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Percentage vs Miles

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Cigar Man

Intriguing Human
Supporting Member
Jul 23, 2020
287
316
McAllen, Texas
Okay okay - I know there are a lot of threads that discuss the merits of having the percentage of energy left in the battery displayed as opposed to having the number of miles left in the battery. Most threads say to use percentage.

But why? Why is percentage better?
 
Okay okay - I know there are a lot of threads that discuss the merits of having the percentage of energy left in the battery displayed as opposed to having the number of miles left in the battery. Most threads say to use percentage.

But why? Why is percentage better?

For me, it’s because I want to operate it within a specific SoC % range in order to minimize battery degradation and maximize the lifespan of the battery.

When using miles instead, I find it to encourage one to monitor the estimated range fluctuations unnecessarily, which often mislead you to believe there is premature degradation going on, when really, it’s just the BMS losing calibration with the packs true capacity. This is the only time when I find it useful to use miles instead, when I want to check on the calibration accuracy. If the miles are lower than expected, I will then allow it to sleep for several hours at various SoC in order to recalibrate the BMS.
 
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First time Tesla owner here. I had it on miles for the first week (had the car since Sept) and was very comfortable having it on miles. Decided to try out the percentage and never looked back. It just makes more sense for me and you just gota try it to really understand why it might be better. On my previous cars I had a gas gauge and i never used the “miles remaining” indicator. The percentage to me is kinda like my gas gauge. Half a tank left = 50% battery, 1/4 tank = 25% battery.

Also like what many people have been saying about the miles. It’s not a accurate number. Let’s say a full charge is 325 miles. When the battery is at 50%, does that mean the car has 162.5 miles left? If the answer is no, then why have it on miles?
 
I first started driving in the mid-1980’s. The car never told you how many miles you had left. You just saw the fuel gauge, which had markings at Full, 3/4, Half, and 1/4 tank. I drove easy using that as my guide. Then cars came out with gauges that also showed you “miles remaining”, and I have used that since 2010.

I think of battery % as the same as when I first started driving. I use battery % for the Tesla, but if I had any “true” confidence in the mileage readout...I would use that instead. But I don’t...so I don’t.
 
Yes, miles is an accurate number. If you drive like the EPA did when they rated the car at 326 miles. I do not, but I know that I will get about 20% less than the EPA figure, so I automatically adjust the mileage figure by 20%. Knowing I have say 32% of the battery I would have to calculate 32% of 80% of 326. Miles is easier (must qualify that statement - easier for me)
 
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Yes, miles is an accurate number. If you drive like the EPA did when they rated the car at 326 miles. I do not, but I know that I will get about 20% less than the EPA figure, so I automatically adjust the mileage figure by 20%. Knowing I have say 32% of the battery I would have to calculate 32% of 80% of 326. Miles is easier (must qualify that statement - easier for me)

325 miles was a bad example to use and I wasn’t trying to compare it epa. That number will always fluctuate. Same goes for your 20%, that percentage will fluctuate as well. I think ultimately it all comes down to personal preference. As long as the car gets you comfortably from point A to point B, it’s all good.
 
I used miles on my X and now use % on my Y. The problem with miles is its too easy to remember the number at your given charge. Say you normally charge to 90% and that results in 240 miles. You do that for a while and then one day 90% gets you 239 or 238. This freaks people out making them think they are having degradation when as others have mentioned, its just time to balance the pack. Its a lot less stressful to use %.
 
Because % is accurate vs. the GOM (Guess-o-Meter) for miles left which is just based off past usage.

Incorrect. On a Tesla, miles are displayed as Rated Miles (based in the EPA rating), not estimated miles based on recent driving like a Nissan LEAF and most (all?) other EVs.

The key difference between miles and % is that miles will show you battery degradation and % does not. As the battery ages, a 100% charge holds less energy, and thus, will take you fewer miles. New, my Model 3 displayed 303 miles at 100% state of charge. Today, my Model 3 displays 285 miles at 100% state of charge.

I prefer to keep it on % instead of miles, although I will occasionally toggle back and forth to see what a full charge is.

Estimated range based on recent driving (GOM) is available in the energy graph.
 
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I leave it on percent and when I want to calculate estimated remaining miles, I calculate rough kw I have left and multiply it by 3 (because I get about 3 miles per kw).

If you are only getting 3 miles per kwh, 3 miles per percent would only apply to a 100 kwh battery. I use about 240 wh/mi, so 3 miles per percent is about right for me.

If you are getting 3 miles per kwh (333 wh/mi is pretty high), your range would be 74*3=222 miles, so 2.2 miles per percent of battery.
 
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I leave it on percent and when I want to calculate estimated remaining miles, I calculate rough kw I have left and multiply it by 3 (because I get about 3 miles per kw).

That’s what I do too. I assume 3 miles x 74kwh = 222 total miles.

If you are at 80% battery, then approximately 180 miles (80% of 222miles), if 60% then 130 miles, 40% then 90 miles, and 20% then 45 miles. (I round to an easy to remember number.).