M3 Standard 220 range 172 mile commute

[nocelldontcall]

Waiting for delivery of the standard range in about a week. Preparing the garage now having an electrician install a nema outlet. So I've been sweating bullets reading reviews, recommendations, complaints, maps, routes, etc.. on the SR.
My daily routine is 62 miles (80% open hwy 20% stop-n-go traffic) to drop off my son.
Turn around and backtrack 24 miles in very heavy stop-n-yell traffic to work.
Leave work, another 24 mile of aggressive road rage driving to pick up my son.
Finally 62 miles home in 80/20 traffic once again.

Yes, it is a lot of driving but I have no other option for now. Gas is currently costing $360 monthly so I'm happy to see that go down to zero as it will help with the cost of the new car. I'm just freaking out because 90% of full charge is 198 miles. Heat down here in Florida will likely affect the charge negatively and no way I can afford the LR model so I will be logging and calculating everything. Also read that the SR's 220 max range is already software limited so that 220 is under 90% of the 'real' max of 240.

A few days to go.

 

[willow_hiller]

Have you tried mapping your commute with ABRP? Link here: A Better Routeplanner

In the settings you should be able to select the SR, set waypoints, and test out the range at different temperatures (under More Settings).

As long as your speed is under 70 MPH, I've found the SR+ gets very close to the EPA rating, so you might be good if you drive carefully! Also, I think the battery prefers heat to cold. Regen is limited a bit starting at like 55F, so you should be golden in FL.

Any chance of asking your employer to install a charger?

 

[gnimmaga]

You can charge SR to 100% everyday, which is close to 90% of the real battery capacity. And about half of your commute is stop and go, which consumes less than the rates miles. That should help with number of range miles consumed.

You may want to consider keeping SR+ software for autopilot. That will make your commute lot happier.

 

[Troz]

You'll probably have to disable cabin overheat protection and not use Sentry Mode so that you're not losing a lot of miles while parked during the day. Also be sure to figure out where any chargers are (level 2 or supercharger) along the route just in case. And yes, if your employer can provide a charger (even a 120V outlet) it will dramatically reduce your stress.

 

[jjrandorin]

Unless you can charge at work, you are not going to be able to make your "normal" commute during the winter... even though florida does not have super cold winters, it has "some" winter.


You need a LR RWD tesla if you are going to get a tesla (my opinion). If you cant get a LR RWD tesla, I would suggest you save a bit more until you can.

If you proceed with the SR, its my opinion that sometimes during the winter you will have to stop and charge somewhere on the way home (which would NOT be ideal after doing all that driving in the morning, working all day, then commuting to go pick up your child).

If you can figure out how to charge at work, even on a regular plug, then you should be ok... but otherwise I dont believe this will work for you with the SR car.

 

[deonb]

I agree on the LR unless you can charge at work.

 

[gary3411]

This should be easy. I would not be worried at all especially in Florida. However, it will require a bit of good driving habits. Do not accelerate quickly, only use the brake pedal in an emergency (REGEN!, one pedal driving), and keep speed under 70mph and you will have no issues getting the EPA. Following these simple tips, I get 350 miles of range consistently on my SR. So 172 miles is about a half tank.

There's a little more to one-pedal driving than just accelerate>foot off pedal. There is a huge middle ground of decelerating and regenerating while slowing down slowly but the foot it still pressing the accelerator, Also known as feathering the pedal. This is where you should live most of time.

Plus, if you're running low near the end of the commute because of unforeseen circumstances, you can always just slow down and go 55 and turn climate control OFF. Not saying you'll have to do this every day, but in a pinch, slowing down will give you immense increase in range on a highway, and you will make it no problem.

I'm not sure what these others are talking about saying you will have trouble. If it's over 20F you are golden.

 

[jjrandorin]

This should be easy. I would not be worried at all especially in Florida. However, it will require a bit of good driving habits. Do not accelerate quickly, only use the brake pedal in an emergency (REGEN!, one pedal driving), and keep speed under 70mph and you will have no issues getting the EPA. Following these simple tips, I get 350 miles of range consistently on my SR. So 172 miles is about a half tank.

