Model Y LR Range Reduced?

[Stevo75]

I have 2021 Model Y LR that I purchased last December. It now has about 14,000 miles on it. The published range for this car is 326 miles. I noticed recently that when I charge the battery to 100%, the range is shown as 305 miles (94% of the advertised range). I know the car never really gets the full rated range due to weather, weight, hills, and even tricks Tesla does with the EPA estimates, but I recall that when the car was new the gauge would say my range was 326 miles at 100% charge. A Better Route Planner says that my battery has no degradation and has a 75.3 kWh capacity. The calibrated reference consumption is 282 Wh/mi.

We regularly drive to my parent's house, which is a hilly 200 mile drive through NH & VT that we could do without a problem last winter when the car was new. Now this summer if the battery is anywhere less than 90% when we leave, the car will tell us that we will need to stop to charge along the way.

Does anyone know if Tesla has changed the way it calculates range? Is it possible that the car is limiting the min/max charge to improve the battery's lifetime? Or is it possible the battery has degraded and ABRP hasn't detected it yet?

 

[Dennisis]

The range reduction when using the 20" Induction wheels versus the 19" Gemini wheels varies with speed. At a constant 70 MPH the estimated efficiency loss is ~6%, theoretically the range when new would have been 306 miles. Here is a chart:

Range loss with the different wheel options

Interesting. I will read this thread more fully later. I am curious to find out how wheel size influences range. It sounds like it has an effect on air drag. Also they mention that this is at constant speeds, and if the rotational inertia were considered the larger heavier wheels would be even less efficient.

Altogether that’s why I’m considering my actual rated range (when new) as 300 miles, should be close.
Edit: I should note none of the app's I checked made any attempt to account for wheel size and stuck with the EPA figure - something to consider when using them.

 

[tonyb99]

I don't know for sure, but I suspect Tesla estimates this factor using an adaptive formula that is continuously updated based on driving style, conditions, and history, and the scale factor is therefore different for every car and driver. If the OP's expected range is decreasing I would think this is due to his driving conditions being more demanding than whatever (ideal) default conditions were used in the initial expected range calculation, i.e., more hills or acceleration than Elon used when he came up with his advertised expected range

No, the factor is simply based on the EPA range applied to the current measured capacity of the battery. Elon did not come up with the expected range, the EPA did.

 

[jcanoe]

No, the factor is simply based on the EPA range applied to the current measured capacity of the battery. Elon did not come up with the expected range, the EPA did.

Tesla ran the dyno tests and submitted the test data to the EPA. Tesla could have voluntarily lowered the estimated range estimate (Ford did this for the Mach-E) but chose not to do so.

 

[jcanoe]

Interesting. I will read this thread more fully later. I am curious to find out how wheel size influences range. It sounds like it has an effect on air drag. Also they mention that this is at constant speeds, and if the rotational inertia were considered the larger heavier wheels would be even less efficient.

The Youtube video "Why Big Wheels Are A Bad Idea On Electric Cars" embedded at the bottom of this article provides a good analysis: Here's how tire and wheel choice affects electric vehicle range

 

[Dennisis]

The Youtube video "Why Big Wheels Are A Bad Idea On Electric Cars" embedded at the bottom of this article provides a good analysis: Here's how tire and wheel choice affects electric vehicle range

Wow, good info. I still love my 20's but want to ensure when I'm calculating my rated range I'm figuring in the efficiency hit I'm taking properly. If starting with the EPA gemini 19 numbers and comparing it to my real life 20 number's it's going to look worse than it actually is, so that's a relief - I started out lower than EPA. 10% reduction after 14 months and 11000 miles is normal but 13% would be on the high side. Appreciate you taking your time!

 

[rjpjnk]

No, the factor is simply based on the EPA range applied to the current measured capacity of the battery. Elon did not come up with the expected range, the EPA did.

?? The scale factor I am referring to is obviously updated continuously while driving. I can see it change. Tesla calls it Wh/mi, and it is displayed on the left axis of the energy plot. This is the one that can be used to estimate the battery’s current capacity. The EPA scale factor is the one based on testing and is a constant for the model, I.e. it does not change with driving style and conditions.

