range anxiety

[railroader1988]

haven't received my vehicle yet, but panic is setting in like most newbies... just read a thread on facebook of a lady only getting 300km, on a charge, she drove 3.5 hrs at an average of 120km/hr... long-range Y, is this realistic range for a LR Y ? even more panic, since I've ordered the MYP

how bad are EV's in the winter, I was figuring 20-30% range drop, but others even suggest 50%, just can't imagine only getting 150-200km on a charge in the winter...

thanks

 

[jcanoe]

In winter your range will be less, perhaps 40% less. You need to let go of the ICE paradigm of filling up the fuel tank and driving until the fuel gauge is near empty. In an EV you will stop more often to charge but the charging stops will be short, usually much less than 30 minutes. You won't want to charge above 80% when on the road (takes too long when using a Supercharger once the state of charge is at 80% to charge to 90% or more.)

Take the time to learn how to use A Better Route Planner (ABRP). ABRP is available on the internet and also as an app for your phone. ABRP will help you by showing, in detail, recommended charging stops along a route. Typically the Tesla Supercharger network is built out along the major routes so that you are never more than ~200km (2 to 2.5 hours drive) from a Supercharger station.

With the CCS charging adapter (available in S. Korea and coming to N.A.) you will have more charging options when on a trip.

 

[Fourdoor]

haven't received my vehicle yet, but panic is setting in like most newbies... just read a thread on facebook of a lady only getting 300km, on a charge, she drove 3.5 hrs at an average of 120km/hr... long-range Y, is this realistic range for a LR Y ? even more panic, since I've ordered the MYP

how bad are EV's in the winter, I was figuring 20-30% range drop, but others even suggest 50%, just can't imagine only getting 150-200km on a charge in the winter...

thanks

In good summer weather at 120 km/hr on the highway you should be able to get 400 KM out of a MY LR, slightly less with the MYP. That is 100% to 0% at highway speeds. In reality on a road trip you will probably be charging from 20% to 80% (60% usage band) as a newbie, giving you 240 km of range... if you do a lot of road trips, when you are more experienced and are trying to get the shortest travel time on a road trip you will be doing 10% or less up to 60% (50% usage band, 200 KM range) due to the nature of the charging curve.

Winter conditions mean different things to different people. Cold temperatures with no snow on the road? 20% to 30% range loss. Blizzard conditions where your front bumper is acting as a snow plow? 50% or worse range loss.

Keith

 

[Mingw]

Sounds you are not ready for an EV.

Majority of US EV owners have daily access to L1/L2 charger and top off often. Range is only a concern for trips.

 

[DrGriz]

haven't received my vehicle yet, but panic is setting in like most newbies... just read a thread on facebook of a lady only getting 300km, on a charge, she drove 3.5 hrs at an average of 120km/hr... long-range Y, is this realistic range for a LR Y ? even more panic, since I've ordered the MYP

how bad are EV's in the winter, I was figuring 20-30% range drop, but others even suggest 50%, just can't imagine only getting 150-200km on a charge in the winter...

thanks

Where are you planning on going in the winter? How far and how often? Just like with an ICE vehicle, winter driving range is reduced, especially if you are going up and over multiple mountain passes. Fast chargers are further apart, however. Do you have to reliably and routinely travel over 300 km in a day in blizzards?

As others have pointed out, you have to plan for longer trips. Owning an EV can be a thinking person's sport in winter. That said, where I live, 100 miles and two 2500 foot mountain passes from the nearest supercharger, I would not be concerned about getting home at night in a blizzard in winter if I started out with >90% charge.

 

[railroader1988]

thanks to all that replied...
as an update, another part of my concern is I have to leave the vehicle un plugged at work for upto 36 hrs, and yes in the winter also, with temps dropping to -25c routinely

 

[andaconda]

It takes a while to get over range anxiety. First thing to do is switch from miles to percentage! Then treat the percentage like a “gas” gauge. When you get low on “fuel” plug it in. Don’t over think it. Don’t worry about leaving it unplugged for a few days!