There's a little more to one-pedal driving than just accelerate>foot off pedal. There is a huge middle ground of decelerating and regenerating while slowing down slowly but the foot it still pressing the accelerator, Also known as feathering the pedal. This is where you should live most of time.

Plus, if you're running low near the end of the commute because of unforeseen circumstances, you can always just slow down and go 55 and turn climate control OFF. Not saying you'll have to do this every day, but in a pinch, slowing down will give you immense increase in range on a highway, and you will make it no problem.

I'm not sure what these others are talking about saying you will have trouble. If it's over 20F you are golden.

You get 350 miles per tank out of a short range tesla,,, driving up to 70MPH? I find that VERY hard to believe. Maybe driving 50 MPH....

 

[Camera-Cruiser]

Look for a used LR? It will easily make it, and it will be stress free.

The SR charged to 100 will probably work without charging along your commute or at work 85% - 90% of the time. What I worry about, is rain. That is another mileage killer. The main battery loves heat so I wouldn’t worry. Running the air conditioning is nothing to healing the battery when it’s cold. You have a few cold mornings in Florida, and on those days combined with rain it won’t make it without charging.

I’d seriously consider renting a standard range on Turo or something like that and try it for two days. Sure it’ll cost us some money out of pocket but then you would really know.

I can’t imagine starting off EV ownership stressing as you’re approaching home and you’re down to the last 20 to 25 miles or so And you still have errands to do or maybe dinner plans.

 

[nocelldontcall]

Thanks for the idea on asking my employer about installing a charger. it's actually an excellent idea to promote EV's locally. Google map shows a supercharger near my daily route so I may end up having to stop there on my way home. There are several evgo's and chargepoint chargers along my way back south and very close to my sons school so I'm not too worried about completely running out. It just seems inconvenient to need a charge (or two) every day. Still better than paying $360/month for gas.

 

[nocelldontcall]

This should be easy. I would not be worried at all especially in Florida. However, it will require a bit of good driving habits. Do not accelerate quickly, only use the brake pedal in an emergency (REGEN!, one pedal driving), and keep speed under 70mph and you will have no issues getting the EPA. Following these simple tips, I get 350 miles of range consistently on my SR. So 172 miles is about a half tank.

There's a little more to one-pedal driving than just accelerate>foot off pedal. There is a huge middle ground of decelerating and regenerating while slowing down slowly but the foot it still pressing the accelerator, Also known as feathering the pedal. This is where you should live most of time.

Plus, if you're running low near the end of the commute because of unforeseen circumstances, you can always just slow down and go 55 and turn climate control OFF. Not saying you'll have to do this every day, but in a pinch, slowing down will give you immense increase in range on a highway, and you will make it no problem.

I'm not sure what these others are talking about saying you will have trouble. If it's over 20F you are golden.

350 what? SR renamed from standard range to super range.

 

[willow_hiller]

350 what? SR renamed from standard range to super range.

Lighter battery pack makes the SR/+ an efficiency beast Got caught in some stop-and-go traffic in the middle of a 50 mile round trip, got home with the odometer reading 180 wh/mi.

Hm, even then, 350 seems a little bit like hyperbole. 180 wh/mi would get me 305 miles if I went 100%-0%. 244 miles from 90%-10%. You'd need to average 157 wh/mi or lower to get 350 miles out of 100%-0%, or 125 wh/mi to get 350 miles out of 90%-10%. That's gotta be like hypermiling territory.

 

[TexasEV]

You bought the wrong tool for the job. Plan on stopping at the supercharger on your way home each day unless you’re able to plug in at work. Forget about the EVGo and and ChargePoint stations— J1772 charging is too slow to help on a commute, they’re only useful if they’re somewhere you would be stopping for hours anyway.

 

[willow_hiller]

You bought the wrong tool for the job. Plan on stopping at the supercharger on your way home each day unless you’re able to plug in at work. Forget about the EVGo and and ChargePoint stations— J1772 charging is too slow to help on a commute, they’re only useful if they’re somewhere you would be stopping for hours anyway.