 

[MaJeK8ball]

I have 2021 Model Y LR that I purchased last December. It now has about 14,000 miles on it. The published range for this car is 326 miles. I noticed recently that when I charge the battery to 100%, the range is shown as 305 miles (94% of the advertised range). I know the car never really gets the full rated range due to weather, weight, hills, and even tricks Tesla does with the EPA estimates, but I recall that when the car was new the gauge would say my range was 326 miles at 100% charge. A Better Route Planner says that my battery has no degradation and has a 75.3 kWh capacity. The calibrated reference consumption is 282 Wh/mi.

We regularly drive to my parent's house, which is a hilly 200 mile drive through NH & VT that we could do without a problem last winter when the car was new. Now this summer if the battery is anywhere less than 90% when we leave, the car will tell us that we will need to stop to charge along the way.

Does anyone know if Tesla has changed the way it calculates range? Is it possible that the car is limiting the min/max charge to improve the battery's lifetime? Or is it possible the battery has degraded and ABRP hasn't detected it yet?

Stevo 75,
I have a "Performance" Model Y and have a similar issue. I have 13k miles after 19 mo of ownership. Originally I had 244 miles of range when the battery was set to 80%, which gave me around 306 on a full charge- which was fine. Now, 13k miles later, I get only 220 miles at 80% or 275 miles on a full charge. So I've lost about 10% of range. This reduction has occurred mostly over the past 6 months. Based on comments here, it seems to be normal, Disappointed in the range decrease to say the least. I was thinking Tesla was using a different method to calculate this as well. Did Tesla ever give you an answer? I have an appt set up for Tesla to run tests but it's several weeks out.

 

[mikepatel3596]

I have 2021 Model Y LR that I purchased last December. It now has about 14,000 miles on it. The published range for this car is 326 miles. I noticed recently that when I charge the battery to 100%, the range is shown as 305 miles (94% of the advertised range). I know the car never really gets the full rated range due to weather, weight, hills, and even tricks Tesla does with the EPA estimates, but I recall that when the car was new the gauge would say my range was 326 miles at 100% charge. A Better Route Planner says that my battery has no degradation and has a 75.3 kWh capacity. The calibrated reference consumption is 282 Wh/mi.

We regularly drive to my parent's house, which is a hilly 200 mile drive through NH & VT that we could do without a problem last winter when the car was new. Now this summer if the battery is anywhere less than 90% when we leave, the car will tell us that we will need to stop to charge along the way.

Does anyone know if Tesla has changed the way it calculates range? Is it possible that the car is limiting the min/max charge to improve the battery's lifetime? Or is it possible the battery has degraded and ABRP hasn't detected it yet?

I am having the same issue, mine wend down from 326 to 290. Down 36 miles. I have open the service call, hopefully they will help.

 

[mikepatel3596]

I am having the same issue, mine wend down from 326 to 290. Down 36 miles. I have open the service call, hopefully they will help.

 

[MaJeK8ball]

I am having the same issue, mine wend down from 326 to 290. Down 36 miles. I have open the service call, hopefully they will help.

Let me know what Tesla says. I had them look at mine and was told the vehicle is working within Tesla's accepted parameters.

 

[mikepatel3596]

That is the crap answer I have also got. Not sure what I can do. What is the point of buying Long Range if the battery don't last. I don't think anything is going to come out from my service visit. On my first service call they did not even come home and close my service call and said we checked the car remotely and battery was fine. I had to push then to give me service center appointment.

 

[Pianewman]

mikepatel3596: Please calm yourself by doing some research about this topic. You will learn that these batteries are quite robust, and that most, if not all, have lost some minimal capacity within the first few months of ownership. This is normal.

There are many, many reasons for this "perceived" capacity loss, some of them real, some of them simply learning how to interpret what the numbers actually mean. Research.

 

[mikepatel3596]

mikepatel3596: Please calm yourself by doing some research about this topic. You will learn that these batteries are quite robust, and that most, if not all, have lost some minimal capacity within the first few months of ownership. This is normal.

There are many, many reasons for this "perceived" capacity loss, some of them real, some of them simply learning how to interpret what the numbers actually mean. Research.

