hello - I'm a (new) Model 3 (long range) owner. We have a road trip of 250 miles coming up. Will it do it without a charge (fully loaded, 4 people in the car)? Any advice / help much appreciated
Range Model 3 [can I make a 250 mile trip with no stops?]
- Thread starter savioursofpop
- Start date
Bill Foster
I'm going home!
Literally there are tons of different factors.
hills
Weather
Tires
How fat are your friends
Speed limit
Traffic
hills
Weather
Tires
How fat are your friends
Speed limit
Traffic
there are... but assume average speed, average weight, average hills, average weather - all i need is a gut reaction on whether its even worth trying or whether in the real world its not even close
Bill Foster
I'm going home!
No SC’s on the trip? If you had to stop at one for a quick charge you are talking like 5-10 minutes. Same as a gas station or so.
Were you told by Tesla that you should charge your battery to 100% or do you not have the LFP batteries in your LR?
21 M3 LR. I recently did a round trip of 285 miles after charging the battery to 100%.
(yes this is unusual- normally charge to 80.%) and showed 353 mile range at start. Drove at 70-75 highway and slower on winding country roads. On the ride back got a warning at the start to not exceed 65 on the way back to avoid a stop at a SC. Drove back at 65-70, in the first 30 miles the car brought up the message of keeping to 65 repeatedly and then no more. Ride back 140 miles. Range at start indicated 190 miles. Reached home with 25 miles left so lost exactly half (25 miles) of the indicated reserve range. But quite impressed. Ended up getting 310 miles ( 285 actual + indicated 25 left but that could be overstated at a low
) which was significantly higher than I expected. Now weather conditions were ideal (40-55)/ little wind and other than normal inclines on the highway and a couple of small hills no real uphill driving. But still overall I thought battery did really well.
(yes this is unusual- normally charge to 80.%) and showed 353 mile range at start. Drove at 70-75 highway and slower on winding country roads. On the ride back got a warning at the start to not exceed 65 on the way back to avoid a stop at a SC. Drove back at 65-70, in the first 30 miles the car brought up the message of keeping to 65 repeatedly and then no more. Ride back 140 miles. Range at start indicated 190 miles. Reached home with 25 miles left so lost exactly half (25 miles) of the indicated reserve range. But quite impressed. Ended up getting 310 miles ( 285 actual + indicated 25 left but that could be overstated at a low
) which was significantly higher than I expected. Now weather conditions were ideal (40-55)/ little wind and other than normal inclines on the highway and a couple of small hills no real uphill driving. But still overall I thought battery did really well.
If you drive 65mph, with no AC or heat, you can make it with about 5% to spare, even with the added weight. That's cutting it close, but you need to monitor your consumption all the way, and have at least a backup strategy, if necessary, ie charging somewhere along the way, using a 3rd-party charging network.
If you have a LR with 18" aero wheels and flat ground, you've got plenty of range. Keep the speed under 80, make sure the tires are inflated, charge to 100% before you leave (and be careful, because you won't have any regen) and you'll be golden. If you have an SR, SR+, or MR, or have an M3P, you'll be cutting it a lot closer.
Use Navigation to plot a route to your destination, then pull up the Energy graph, and select the Trip tab. The car will show you what it thinks the battery state of charge will be all the way to your destination - as long as it estimates you'll get there with more than 10%, you're in pretty good shape. Watch this graph on your trip - it'll show an updated state of charge graph; if the estimated charge at your destination is falling, slow down. If it's rising, you can speed up. It's pretty simple - the most efficient speed for a Model 3 is somewhere between 30-35 mph IIRC, and it gets worse every mph faster you go. You should get rated range at around 65 mph in perfect conditions - flat ground, warm temps (80), no wind, no rain. Add in any of these, and the expected range will drop.
Use Navigation to plot a route to your destination, then pull up the Energy graph, and select the Trip tab. The car will show you what it thinks the battery state of charge will be all the way to your destination - as long as it estimates you'll get there with more than 10%, you're in pretty good shape. Watch this graph on your trip - it'll show an updated state of charge graph; if the estimated charge at your destination is falling, slow down. If it's rising, you can speed up. It's pretty simple - the most efficient speed for a Model 3 is somewhere between 30-35 mph IIRC, and it gets worse every mph faster you go. You should get rated range at around 65 mph in perfect conditions - flat ground, warm temps (80), no wind, no rain. Add in any of these, and the expected range will drop.