Agree about the Level 2 charging. The on-board AC-DC converter for the SR is limited to 32 amps, so at a very fast EVGo or ChargePoint you'll get 30 additional miles of range per hour of charge. E.g. a 20 minute charge would yield 10 additional miles. Stick with the Supercharger if you need a mid-trip top-up.

Whether the SR can do the commute is really highly dependent on average speed and weather, however. At 25 MPH, a long range Model 3 can go 600 miles on a single charge. Teslike has a range table here that's also quite useful: Tesla Range Table - Teslike.com The SR range is actually slightly under-estimated by the EPA.

 

[WileyTheMan]

What's nice about the mandatory stop at a SC is you probably won't have to spend a lot of time there to get you home, like 10-15m max.

 

[TexasEV]

Agree about the Level 2 charging. The on-board AC-DC converter for the SR is limited to 32 amps, so at a very fast EVGo or ChargePoint you'll get 30 additional miles of range per hour of charge. E.g. a 20 minute charge would yield 10 additional miles. Stick with the Supercharger if you need a mid-trip top-up.

“Very fast” EVGo or ChargePoint is an oxymoron. Virtually all public J1772 stations such as these are still only 30A, just as they were 10 years ago. It has nothing to do with the car’s limit, cars with 48 or 72A chargers don’t charge any faster at these stations.

 

[Rocky_H]

My two thoughts:
1)

Google map shows a supercharger near my daily route so I may end up having to stop there on my way home.

I was wondering about where you driving takes you. I looked up Coral Springs, FL, and I saw there is a Supercharger north in Delray Beach, and one south in Plantation. So that would be up to you if that sometimes inconvenience would be worth it for the cost savings in the price of the car. Normally, I would be one who has patience and could go for something like that occasionally, but this is like your daily routine, so I don't think I would want that bother in cutting it close so often.

I would probably instead go with:
2)

Look for a used LR? It will easily make it, and it will be stress free.

Go for that. They were selling them all throughout 2018, and maybe you can find a used one year old one. That long range will make this easier and no worry. Although, I have been hearing that even the used ones are sometimes hard to find and are frequently so loaded up that they aren't much cheaper than just ordering a mid range.

 

[MrMassTransit]

The fact that much of the drive is at slower speeds means that it is doable. Charge to 90 or 95% nightly. In colder weather, you will likely need to forgo using heat and use the heated seats instead. Keep your speed under 70.

I have an SR+ and routinely beat the range estimates by 20-40 miles or more through careful driving. I wouldn't worry. The vehicle is capable of the range and after a few weeks you'll optimize your trip to make it work. I see no need to charge mid-day/mid-trip if it not possible (but always a nice perk if your employer will offer it). If that becomes an option, then you can limit your nightly charging to 80/85% and be more liberal with climate control.

 

[TMThree]

Lighter battery pack makes the SR/+ an efficiency beast Got caught in some stop-and-go traffic in the middle of a 50 mile round trip, got home with the odometer reading 180 wh/mi.

Hm, even then, 350 seems a little bit like hyperbole. 180 wh/mi would get me 305 miles if I went 100%-0%. 244 miles from 90%-10%. You'd need to average 157 wh/mi or lower to get 350 miles out of 100%-0%, or 125 wh/mi to get 350 miles out of 90%-10%. That's gotta be like hypermiling territory.

No, it's totally legit. He just didn't mention that he's driving 5 mph the entire time.

 

[ucmndd]

You’re may well roast that battery awful quick cycling it that deeply every day. Agree with others that you can charge to 100% without additional issue, so that’s one thing you have going for you.

But I generally agree with @TexasEV - you have chosen the wrong tool for this job.

I do ~120 miles a day in a Model S 75 with a regular duty cycle of ~90% to ~30-35% depending on weather and season. In 2.5 years and 80k miles, I’ve lost 11% (27 miles) of my original rated capacity. I know the Model S battery is not quite apples to apples with the 3 and it remains to be seen how the 3 holds up to high mileage and lots of cycles - but you don’t have a lot of capacity to lose in the commute scenario you describe above without really getting into the danger zone.