Model 3 Efficiency - so bad...

[nvx1977]

...
...
... bad to the bone.

Full context: this is my daily commute from southern New Hampshire into Boston, Massachusetts, which is about an 80-mile round trip. Most of it is along Interstate 93, so I'm using Enhanced AutoPilot most of the way. No hypermiling techniques here, just the car's AI. I'm halfway home when the picture was taken. Morning temp was 35F. Return trip was 42F.

The traffic actually helps efficiency since there's little aerodynamic drag, and there's lots of regeneration going on. Perfect little commuting car, this Model 3. And EAP works so well in these kind of traffic conditions.

 

[jgs]

The traffic actually helps efficiency since there's little aerodynamic drag,

Point being, average speed is low? Yes.

and there's lots of regeneration going on.

That doesn't help efficiency of course, it hurts. Just not as much as friction braking.

 

[Marsnaut]

This is a random question but does the estimated 310 miles of range factor in regenerative braking?

 

[dhrivnak]

This is a random question but does the estimated 310 miles of range factor in regenerative braking?

No it would be slightly worse as regen is only 80% efficient but then that is 80% better than a gas car. While I have not seen numbers that low the Model 3 is about 26% better than the S and a little better than the Roadster

 

[Electroman]

So the message is, on chilly conditions with heating on, with stop and go speeds and in traffic, you were able to get an efficiency of 199 wh/mile ? Thats pretty good.

I see that you have driven 64 miles with 129 miles range remianing. Is that right? How much % did you charge ?

 

[Xminus6]

The M3 efficiency is shockingly good as someone who'd owned a Model S and a Model X. I wonder how much of that is attributable to the powertrain and the permanent magnet motor and how much is just the weight and size of the car. If I could get a Model X with even similar efficiency I would seriously consider that upgrade.

 

[PoitNarf]

I don’t have any idea how anyone could get below 200 Wh/mi. My first 520 miles on the odometer and so far I’m averaging 286 Wh/mi. I’m simply having way too much fun driving this thing. It’s basically impossible for me not to floor it at a green light. I just checked and my 12 mile round trip from work and back today surprisingly averaged 229 Wh/mi. That’s pretty good especially considering that I’m not going easy on the accelerator at all. Eventually I’ll calm down and drive my Model 3 more like a normal human being but I’m just enjoying testing the limits this car has for now.

 

[Tdriver]

The X is like a big box of boat anchors going down the road compared to the 3.

 

[nvx1977]

I see that you have driven 64 miles with 129 miles range remianing. Is that right? How much % did you charge ?

Very observant!

I have my charge point set at 60%, which means around 184 or 185mi when I leave for work. I'm doing better than the rated efficiency, which is why 64 + 129 > 185.

 

[nvx1977]

I don’t have any idea how anyone could get below 200 Wh/mi. My first 520 miles on the odometer and so far I’m averaging 286 Wh/mi. I’m simply having way too much fun driving this thing. It’s basically impossible for me not to floor it at a green light. I just checked and my 12 mile round trip from work and back today surprisingly averaged 229 Wh/mi. That’s pretty good especially considering that I’m not going easy on the accelerator at all. Eventually I’ll calm down and drive my Model 3 more like a normal human being but I’m just enjoying testing the limits this car has for now.

Haha, I love the car because you can drive it efficiently when you want, and you can have some fun when you want. Again I want to emphasize that my picture represents probably 95% EAP. The car got those numbers all by itself, which means theoretically all Model 3s are capable of this.

 

[Zaxxon]

I have my charge point set at 60%, which means around 184 or 185mi when I leave for work. I'm doing better than the rated efficiency, which is why 64 + 129 > 185.

Clearly it's due to your decision not to carry around too many unnecessary electrons.

 

[insaneoctane]

Does anyone have charging efficiency numbers too? It's great that we're seeing 199 or 229 Wh/mi, but I'd also like to know how much that costs me "at the pump" via my HPWC....

 

[Electricfan]

Is this your normal, everyday efficiency?

 

[drawfour]

Clearly it's due to your decision not to carry around too many unnecessary electrons.

Electrons have mass! His car is lighter and therefore takes less energy to push it forward!

 

[SageBrush]

Does anyone have charging efficiency numbers too? It's great that we're seeing 199 or 229 Wh/mi, but I'd also like to know how much that costs me "at the pump" via my HPWC....

IIRC about 9% losses during charging

 

[nvx1977]

Is this your normal, everyday efficiency?

When I'm driving around town (no EAP), and driving gently, I usually get somewhere between 210-220Wh/mi. If I'm having fun with the car, it can be much higher, depending on what fraction of the drive I'm pushing it. I've been over 300Wh/mi a few times.

 

[SageBrush]

@novox77 , are you using heating ?
Any idea what fraction of your ~ 200 Wh/mile is heating related ?

Nothing wrong with 200 Wh/mile, but honestly I'm surprised it is not better unless heating is involved. That, or the city driving killed your average ;-)

I expect the Model 3 to closely track my experience with my Prius Prime. In nice conditions and slow 30 mph driving in town my round trips average ~ 130 Wh/mile (7-8 miles per kWh.) Once I saw 110 Wh/mile for a round trip.

By the way, your photo is incriminating. It shows what time you left work ;-)

 

[nvx1977]

Does anyone have charging efficiency numbers too? It's great that we're seeing 199 or 229 Wh/mi, but I'd also like to know how much that costs me "at the pump" via my HPWC....

I think this can be broken down into two parts:

1) loss thru resistance in the wire between breaker and car
2) loss thru resistance in the battery

We can't do much about #2, but we have some control over #1. What I've noticed is that with the Model S and Gen1 UMC, when charging at max 40A, my voltage drops to around 237V. I do have a bit of a long run of 6-3 Romex (150ft), so I think that's part of my issue. However, if I drop the current down to 32A or lower, my voltage increases to around 242V. So I sacrifice a bit on charge time, but I significantly reduce resistance in the wire. That's a 5V delta, times 40A = 200W of wasted power right there.

Model 3's Gen2 UMC maxes out at 32A, and I see the 242V at max, which is great. I have the car set to 20A though, not for resistance concerns, but overall load on the subpanel with both cars charging at once.

 

[Electricfan]

When I'm driving around town (no EAP), and driving gently, I usually get somewhere between 210-220Wh/mi. If I'm having fun with the car, it can be much higher, depending on what fraction of the drive I'm pushing it. I've been over 300Wh/mi a few times.

Wow, that is awesome. Calculating the savings vs my car (S) which I get 280wh/m usually, a 3 (at 200wh/mi) would cost 660 bucks to drive 30k miles at 11c/kwh, vs 924 bucks for the S. So $264/yr if you drive 30k miles. That's not chump change. And it gets better if you have to pay more for electricity, or have to drive more per year. I don't think Tesla advertises the savings vs gasoline well enough. I wish Tesla would advertise nationally like Ford and Chevy. Anyway, congrats on the 3 and great mileage. Thanks for posting, very interesting to us non-3 Tesla owners.

 

[Enginerd]

This is a random question but does the estimated 310 miles of range factor in regenerative braking?

I think the answer is yes. The range estimate is supposed to include real-world driving considerations, such as a mix of city and highway driving, traffic, navigation, etc. So to the extent that regen happens during normal driving, it's baked into the overall range number. People will squabble over which type of range estimate is more realistic, or matches their personal situation, but it's intended to be representative of the real world using the car as designed and built.