Questions for owners in hot states (texas, Arizona, etc)

[Mikedfw]

I'm very interested in getting a model y, but have some concerns.

I drive a ton for work, between 150 and 230 miles per day and the only superchargers on my route are about 15 miles from my house. My concerns are that, being in texas with a lot of days over 100 degrees and a lot of the roads I'm on average 70-75mph, would the need to have the a/c running a lot of the time combined with the higher speeds hurt my range enough that I would be risking getting stuck?

I've seen people posting about drastically reduced range in colder climates and higher speeds, curious if anyone that has similar circumstances to mine can give any input on their range. Thanks in advance.

 

[dirkbike1]

AC is incredibly efficient, I loss very little range from heat.

 

[DanDi58]

I'm very interested in getting a model y, but have some concerns.

I drive a ton for work, between 150 and 230 miles per day and the only superchargers on my route are about 15 miles from my house. My concerns are that, being in texas with a lot of days over 100 degrees and a lot of the roads I'm on average 70-75mph, would the need to have the a/c running a lot of the time combined with the higher speeds hurt my range enough that I would be risking getting stuck?

I've seen people posting about drastically reduced range in colder climates and higher speeds, curious if anyone that has similar circumstances to mine can give any input on their range. Thanks in advance.

You'd probably want to consider getting the glass roof either tinted or getting a headliner. It's a concern of mine as well, living in NJ where it is very hot in the summer, and planning a move to Florida in about 4 years.

 

[empiredown]

TX Y here. Find shade when parked, screen the roof or grab some tint, as was said. You’ll have no drama. Love ours!

Good luck!

ß

 

[jerry33]

No issue. The X lives outside in Texas and A/C isn't a problem. I'd recommend that you set the cabin overheat protection to "on" so that the electronics are kept at a reasonable temperature. Use the App to cool the car before driving (for your comfort). The S lived outside for seven years/130K miles.

 

[bjhinkle]

The cold weather problem is due to batteries being less efficient when it is cold outside. Living in a warm or hot climate is great for having a Tesla because the batteries operate at much higher efficiency at higher temperatures. To a point.
Also cooling is much less expensive to the battery than heating. Really you are in the ideal situation for an electric car. My efficiency during winter up north drops quite a bit when I am driving with the heat on.

 

[F@kegman]

Speed is your biggest range variable. If you cruise in the left lane on Texas highways you will get lower range for sure. I had to let AP do the driving and move over a lane to stay closer to my needed range on trips.

 

[Mikedfw]

Thanks for all the replies, glad to hear ac isnt a big issue.

Speed is your biggest range variable. If you cruise in the left lane on Texas highways you will get lower range for sure. I had to let AP do the driving and move over a lane to stay closer to my needed range on trips.

This does concern me. I'm on a lot of one lane roads that are usually 70-75 mph. I know I wont get the 316 miles, just concerned I'd get less than 250, which is really kind of my cutoff point to make it home on certain days.

 

[jerry33]

Thanks for all the replies, glad to hear ac isnt a big issue.



This does concern me. I'm on a lot of one lane roads that are usually 70-75 mph. I know I wont get the 316 miles, just concerned I'd get less than 250, which is really kind of my cutoff point to make it home on certain days.

Your best shot will be to put on 19" wheels and tires. I'm pretty sure, but no first hand experience, that you'll get well over 250 miles with them. On the 20", 250 is dicey at 75 mph. I will install 19" on my X once the OE tires need replacing.

 

[bicar]

The MY range isn't great. I'd take 250 miles. I should probably drive a bit slower as on my shorter trips the range is quite decent. I don't see much impact from A/C. I'll leave it with A/C on for an hour or so at a time and it hardly has any impact. Sometime the charge level will drop 1% and sometimes not. This is southwest Florida so we see mid 90s or more throughout the summer. I consider it a non issue.

 

[im4uttx]

Thanks for all the replies, glad to hear ac isnt a big issue.

This does concern me. I'm on a lot of one lane roads that are usually 70-75 mph. I know I wont get the 316 miles, just concerned I'd get less than 250, which is really kind of my cutoff point to make it home on certain days.

So, I think the range isn't going to be an issue due to the speed or temperature, but driving habits and start/stop/hills. The 70/75 should not be too much of an impact as long as it's steady, not hitting red lights every half mile. My drive from home has a bad mix of up/down hills and red lights, so I'm seeing a lot of >300kW in my usage. But if I can get to some actual distance at speed, I've seen that drop to the 240kW range.

If you know how far you're going each day, you can get your fill-up (95-99%) before you leave home in the morning, especially on days you will hit 230+ miles. Check for destination chargers on your route, just in case. PlugShare is great for this, imo. If you can find a stop for lunch or a break where you can add a few miles, or even as a last resort on the way home, can take anxiety off the table.

