Range Loss Over Time, What Can Be Expected, Efficiency, How to Maintain Battery Health

[jjrandorin]

I purchased a 2021 M3P in June, and drive a lot for work. I've seen the typical battery degradation described by many on this forum since I've put around 25k miles on it, down about 7% from the original 315 EPA range when I got it. However this morning the range suddenly dropped 30 miles and is now sitting at 265 at 100%. Is this accurate/a factory defect? Something I should schedule an appointment for? I use superchargers a lot since I'm travelling for work but dont let the battery go lower than 10% or higher than 90%.

Unless or until your battery hits 70% at 100 percent, as shown in the tesla screen, or there is some specific error message on screen telling you to schedule service, there is never any point in contacting Tesla regarding any battery degradation question.

This is also winter, and if you "purchased in june of this year" this is your first winter with the vehicle. Cold weather can lock out some of the battery capacity, whether its represented by a snowflake on screen or not.

 

[ggies07]

So not sure which thread to put this in, but I just charged my 2018 mid range 3 to 100% and only got 213. 213. Form 260 - 213....WTF....I've know all about battery degradation and I used to keep up with these threads. Also charge to 90% and have done recalibration before. Not happy and bewildered.....oh, it has nothing to do with "this time of year". I live in freakin Texas and it's been 20 degrees warmer than it should be right now.

 

[Dave EV]

I purchased a 2021 M3P in June, and drive a lot for work. I've seen the typical battery degradation described by many on this forum since I've put around 25k miles on it, down about 7% from the original 315 EPA range when I got it. However this morning the range suddenly dropped 30 miles and is now sitting at 265 at 100%. Is this accurate/a factory defect? Something I should schedule an appointment for? I use superchargers a lot since I'm travelling for work but dont let the battery go lower than 10% or higher than 90%.

How did you estimate rated range at 100% when you checked?

 

[Candleflame]

Unless or until your battery hits 70% at 100 percent, as shown in the tesla screen, or there is some specific error message on screen telling you to schedule service, there is never any point in contacting Tesla regarding any battery degradation question.

This is also winter, and if you "purchased in june of this year" this is your first winter with the vehicle. Cold weather can lock out some of the battery capacity, whether its represented by a snowflake on screen or not.

Tesla actually uses true battery capacity for 70%, not displayed range. I think in some cars rated range does correspond directly with capacity but a lot of caryears/models have got a buffer which does get included in the 70%. I.e. my 2019 P has got around 12% degradation looking at rated kms but if you read out the actual capacity its like 16%.
The range for my car was clamped at 499km when the actual EPA rated range was.... 522km or smth. However, if you have a 2018 AWD I think they do start with 522km or had that later patched in so there rated range directly corresponds to degradation.

 

[Candleflame]

How did you estimate rated range at 100% when you checked?

These posts slightly annoy me. The estimate error does matter when people have 3-4% degradation, but once you are at 10% that little error hardly matters.

 

[Dave EV]

These posts slightly annoy me. The estimate error does matter when people have 3-4% degradation, but once you are at 10% that little error hardly matters.

If you estimate your 100% range by using the slider on your phone or doing math when at low state of charge, it's very easy to come up with very large errors - more than 10%. So it's good to check how they are measuring 100% rated range, just to be sure.

 

[Candleflame]

If you estimate your 100% range by using the slider on your phone or doing math when at low state of charge, it's very easy to come up with very large errors - more than 10%. So it's good to check how they are measuring 100% rated range, just to be sure.

ok, but not if you are charged to 40% or more. at that point the error isnt particularly significant.

 

[AAKEE]

ok, but not if you are charged to 40% or more. at that point the error isnt particularly significant.

The rounding error for on screen calc at 40% should be about 1.25%( 0.395/0.40) of the total capacity, so not very much.

The energy screen rounding errors should be in the ball park of 0.25% respectively for the consumption and range for wh/km and kilometers and 60% more for Wh/mi and miles. Selecting Wh/km and km should change the error slightly downwards(but as the SOC is the source of the bigger error it is not by much).

SMT presents the SOC with one digit, so that will reduce the error of the calculation I guess. But having SMT, we can read the NFP without any calculations

My car is mostly above the cap limit of the energy screen, but when I was not and did use the energy screen calculation and compared it with the SMT NFP value, the deviation was more or less negligible every time. The difference was mostly less than the day to day change in the NFP.

 

[Candleflame]

at this point in time i couldnt care less if my degradation is 16% or 14% or 18%. its all bad lol.

 

[nohren]

Anyone else had battery problems with Tesla 3 after only 3 ½ years of use? On a regular basis I charge it to 260 miles (not supposed to fully charge it unless it’s a long trip).

Consistently after only about 120 miles of driving the battery shows only 60 miles left and I have to charge again.

 

[jjrandorin]

Anyone else had battery problems with Tesla 3 after only 3 ½ years of use? On a regular basis I charge it to 260 miles (not supposed to fully charge it unless it’s a long trip).

Consistently after only about 120 miles of driving the battery shows only 60 miles left and I have to charge again.

There isnt nearly enough information there to say that there is a problem with your battery. In fact, based on what you say, I would say that its likely your car has the normal amount of battery degradation of around 10%. How far you can drive on a charge is not an indication of battery health.

