New Tesla Owner, battery range lower than expected

[Daverh]

I've charged to 100% a couple of times before long journeys and found that I wasted that extra few % through lack of regen. My reckoning is that 100% is pointless unless you're literally a couple of miles from the motorway/dual carriageway and you plan to drive under the speed limit. The lack of regen means that the power is just wasted if you had to drive in an urban environment for any length of time.

I remember going on a sales trip (by plane, car, train etc) round the US some years back with a guy whose catch-line was “never miss an opportunity”. He really meant it in terms of having a bathroom break whenever there was a chance, but actually it’s a really good principle for EV charging as well.

That reminds of of Billy Connolly's advice for growing old; never pass a toilet, never waste an erection and never trust a fart.

 

[UrbanSplash]

In case anyone is remotely interested, 100% charge on a new Model 3 P indicates 309 miles of range. I'd expect that to go up a mile or two as the battery gets conditioned, but of course I don't charge to 100% normally...

My 6 month old LR range shown at 100% on the app slider has recently gone from 309 to 296 which I don’t understand. Never charged to 100%. Change range 30-80% and used a Supercharger once on pickup.

 

[Jason71]

My 6 month old LR range shown at 100% on the app slider has recently gone from 309 to 296 which I don’t understand. Never charged to 100%. Change range 30-80% and used a Supercharger once on pickup.

There is a theory that says you need to charge to 100 from time to time to -"balance the pack". No idea if it has any basis.

 

[UrbanSplash]

294 today

 

[mrobins64495]

294 today

Driving style maybe? - 294 isn’t awful

 

[davidmc]

294 today

Happy Birthday

 

[mrkisskiss]

The range figures seem pretty arbitrary to be honest. Did a little trip yesterday of 162 miles.

Left home with 100% charge: 309 miles
Trip distance: 162 miles

I returned with 89 miles on the battery.

58 miles “lost” in the aether.

I don’t know how they can quote a range of 329 miles, when a brand new battery at 100% shows 309. But, I’m sure it’s my fault.

People will argue driving style etc. It doesn’t really matter; for me, the car has a real world range about 2/3rds of the advertised figure. My S did too.

Remember that when planning trips!

 

[Jason71]

The range figures seem pretty arbitrary to be honest. Did a little trip yesterday of 162 miles.

Left home with 100% charge: 309 miles
Trip distance: 162 miles

I returned with 89 miles on the battery.

58 miles “lost” in the aether.

I don’t know how they can quote a range of 329 miles, when a brand new battery at 100% shows 309. But, I’m sure it’s my fault.

People will argue driving style etc. It doesn’t really matter; for me, the car has a real world range about 2/3rds of the advertised figure. My S did too.

Remember that when planning trips!

Its not a case of "how can they quote a range of 329 miles" they are literally legally bound to do so since that is the official WLTP range.
If you bought an ICE car it would have the fuel consumption at a constant 56 quoted but based on your experience of cars you know that that is totally unachievable and is only of value to compare between cars. Well this is the same except lots of people read it and believe it.
Even Tesla know its useless which is why they don't use it when displaying the likely range of the car. And even that range is optimum and hard to achieve. If this is your second Tesla you must have known this stuff going in surely?

 

[Adopado]

My 6 month old LR range shown at 100% on the app slider has recently gone from 309 to 296 which I don’t understand.

...but that isn't a statement of range. It's an estimate of range. As we all know the reality will be different. It would be literally impossible to give you a statement of actual range ... no vehicle history has ever been able to do that. Switch to percentage and look at your energy screen once in a while if concerned during a particular journey ... and of course that changes all the time to account for driving conditions, which is why you can't have an accurate initial statement of range in the first place.

 

[Neilio]

Welcome to EV ownership. The quoted range is what you tell your friends and family. Knock off 20 - 30% for the real world.

I would add that's not just EV ownership. I have a diesel estate with a quoted 47.1 MPG. I do mainly motorway driving (which theoretically would be better for a diesel than an EV), and I have averaged 36.2 MPG since buying the car new 3 years ago.

Compare cost of diesel to cost of charging (even on the most expensive fast chargers) and that discrepancy is WAY more expansive then any range discrepancy in an EV

 

[darkNstormy]

I normally enjoy my Model 3's acceleration capabilities with aplomb. However, yesterday's trip from Teesside to Cheshire was much more sedate. Normally I will drive to Burtonwood SC and charge for 30 minutes and eventually get to my destination in about 3 hours 30 minutes. Yesterday I just slotted in behind various lorries on autopilot at 58 mph and got to my destination in 2 h 38 m with 53% battery remaining. Ended up being about 180 Wh/mi.