 

[fstop11]

haven't received my vehicle yet, but panic is setting in like most newbies... just read a thread on facebook of a lady only getting 300km, on a charge, she drove 3.5 hrs at an average of 120km/hr... long-range Y, is this realistic range for a LR Y ? even more panic, since I've ordered the MYP

how bad are EV's in the winter, I was figuring 20-30% range drop, but others even suggest 50%, just can't imagine only getting 150-200km on a charge in the winter...

thanks

Range anxiety is real for those buying their first EV, but trust me; you will get over it. Unless you can’t charge at home, concerns are often overblown when you consider how far you actually drive on average per day. Not knowing your situation, if you think you can make it on a typical day without having to recharge mid-day and have at-home charging, you will be fine. However, I note you chose the MYP, which has a shorter range than the MYLR with 19” wheels, so I assume you weren’t too concerned with the reduced range.

Going EV is a paradigm shift. Much of your actual range comes down to the choices you make. In the winter, will you choose to use the HVAC system for heat instead of the seat heaters? That reduces range. You just need to be conscious of the choices you make if you don’t think you’ll make it on a single charge. I’d say that for about 90 percent of the population, any Tesla’s range is more than enough to get through a typical day. There are always edge cases where their circumstances don’t fit the norm, and in those cases, maybe an ICE is still the best choice. But those cases are the exception rather than the rule. But consider that a typical ICE gets about 300 miles of range on a tank, and the difference is less dramatic than people think.

 

[DrGriz]

thanks to all that replied...
as an update, another part of my concern is I have to leave the vehicle un plugged at work for upto 36 hrs, and yes in the winter also, with temps dropping to -25c routinely

A cold battery will cost you a little range. You need to warm it up before you take off. But we're talking no more than 2% or so over 36 hours, unless you put it into sentry mode. That will cost a little more.

 

[davewill]

Are there Superchargers in your area? Honestly, that's much more important having a big battery. I came from a LEAF with only 80 mi on it's best day, and a RAV4EV with only 100 or so at the best. I have the shortest range model 3, but I wouldn't hesitate to head out on a long trip because of the Supercharger network.

Does your commute to work stretch the car's range at all? If not, don't sweat it.

 

[sleepydoc]

thanks to all that replied...
as an update, another part of my concern is I have to leave the vehicle un plugged at work for upto 36 hrs, and yes in the winter also, with temps dropping to -25c routinely

How far is it to work for you?

 

[howardnj]

haven't received my vehicle yet, but panic is setting in like most newbies... just read a thread on facebook of a lady only getting 300km, on a charge, she drove 3.5 hrs at an average of 120km/hr... long-range Y, is this realistic range for a LR Y ? even more panic, since I've ordered the MYP

how bad are EV's in the winter, I was figuring 20-30% range drop, but others even suggest 50%, just can't imagine only getting 150-200km on a charge in the winter...

thanks

railroader1988

I am in the same boat as you. I haven't received my vehicle yet either but not only do I have some range anxiety for my future Tesla, I also have it for my current ICE vehicle.
This past Friday I had to make a trip from NJ to LI a total distance of 56 miles. That trip took me three hours in bumper to bumper traffic. The return was only 2 1/2 hours with a total 5 1/2 hours of bumper to bumper traffic round trip
I think if I had my Tesla and left with a full charge I would have had no problem even though the outside temperature was 95 to 100F
I seem to recall a year or two ago a blizzard shut down I95 in Va and vehicles were stuck and not moving for 28 hours. The news reports mentioned that there were some Tesla vehicles stuck in traffic and they made out ok while ICE vehicles were running out of gas.

 

[gx9901]

The MYP is my first EV. I've researched it a lot before and after delivery (and still trying to learn as much as I can about it on these forums), and I honestly have not had any range anxiety at any time since I feel like I have a very good handle on its energy consumption characteristics. I can estimate consumption based on anticipated usage and adjust when things didn't go according to plan. It also helps that there's a decent Supercharger network around my metro area.

As an example, yesterday I took my MYP to a track for some performance driving instructions. The track is about 20 miles away, with no nearby Superchargers, and we get seven 20-minute driving sessions. Knowing what I had in store for the day, I charged it to 100% and drove the car to the track in Chill mode, arriving with 94% SOC. The first two sessions only took off about 14%, so I thought I was in good shape to finish all seven sessions. But by the third session I was driving faster and it took off 15%. The next session was even faster and took about 20%. Knowing that I wasn't going to make it through all seven sessions at this rate, I cut the sixth and seventh sessions short and ended up leaving myself about 17% SOC to go home. Driving home without A/C on, I arrived home at 8%, all the while with no range anxiety whatsoever because I had a good handle on consumption.