 

[bicar]

I do think speed is a significant factor in the range on a charge. This is a heavy car and it takes a lot of juice to be moving it at 75-85 mph. I've made a couple 130 mile interstate trips and the charge level dropped to 50% (or a bit less). I ended up stopping at a supercharger for a 20-30 minute charge to bring it back to 80%. This is new to me and I get range anxiety very easily.

 

[jerry33]

I do think speed is a significant factor in the range on a charge. This is a heavy car and it takes a lot of juice to be moving it at 75-85 mph. I've made a couple 130 mile interstate trips and the charge level dropped to 50% (or a bit less). I ended up stopping at a supercharger for a 20-30 minute charge to bring it back to 80%. This is new to me and I get range anxiety very easily.

Weight has little to do with it. Pushing air is what's hard. Drove from Denton (TX) Supercharge to the Perry (OK) Supercharger in the X with no problems (charged to 97%--mostly at home). Yet to have range anxiety in over 130K miles of Tesla driving. One way to think about it is, if you had a Leaf, 25% of a Tesla charge would be a full charge for the Leaf. 50% charge is a lot.

 

[ZippyDC]

I did a round trip from Las Vegas to Beatty. Hot, maybe hotter than Texas. It was about 225 miles round trip. AC at 70. According stat from Tezleb the Y used 310 miles of range. I supercharged the car before the return trip.

Your 150 miles day will work but the 230 miles day will be very iffy unless you keep your speed to 65 and no AC.

 

[Mikedfw]

Thanks again for all the replies, sounds like I would be very borderline on range.

View attachment 572467 View attachment 572468

I did a round trip from Las Vegas to Beatty. Hot, maybe hotter than Texas. It was about 225 miles round trip. AC at 70. According stat from Tezleb the Y used 310 miles of range. I supercharged the car before the return trip.

Your 150 miles day will work but the 230 miles day will be very iffy unless you keep your speed to 65 and no AC.

Yeah this is kind of what I'm thinking. I mean if I know those days I could trade cars with my wife for the day, the problem is when there are problems that pop up and I have to drive out to certain places when I'm not expecting to.

I really, really wish there was an option for a bigger battery that could realistically get 300 miles, I would gladly pay more for that and not have to worry.

I drive around 40k miles a year, I really want to go electric to save money on gas and pollute less, but the available range is just so borderline for what I have to have.

 

[empiredown]

There are at least two solutions to your problem: your right foot and/or a Tesla with more range/price.

Cybertruck FTW!

ß

 

[im4uttx]

Thanks again for all the replies, sounds like I would be very borderline on range.



Yeah this is kind of what I'm thinking. I mean if I know those days I could trade cars with my wife for the day, the problem is when there are problems that pop up and I have to drive out to certain places when I'm not expecting to.

I really, really wish there was an option for a bigger battery that could realistically get 300 miles, I would gladly pay more for that and not have to worry.

I drive around 40k miles a year, I really want to go electric to save money on gas and pollute less, but the available range is just so borderline for what I have to have.

Look on PlugShare - Find Electric Vehicle Charging Locations Near You to see if there are destination chargers along your normal routes. Many are free for patrons, some restaurants, many hotels, some other businesses. Worth a shot...

There is always the new roadster coming soon with 600 miles range...
...or cybertruck...

 

[jerry33]

Thanks again for all the replies, sounds like I would be very borderline on range.



Yeah this is kind of what I'm thinking. I mean if I know those days I could trade cars with my wife for the day, the problem is when there are problems that pop up and I have to drive out to certain places when I'm not expecting to.

I really, really wish there was an option for a bigger battery that could realistically get 300 miles, I would gladly pay more for that and not have to worry.

I drive around 40k miles a year, I really want to go electric to save money on gas and pollute less, but the available range is just so borderline for what I have to have.

My understanding is that you can really get 300 if you put on the 19" wheels and tires. (There is a winter package with 19", so 19" fit fine).

 

[DanDi58]

View attachment 572467 View attachment 572468

I did a round trip from Las Vegas to Beatty. Hot, maybe hotter than Texas. It was about 225 miles round trip. AC at 70. According stat from Tezleb the Y used 310 miles of range. I supercharged the car before the return trip.

Your 150 miles day will work but the 230 miles day will be very iffy unless you keep your speed to 65 and no AC.

What version of the MY do you have?

 

[aznkukuboi]

The car can easily do 150-200 miles on a charge. Getting 230 is a little bit harder. You'd have to risk going down to 0% charge at the rate. For me, I get 2.5 miles per % of charge. So 230 miles is 92%. If you include battery degradation, you'd be pushing it.

If it's mostly under 200 miles, you'll have no problem. My city gets 100-110 degrees everyday during the summer and with tints and window shades, it helps a lot.

For your normal days, you won't have a problem. The ac in the y sucks compared to the 3. I suspect it's the heat pump. Don't expect blasting cold ac in this car.