Also got a wave from another MSM M3 at the M1 / M62 junction so very pleasant all in all. Hi again if you happen to be on this forum!!

 

[Neilio]

I normally enjoy my Model 3's acceleration capabilities with aplomb. However, yesterday's trip from Teesside to Cheshire was much more sedate. Normally I will drive to Burtonwood SC and charge for 30 minutes and eventually get to my destination in about 3 hours 30 minutes. Yesterday I just slotted in behind various lorries on autopilot at 58 mph and got to my destination in 2 h 38 m with 53% battery remaining. Ended up being about 180 Wh/mi.

Also got a wave from another MSM M3 at the M1 / M62 junction so very pleasant all in all. Hi again if you happen to be on this forum!!

I'm might be asking you for travel trips when my M3P arrives. I'm originally from Teesside and will be taking it up to see family there often. From the looks of it the only SC nearby is at Scotch Corner?

 

[Jason71]

I normally enjoy my Model 3's acceleration capabilities with aplomb. However, yesterday's trip from Teesside to Cheshire was much more sedate. Normally I will drive to Burtonwood SC and charge for 30 minutes and eventually get to my destination in about 3 hours 30 minutes. Yesterday I just slotted in behind various lorries on autopilot at 58 mph and got to my destination in 2 h 38 m with 53% battery remaining. Ended up being about 180 Wh/mi.

Also got a wave from another MSM M3 at the M1 / M62 junction so very pleasant all in all. Hi again if you happen to be on this forum!!

I don't quite follow the maths. Normally you cain it and charge for 30 minutes and it takes 3h30m which means the driving time is 3 hours.
This time you took it easy did not charge and the driving time was 2:38. What am I missing?

 

[darkNstormy]

I don't quite follow the maths. Normally you cain it and charge for 30 minutes and it takes 3h30m which means the driving time is 3 hours.
This time you took it easy did not charge and the driving time was 2:38. What am I missing?

There's the detour time to the supercharger and then the destination. Necessitated by not having a charging solution there but that's now sorted.

 

[Bernard_S]

My model 3 P- is showing range a reduction in range of 7.2% from when I got it exactly a year ago. It's only done 6100 miles. Seems a bit excessive doesn't it ?

I rarely supercharge and normally charge in the 60 to 80 % range. Dropped to 10% once and charged to 100 % once. Figures are from TeslaFi and also calculating it from SOC and remaining range.

 

[MikeHolliday]

My 6 month old LR range shown at 100% on the app slider has recently gone from 309 to 296 which I don’t understand. Never charged to 100%. Change range 30-80% and used a Supercharger once on pickup.

I thought that I read resently that the solftware is now trying to project range based on your specific personal driving habits. Did I read wrong? Can someone correct me...

 

[Bernard_S]

I thought that I read resently that the solftware is now trying to project range based on your specific personal driving habits. Did I read wrong? Can someone correct me...

I don't think it does.

 

[Dilly]

278/9/80 is what I get for around 80%.
Short journeys such as popping a few miles to the shops, eat into range far more than a decent journey and particularly the autumn/winter months.

 

[MikeHolliday]

The range figures seem pretty arbitrary to be honest. Did a little trip yesterday of 162 miles.

Left home with 100% charge: 309 miles
Trip distance: 162 miles

I returned with 89 miles on the battery.

58 miles “lost” in the aether.

I don’t know how they can quote a range of 329 miles, when a brand new battery at 100% shows 309. But, I’m sure it’s my fault.

People will argue driving style etc. It doesn’t really matter; for me, the car has a real world range about 2/3rds of the advertised figure. My S did too.

Remember that when planning trips!

I believe that the range in a Model 3 is based on 225 watts/mile. If you are driving or accelerating fast, then you are going to burn through more wat/mile and therefore have a shorter range.

I have a Model Y I charge to 80% which shows 254 miles of range. I live in a suburb and drive to my daughters and back 30 miles round trip with the air conditioner at 73 degrees and the fan on level 8 and Autopilot is on 90% of the trip, so I am within 5mph of the speed limit. If I am staying within the speed limit and not horsing around I arrive back home many times with 228 miles of range, so I am actually doing better range wise than Tesla projects.

I also have a collection of sports cars. One of my 48 year old car gets 24 mpg if I am cruising the back roads at 55mph, leave a stoplight gentlely, don't race the engine and stay within the speed limit. But when I really have fun it drops way down to about 12 mpg. It is the exact same situation, no difference...

 

[Lx2m3]

Mine’s worse.
I’ve done 5600 miles in exactly one year and is 8.72% down. Quite disappointed.
TeslaFi says:
There are 51 vehicles with charges at your current odometer reading.
51 Vehicles have a higher range. 0 Vehicles have a lower range.