Thank you sir, I was little worried about them not even doing anything to address my issue and as a new owner I still trying to learn the process of how Tesla is dealing with customer. Knowing that I am not the only one has this issue and hearing for users like you kind of puts my mind at ease. It was kind of disappointing experience with Tesla about the battery issue on how they handle my service call. lol

 

[jcanoe]

That is the crap answer I have also got. Not sure what I can do. What is the point of buying Long Range if the battery don't last. I don't think anything is going to come out from my service visit. On my first service call they did not even come home and close my service call and said we checked the car remotely and battery was fine. I had to push then to give me service center appointment.

If you change the Tesla display settings from showing estimated range (miles) to % state of charge (SOC) on the battery display you will have a more accurate insight into the state of the battery. The range estimate is based on the dyno test data that Tesla submitted to the EPA, not your actual driving and climate control system energy consumption. You can set the battery status icon to display % SOC under the Display settings. (In the latest release you can tap on the number displayed next to the battery icon to switch between estimated range and % SOC.)

Try and maintain the battery SOC between 30% and 80% even up to 90%; charging above 90% even to 100% if required for a trip. With colder weather coming I would leave more of a cushion in case of bad weather and traffic delays.

 

[Tha_Ape]

I used to care about that (recent owner--- 4mo), then I took a long trip and realized the only thing you REALLY need to care about is making it to the next SC station. 5% could make a difference, but not likely... generally you'll just spend a couple min more at a SC before you head to your next one.

 

[Johnny Vector]

I used to care about that (recent owner--- 4mo), then I took a long trip and realized the only thing you REALLY need to care about is making it to the next SC station. 5% could make a difference, but not likely... generally you'll just spend a couple min more at a SC before you head to your next one.

Exactly. (Warning: US-centric thoughts follow.) If you're driving to a trailhead in the Wind River Mountains, or towing an Alto around the four corners states, then yes that last few percent can make the difference. If you're driving just the car on most interstates then it hardly does. If you're driving anywhere along the East coast, it really doesn't matter; there's another Supercharger somewhere in the next 30 miles or so.

And every couple days a new Supercharger opens somewhere in the US, so it just keeps getting easier.

 

[shannonc13]

I've owned my 2020 Model for 14 months. My model Y included a document from Tesla stating that the battery capacity (when new) was 74 kWh (this document was intended to be used as documentation to be submitted for a State of Maryland rebate.) I believe the usable capacity (when new) was ~72 kWh.) Based on my recent calculations I believe my Model Y currently has a usable capacity of ~65 kWH. This is approximately 10% less than when new.

I anticipated that the battery in my Model Y would lose some measurable capacity during the first year. That is why you should always purchase the larger battery if more than one battery configuration is offered.

I have never seen an option for a new Tesla purchase in the United States for “a larger battery” option. this is only based on new Tesla purchase in 2020-2022.

 

[jcanoe]

I have never seen an option for a new Tesla purchase in the United States for “a larger battery” option. this is only based on new Tesla purchase in 2020-2022.

The choice was for a smaller battery option versus the Long Range Model Y. For a brief period in 2020 you could order, purchase and take delivery of a Standard Range (RWD only) Model Y. The SR Model Y had a 25% smaller capacity battery pack, i.e. the same as the no longer available SR+ Model 3 (approximately 55kWh.) After introducing the SR Model Tesla dropped the price twice until the cost was $38,990 US and then abruptly removed the SR Model Y from the online order page shortly thereafter. The SR Model Y was even available in the 7 seat configuration.

 

[Krobbler]

For those of you freaking out about calculated range at X charge please search on this forum or YouTube "tesla BMS calibration".

The BMS is constantly checking pack voltages to determine or estimate peak pack capacity. Your charge habits will change this calculation drastically which can cause estimated range to reduce even though your pack capacity has not reduced. I also freaked out about this when I purchased my used model 3 until I changed my habits to allow the BMS to recalculate better.

 

[mikepatel3596]

I was just still wondering and still struggling with mine, just trying to understand and see if I am the only one has this issue or all or you guys are also having this range issue. What is the range left for you all? when I bought my long range it was at 325, now at 90% it's at 270. How is it on your cars?

I open 2 service calls with them and both got cancelled by Tesla saying we checked your car over the air and nothing wrong.

Appreciate everyone's help.