I will say that instead of range anxiety, if I ever go on a road trip I would have tire and software issue anxiety. Tire because there is no spare. Software because I read about glitches/problems and stuff on these forums.

 

[mswlogo]

If you are the slightest bit concerned about range. Why on earth are you throwing away 10% of your range for a Performance?

You forgot to include degradation. Which is real and can be significant over a couple years.

LR is plenty fast, especially with boost. And if you plan on using all that power regularly you can kiss efficiency good by.

Your paying extra for a harsher ride, more potential blow outs and 10% less range.

 

[NeverGoingBack]

Definitely avoid facebook and redit threads about battery and range if you want to fight range anxiety. Read the range-related threads here instead. Way more (although not totally) balanced and facual.

And, as others have said, it will pass.

For what it’s worth, you can sit in a traffic jam for several days without losing much charge. Unlike ICE, you don’t lose significant range when you’re not moving.

 

[jcanoe]

thanks to all that replied...
as an update, another part of my concern is I have to leave the vehicle un plugged at work for upto 36 hrs, and yes in the winter also, with temps dropping to -25c routinely

Plugged in or not the Tesla Model Y will not expend energy to warm the battery unless A) you are charging, B) Preconditioning the vehicle prior to driving or C) while driving. Cold temperatures will not normally damage the battery but there is a caveat of not exposing the Tesla Model Y to temperatures below -22F (-30C) for more than 24 hours at a time.

When the battery is cold it must be warmed prior to charging. At extreme cold temperature when driving power may be reduced, there will be no regenerative braking.

 

[TomServo]

A cold battery will cost you a little range. You need to warm it up before you take off. But we're talking no more than 2% or so over 36 hours, unless you put it into sentry mode. That will cost a little more.

Make that "A COLD CABIN AND BATTERY...." ALWAYS precondition the CAR in COLD temps on shore power before heading out. I learned the car is far more efficient if I'm running a bunch of short errands to leave the HVAC ON when you stop and exit the vehicle. If you keep heating and losing that heat and having to RE HEAT the car you are wasting a ton of precious BTU err kWh.

Here are some videos of one of YouTube's EV testers: His YouTube channel is a wealth of info.

This should put your anxiety at ease.

 

[DrGriz]

Make that "A COLD CABIN AND BATTERY...." ALWAYS precondition the CAR in COLD temps on shore power before heading out. I learned the car is far more efficient if I'm running a bunch of short errands to leave the HVAC ON when you stop and exit the vehicle. If you keep heating and losing that heat and having to RE HEAT the car you are wasting a ton of precious BTU err kWh.

Here are some videos of one of YouTube's EV testers: His YouTube channel is a wealth of info.

This should put your anxiety at ease.

Totally if at all possible OP should keep his car plugged in, even at 110 with an extension cord.

I would not take off in temps of -25C without preconditioning unless I was going to the emergency room!

 

[mswlogo]

People have a bad habit at looking at “efficiency” from looking at stats in the car. Versus their power meter.

Preconditioning will get better efficiency and range. But it WILL cost you more per mile.

Preconditioning while not plugged in will get you less range and less efficiency. But of course the car will report better stats because it doesn’t include any costs while the car is not in drive. So it’s very misleading.

I never precondition, ever. All 3 Teslas I’ve had have lifetime efficiency close to EPA and live in the northeast.

I might if the car is -20F but I have never been exposed to those temps.

Keeping HVAC on while you park to improve efficiency is total nonsense.

Most helpful thing to help on range is an attached garage

 

[mswlogo]

Totally if at all possible OP should keep his car plugged in, even at 110 with an extension cord.

I would not take off in temps of -25C without preconditioning unless I was going to the emergency room!

I wouldn’t blink an eye leaving without preconditioning at -25C. Won’t hurt a thing. Battery will heat naturally as you drive. Leaving it plugged in wouldn’t make any difference unless I actively charge or precondition (which NEVER pays).

Most wasteful thing to do is warm the whole system up. Drive 5-10 miles to work. Then let it cool down. If you drive it normally it would NOT have warmed up naturally. But it also was never needed and a complete waste of energy.

People will spend 3x the energy to precondition their car. Just so they can get full regen. You are better off not preconditioning and forget about regen.

Measure total watt/hours spent at your outlet, not by the cars stats. Tesla has so many folks completely fooled.