoping I would be able to use robotaxis by the time I hit that kind of mileage

A charge cycle is taking the battery from 100% to 0% and back one time. Or from 100% to 50% and back twice. Or 100% to 75% and back four times. The EPA rates a full charge on a Model 3 Standard Range+ at 240 miles. 1500 cycles * 240 miles = 360,000 miles.

The EPA drive cycle is very specific and kind of conservative. Rain, snow, cold weather and high freeway travel speeds (over 65 miles per hour) will all cause your car to use more energy than the EPA drive cycle, resulting in less range per charge. Using features like Sentry Mode and Cabin Overheat Protection will also reduce your car's range, since those features consume additional battery power while parked.

Finally, fast charging will reduce the life of your car's battery more quickly than charging at home. Don't expect to get 1500 cycles out of a battery that is exclusively fast charged.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not trying to talk you out of an SR+. I just want to make sure you're armed with all of this information before making such a large financial commitment. Based on what you've told us so far, an SR+ sounds like it could be a very good fit for you.

 

[aasandsas]

SR+ on your needs and LR AWD on your wants. Will make it simple.

 

[cordless]

A charge cycle is taking the battery from 100% to 0% and back one time. Or from 100% to 50% and back twice. Or 100% to 75% and back four times. The EPA rates a full charge on a Model 3 Standard Range+ at 240 miles. 1500 cycles * 240 miles = 360,000 miles.

The EPA drive cycle is very specific and kind of conservative. Rain, snow, cold weather and high freeway travel speeds (over 65 miles per hour) will all cause your car to use more energy than the EPA drive cycle, resulting in less range per charge. Using features like Sentry Mode and Cabin Overheat Protection will also reduce your car's range, since those features consume additional battery power while parked.

Finally, fast charging will reduce the life of your car's battery more quickly than charging at home. Don't expect to get 1500 cycles out of a battery that is exclusively fast charged.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not trying to talk you out of an SR+. I just want to make sure you're armed with all of this information before making such a large financial commitment. Based on what you've told us so far, an SR+ sounds like it could be a very good fit for you.

Thanks for the detailed information. As a LEAF driver, I am not entirely new to the range variation but was unfamiliar with some of the technical terms. The purpose of this posting is to make an informed decision and I truly appreciate all the comments and information I am getting here. I plan to charge at work which is a level 2 charger and I guess the max current is around 20A, but I hear they are going to upgrade it to 32A

 

[aasandsas]

Thanks for the detailed information. As a LEAF driver, I am not entirely new to the range variation but was unfamiliar with some of the technical terms. The purpose of this posting is to make an informed decision and I truly appreciate all the comments and information I am getting here. I plan to charge at work which is a level 2 charger and I guess the max current is around 20A, but I hear they are going to upgrade it to 32A

For 45 miles average commute 20A is not an issue and if it’s free at work even better. You can always Supercharge on weekends as needed.

If you even charge for 6 hours at work at 20A that’s like atleast 100 miles range added.

 

[acarney]

Hi folks,

I am looking to order a Model 3 and looking to get your advice on SR+ RWD vs LR AWD. My round trip commute is 45 miles. Wife's car is a minivan that I plan to use for long trips. In my understanding the charging for LR is 50% faster than that for SR+ when used with superchargers. Are there any other advantages of LR vs SR+?

The SR+ acceleration seems fine to me. I like the idea of being able to charge faster at the supercharger but I am finding it hard to justify paying 10K more for it.

It actually charges about 33% faster on version 2 superchargers (the most common). SR+ seems to be software limited to about 100kW at peak while the LR will hit about 140kW peak. Keep in mind this is usually only from ~5% to 40 or maybe 50% state of charge and then both drop down in kW rate.

On version 3 superchargers (just starting to show up, ~3 locations so far?) SR+ still only hits ~100kW while LR supposedly can hit 250kW (realistically I think it gets about 210 to 220kW peak).

Hardware wise the SR+ should be able to hit the same peak on the V2 superchargers and physically should be able to hit about 150 to 160kW on the V3. (At least that’s what people smarter than me have figured out based on the charge max of the cells and stuff) Potentially there is something physically changes (wires, other electronics, etc) in the car that is lowering this limit, but it’s widely speculated that it’s an artificial software limit right now.

This COULD mean that Tesla uncaps the SR+ down the road to charge a bit faster. If superchargers continue to get more congested despite the build out of more locations, and it turns out it’s because of the number of slower charging SR+ cars, Tesla might have some incentive to open up that charge rate to the physical hardware limit to speed up charging by X% or X minutes or whatever and maximize existing supercharger capacity.

Does this happen next year? Five years down the road? Ever? Who knows...

 

[cordless]

For 45 miles average commute 20A is not an issue and if it’s free at work even better. You can always Supercharge on weekends as needed.

If you even charge for 6 hours at work at 20A that’s like atleast 100 miles range added.

I usually get 4 hours charging but that is usually enough for my commute.

 

[SlimJim]

If I could afford AWD, I would have bought one.
The RWD has enough allowed torque to break the balance when the road is wet.
I will just have to drive more carefully in the rain or snow.

 

[ewoodrick]

SR should be fine for you. The LR doesn't charge twice as fast anywhere, not even Superchargers.
Hopefully you will charge at home, where it definitely doesn't make a difference.
It takes longer to charge an empty LR than a SR. Bigger battery.

Enjoy the SR, no need for the long range. You don't have to have the biggest battery. Don't listen to those who think so, for they know not what they say.
If you had the 88 mile range of the older Leaf, you would sometimes want more range. But 200+ miles is more than many people drive in a week

 

[peakshaving]

SR should be fine for you. The LR doesn't charge twice as fast anywhere, not even Superchargers.
Hopefully you will charge at home, where it definitely doesn't make a difference.
It takes longer to charge an empty LR than a SR. Bigger battery.

Enjoy the SR, no need for the long range. You don't have to have the biggest battery. Don't listen to those who think so, for they know not what they say.
If you had the 88 mile range of the older Leaf, you would sometimes want more range. But 200+ miles is more than many people drive in a week

I'd like to give an opposing opinion.. With the V3 chargers the LR pack is more than twice as fast from 0-50% compared to an SR pack. Personally I'd get an RWD LR if I were buying one today and the trim was still available. I had to make three supercharger stops when I drove from LA to SF a month ago, granted I was driving pretty fast, but an LR pack would have saved me quite a bit of time. You do have to keep in mind that while it's pretty much the same charge rate in percentage/time the LR pack has much higher distance/time in charge rate.

Since you only want to use the car locally I agree with everyone else here that the LR isn't worth the extra 10k, get the SR and enjoy. I'm also in the bay and charge at work exclusively, there's also superchargers and (expensive) public lvl2 chargers everywhere- Get the SR and pocket that 10k for something else.

 

[raptor5244]

We have an SR+. Charge to 80%, which is ~190miles, drive around 40-50miles per day, rinse repeat. Sometimes we go 2-3 days without charging it. The charge rate won’t matter much as most of it will be done at home. Road trips are where you normally supercharge and it sounds like you have the roomy minivan for that use case.

The extra range is only useful if you plan on using it. The LR also has AWD and premium interior stuff. If you don’t need or want these things then save the money and get an SR+.