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New Tesla Owner, battery range lower than expected
- Thread starter chriso2020
- Start date
Mr H
Active Member
The main thing about long trips is fast charging before you park for the night if there is no charging at the destination. Leaving it until the morning will allow the battery to cool down and the charge rate will be rubbish.
I’m doing a long Euro trip soon and intend to charge to 80% ish before parking up and then go back to the charger in the morning if I need to.
I’m doing a long Euro trip soon and intend to charge to 80% ish before parking up and then go back to the charger in the morning if I need to.
MrBadger
Badger out
Its not calculated. Its a physical lab test (and in some scenarios, test track/road) by a independent test centre based upon a range of test scenarios, many of which have no real relevance to most peoples seasonal driving, ie, its pretty much unobtainable except in highly controlled conditions.
Its simply a number that allows you to compare against a vehicle that had undertaken the same lab test, nothing more, nothing less. Real world, numbers will be quite different, to point that a car with a lesser WLTP may well give higher real world range, than a vehicle with higher WLTP. It all depends who ones typical journeys correlate with the lab test - spoiler alert, it won't.
Unfortunately, people see the WLTP figure that Tesla has to display and it sets false expectations. Real world is very different from a lab test. Even Teslas in car displayed range, ie 310 miles in a LR AWD is often far from obtainable for many typical journeys most of the year. And thats before you take into account that you will be unlikely to drive an EV from 100% to 0% battery.
I am sure that many people who owned a petrol/diesel didn't really believe the 60mpg that their car advertised, or at least soon learned that they were unlikely to achieve it most of the time. Its the same with an EV, except range has more importance with an EV than efficiency with a petrol/diesel so not achieving the expected range has potentially more impact than just costing a bit more in fuel.
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Jason71
Well-Known Member
The first owners of Teslas including the early M3s were mainly fans who knew what they were buying. I think there are more and more people now buying based on the company car tax savings who don't really know what they are buying and just read the headline figure on the web site and think. OK that's plenty of range and the BIK is zero. Sign me up. Some of them will be very disappointed.
This is an interesting thread, but ...
I think the OP simply hasn't realised that he needs to select "charging" on the app in order to access the slider that controls the charging "target".
But it's certainly worth pointing out to all newbies that 100% is to be avoided ... unless you are setting off on a road trip immediately thereafter.
I think the OP simply hasn't realised that he needs to select "charging" on the app in order to access the slider that controls the charging "target".
But it's certainly worth pointing out to all newbies that 100% is to be avoided ... unless you are setting off on a road trip immediately thereafter.
It's up to you with what you feel comfortable with, but no more than 90%.
I just leave mine set at 90% others leave it lower. Elon tweeted 90 is fine.
If you have a long trip, say 150miles or more you can crank it up to 100 for that trip then drop it back down. The car will moan at you (message on screen) if you charge it again at 100 or anything over 90.
Depends on what your daily needs are, and to a lesser extend how much you care about the long term health of the battery.
3 years ago I started by keeping it at 90% but now only charge to 70% as that's more than enough for me.
Despite what Elon might say the higher the SoC the greater stess on it, so from a long term POV 50-70% is better than 70-90%. That said it's there to be used so don't worry about it, if you need 90% daily then charge to that level.
If she’s got a driveway, find an ordinary 13amp socket and plug in as soon as you arrive. A few hours having lunch/chat etc and you’ll have added maybe 10-12% or more, and that will probably make the difference in not having to stop for a charge on the way home. 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.
MrBadger
Badger out
I find that I get around 11% (LR battery) in a 4 hour Go window on 10A (ie standard UK 3 pin domestic plug) charge.
Jason71
Well-Known Member
That sounds about right 4 hours at 10amps is about 9kw/h. -10% loss = 8.1kwh.
11% of an LR battery is about 8.2kwh.
spooksman
Member
Gatsojon
Member
The best advice I got from here before even collecting my Model 3P to avoid all this concern over range was to immediately swap the battery display to percentage. I’ve never swapped it back.
Of course there are times you want to know what your remaining range may be but the most reliable to get that is to look at the energy display and use the 15 or 30 mile range estimate which uses the average energy used. It addresses all the variables that significantly impact on range like the way you are driving, temperature, rain, colour if your underpants
Of course there are times you want to know what your remaining range may be but the most reliable to get that is to look at the energy display and use the 15 or 30 mile range estimate which uses the average energy used. It addresses all the variables that significantly impact on range like the way you are driving, temperature, rain, colour if your underpants
I'll be interested to see what the efficiency difference is between the Model S P100DL and the Model 3P. I'm "downgrading" from the insanity of a P100DL to a Model 3P. On the 3P the rated range is higher, the motors are more efficient, and it's a lighter and slower car... I'd hope to get nearer to ~250 of real world range.
For ref: a 2017 P100D at 100% shows 301 miles on the battery. In reality, it goes about 200 before it's brown trousers time.
OP: watch out for the winter. The first Christmas I had the Model S, I found myself in a fairly remote B&B, about 40 miles from the nearest (slow) charger. I arrived in the dark, with about 90 miles on the battery. It was snowing, and all rather beautiful, but it can rather ruin one's morning to open your eyes and find half as much lead in your pencil; no matter who you wake up next to.
Phantom drain aside, one reassuring thing: the in-car map is very accurate at predicting your state of charge whilst you're actually on a journey.
For ref: a 2017 P100D at 100% shows 301 miles on the battery. In reality, it goes about 200 before it's brown trousers time.
OP: watch out for the winter. The first Christmas I had the Model S, I found myself in a fairly remote B&B, about 40 miles from the nearest (slow) charger. I arrived in the dark, with about 90 miles on the battery. It was snowing, and all rather beautiful, but it can rather ruin one's morning to open your eyes and find half as much lead in your pencil; no matter who you wake up next to.
Phantom drain aside, one reassuring thing: the in-car map is very accurate at predicting your state of charge whilst you're actually on a journey.
MrBadger
Badger out
I recon on around 230-240 real world winter 'trip' miles in our LR AWD. Then reduce further for battery levels, so potentially ~160-205 miles if keeping within 90-20%/95-10% battery. Not done a long trip in summer yet but expect significantly better. 'Trip' miles are majority motorways at legal speeds, winter is typical UK winter temperatures, avg 5-10C and not a boiling hot cabin.
Mr H
Active Member
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