Worst case scenario... "I'll pick you guys up on the way back, I promise"
A Better Routeplanner
A Better Routeplanner (ABRP) for planning trips and charging with a Electric Vehicle - both home and in-car.
abetterrouteplanner.com
I regularly cover that distance without charging. It isn't a problem unless you drive fast or aggressively. Using the heater or rain impacts range more than using the AC. The car will tell you if you need to keep below a certain speed to make your destination. As others have said, using ABRP can give you a more reliable range estimate.
2021 SR+ owner here, we are planning driving to the alps (covid allowing) previously a leaf owner, so we are kitted out with both a European wide charge card (the world beyond the supercharger network) ..it is advisable you get a polar network card, OR at least check out zap map / polar network maps & make a measured decision.
(OR whatever alternatives to charging are out there where you are).
Self induced charge point myopia can set in very easily if folk depend on a dealer (type) network of chargers only. ...you have to kick your own mindset in the pants on these occasions.
Zap map is recommended to see what else is out there for your peace of mind & prevent getting heads stuck in the sand (my wife was guilty of this with our old leaf, whereas I enjoy finding alternative charge points.
Are you honestly saying that a loaded car over 250 miles trip there will be no Pee/ coffee / fresh air stop offs? ..I can't imagine travelling that distance without consuming a minimum of 2 litres water myself.
We still intend to keep our polar card (now renamed BP pulse) as the potential for a 43 kWh speed top up is not to be sniffed at, & we already have lived / endured EV charger backwater charging for years prior to the tesla.
With Netflix & the like I really don't think anyone begrudges a 20 minute stop off (tesla loo's at some locations).
without knowing the driving style, roads & atypical cruising speeds plus lay of the land (fen flats thru highland steeps) then answering your question is nigh on impossible.
I'm a big lad & count myself as 2 people not just one seat occupied, ..then again we also ummed & erred at the battery weight & dual motor weight additions likelihood of affecting mileage / energy returns, ..we are not in it for the extra speed so much as economies of driving that EV's bring.
Your heating / cooling needs are going to play on all this, so I would plan one decent recharge into your trip from the outset as a buffer when venturing into the unknown first time out, after that you will have an inkling as to the likely empirical reality of that & similar routes.
Don't simply rely on superchargers.
(OR whatever alternatives to charging are out there where you are).
Self induced charge point myopia can set in very easily if folk depend on a dealer (type) network of chargers only. ...you have to kick your own mindset in the pants on these occasions.
Zap map is recommended to see what else is out there for your peace of mind & prevent getting heads stuck in the sand (my wife was guilty of this with our old leaf, whereas I enjoy finding alternative charge points.
Are you honestly saying that a loaded car over 250 miles trip there will be no Pee/ coffee / fresh air stop offs? ..I can't imagine travelling that distance without consuming a minimum of 2 litres water myself.
We still intend to keep our polar card (now renamed BP pulse) as the potential for a 43 kWh speed top up is not to be sniffed at, & we already have lived / endured EV charger backwater charging for years prior to the tesla.
With Netflix & the like I really don't think anyone begrudges a 20 minute stop off (tesla loo's at some locations).
without knowing the driving style, roads & atypical cruising speeds plus lay of the land (fen flats thru highland steeps) then answering your question is nigh on impossible.
I'm a big lad & count myself as 2 people not just one seat occupied, ..then again we also ummed & erred at the battery weight & dual motor weight additions likelihood of affecting mileage / energy returns, ..we are not in it for the extra speed so much as economies of driving that EV's bring.
Your heating / cooling needs are going to play on all this, so I would plan one decent recharge into your trip from the outset as a buffer when venturing into the unknown first time out, after that you will have an inkling as to the likely empirical reality of that & similar routes.
Don't simply rely on superchargers.
Snowball316
Member
Long story short - type in the address into your interior GPS and let it guide you. The user interface will inform you if you need to stop or not.
No, average cruising speed when I road trip is 88 mph. Uses too much energy
I would say yes. I drive to NYC and that's like 300 miles away. With 100% charge in the summer driving at 65mph you can reach there if it's only 250 miles.
You better hope it's not windy that day or at least have tailwind.
You better hope it's not windy that day or at least have tailwind.
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