If you want to calculate what your car thinks its total capacity is, you can use the information in the sticky thread here:

Calculating Your Battery's Estimated Capacity Using the Car's Energy Screen

Re posting here and making this a sticky post so it doesnt get lost. @AlanSubie4Life originally posted: =========================================== (originally posted by @AlanSubie4Life. Original thread this appeared in can be found here: ( 2021 model Y scan my Tesla battery size)...

teslamotorsclub.com

Other than that, I am sure your car is fine, but you can review this thread I moved your post to if you would like.

 

[Howie1]

Hi,
My new Tesla model 3 has a maximum battery range of 343 i.e. if charged to 100%.
The spec states 375 miles if configured with aero caps. I have removed the aero caps and reconfigured the software, but would not expect to lose 30+ miles .
I’m wondering if the apparent 343 maximum is not actually the true maximum. I’ve not yet fiddled with max charge limit settings and assume I’m set by default to charge to 100%..

 

[Sophias_dad]

Hi,
My new Tesla model 3 has a maximum battery range of 343 i.e. if charged to 100%.
The spec states 375 miles if configured with aero caps. I have removed the aero caps and reconfigured the software, but would not expect to lose 30+ miles .
I’m wondering if the apparent 343 maximum is not actually the true maximum. I’ve not yet fiddled with max charge limit settings and assume I’m set by default to charge to 100%..

I've never seen 375 on any model 3 spec.

Your 3 is almost definitely set to a charge limit of 90%. I don't think there are any LR packs made with the LFP cells that happily charge to 100%.

 

[Howie1]

Thanks. I suspect that’s the answer. The 375 is shown as an estimated range on a new vehicle with aerocaps fitted. I think this is wltp conditions though. I’ll check and see if my 100% (that’s the display percentage or 343 miles when you toggle between then) is based on a 90% limit.

 

[jjrandorin]

Thanks. I suspect that’s the answer. The 375 is shown as an estimated range on a new vehicle with aerocaps fitted. I think this is wltp conditions though. I’ll check and see if my 100% (that’s the display percentage or 343 miles when you toggle between then) is based on a 90% limit.

its actually just as likely that its not displaying WLTP estimates but EPA ones (neither of which will you ever achieve). You can ask for more details in the UK subforum about which it shows.

The UK and Ireland

teslamotorsclub.com

 

[Sophias_dad]

According to the Tesla UK webpage, the WLTP of a long range AWD model 3 is 360 miles. The only place I've found 373 is a no-longer-produced RWD model 3 long range.

 

[Zin-N-Out]

Hello my fellow Tesla owners.
Just got my 2021 model 3 long range (the one that the battery was made with 12% less capacity.)
what i don’t understand is why the range is always off and lower compared to actual driven miles. I drive it in chill mode and i don’t really accelerate so im not sure why battery range is always lower. I know the range is not exactly 1-to-1 compared to trip miles but sometimes it’s really off talking 10%-18% relative to what navigation estimates and actual miles i drive it.

any suggestions or advice?

 

[Kimmi]

Because Tesla.

 

[sjg98]

This is one of those frustrating things with Tesla and the range testing standards in general.
Tesla have some of the highest range EVs, but they also advertise the high end of what you can feasibly achieve in their cars.
Some competitors advertise the low end of what is feasibly achievable.
So you have examples of side-by-side tests of where the 320mi Model 3/Y, 300mi Mach-E the 270mi Taycan all turning in a roughly similar real world range of 280ish miles.

Personally in 3.5 years of Model 3 LR dual motor ownership, I have only achieved the range specced 250w/mi on bone dry roads in 65-75F weather, perfectly inflated tires, using no AC or heat, traveling in fairly smooth moving traffic, below 70mph.. autopilot with no hard acceleration (or fun). Living in the northeast, NYC area, this is like four leaf clover goldilocks territory.

Today I drove a 150mi round trip. Both ways had air set to 69F (nice), seat heaters on, was going about 70mph average.
The battery was NOT cold soaked.
On the way out it was 40F & steadily raining, so I was burning 325w/mi.
On the way back it was 50F & rain had stopped but some moisture on road, so I got 300w/mi.
So I burned 188mi of range to travel 150mi in pretty mild winter weather.
Had both ways been the better case it would have been "only" 180mi burned, if the worse case.. 195mi.

Note my car is 3.5 years old and I had only charged to 80% which on an older battery is now ~235mi.
So on paper 150mi trip on a 310mi battery should only go through 48% of my range.
On a 3.5 year old battery from 80% my 150mi trip left me with only about 47mi left. This was low enough to get the pop up warning about cold weather causing my range to drop while parked and to charge soon.
When I went back 2 hours later to move car to garage & charge, it had already lost ~7mi in 52F weather!

Previous day a similar distance trip north where it was closer to 30-35F and moist we were burning 350w/mi with same cabin settings!
When real winter sets in, dealing with snow, 20F, cold soaked batteries.. and shorter range trips it is not unusual to cross 400w/mi.

 

[Candleflame]

the problem is the EPA cycle not Tesla.
What they should really is do is what the old Model S up to ?2016 or so had in europe which was "ideal" and "typical" where ideal was WLTP (which was a joke coz it was off so much) and then typical which was EPA.
I wish theyd reintroduce this and then you have "typical" which is maybe 175wh/km on the Model 3 and then "ideal" which is just EPA.