Range question - probably been done to death

[U.K. Tony]

i’ve just ordered my “ludicrous” model S, and am about to amend the order for the larger wheels, so have two questions.

First, why does this decrease the range, what’s going on there?

Secondly, I’m in the UK, where temperatures never really hit extremes, and my parents live precisely 300 miles from me, with 290 of those miles being motorway. Is there any driving style at all that will ever let me make the trip on a single charge, or is it simply not worth trying?

There is one supercharger on the route, 200 miles from the start, I imagine the sensible choice is to drive however I like, and put fifteen minutes or so charge in at that point, would others agree?

 

[AustinP]

I guess you could hypermile by driving 40mph but not sure you will enjoy or shorten the trip time.
Best to drive up to the SuC and enjoy a 15’ break.

Congrats on your purchase!

 

[quickstrike12]

I would just drive the speed you desire, and stop grab bathroom and drink break at the supercharger and be back on your way.
No idea what your age is but I’m 51 now and I am limited by bladder not the cars range anymore!
You’ll love road tripping in the car either way.

Larger taller tires have increased rolling resistance. It literally takes a bit more energy to push these tires along. Remember the tiny skinny front wheels on race car dragsters?

 

[Troy]

Check out the range numbers here. Yes, it makes sense to drive at regular highway speeds and make a Supercharger stop.

 

[SSedan]

Larger rims often mean "performance" tires stickier rubber, hence the range hit.
If your motorway speeds are above 65mph little chance you could make it without a stop. You can get some range back by following a large vehicle and you do not need to be dangerously close to see an energy use reduction.

Use NAV it will tell you expected reserves upon arrival based on actual current energy use. Plan to stop maybe you get lucky and don't need to.

 

[Brando]

Tire pressure? Tesla are heavy cars. So you at least use Tesla suggested pressure?
Watching wear on your tires will also show if under inflated.

 

[ewoodrick]

Let's say that you do make it all the way, are you going to be able to charge there?

Best option is to spend a few minutes at a Supercharger near the destination. That allows you to unload miles as fast as possible

 

[Russell]

There is one supercharger on the route, 200 miles from the start, I imagine the sensible choice is to drive however I like, and put fifteen minutes or so charge in at that point, would others agree?

Yes. Set the Supercharger as the destination in the in-car navigation and drive as fast as you are able. The goal is to get to the Supercharger with a low state of charge because the car will recharge faster.

Check out A Better Routeplanner It can tell you the best route just like the in-car navigation, but you can also enter a starting charge level & average driving speed and it will give you an idea how it will affect your subsequent charge stops and overall trip time.

 

[JohnnyG]

There's been a ton of real-world testing with this. You'll be quicker to leave with a 90% charge. Drive as fast as possible. Then charge at that supercharger which is 200 miles away. You'll arrive with roughly 20%, which is optimal for achieving maximum charge rate.

The larger diameter wheels weigh more, and the majority of the wheel weight moves further to the outside of your rotational mass. This increases your moment of inertia, which in turns requires more torque to rotate said mass.

 

[Uncle Paul]

As you drive, on your trip, the computer will constantly indicate how much charge you will have remaining when you reach your destination.

If you drive too fast, it will tell you that you need to slow down to make it.

Usually want to have some extra juice remaining when you reach your destination. This will allow you to do some driving around when you get there, as well as have enough range to get back to the Supercharger on your way home.

In your case I would schedule a stop at the Supercharger on your way over. Will give you a nice buffer, then stop again on your way home, to again still have some range in the tank for when you get home.

Drive 200 miles and get a charge. Drive 100 miles to your destination and another 100 miles (total 200 miles) to get back to the Supercharger, then another 200 miles home, with a nice buffer for unexpected side trips.

Trust us, you will enjoy your round trip much more by stopping going and coming. Something about taking a short break that makes the trip so much less tiring than driving straight through.

 

[ForeverFree]

Second all of the advice above.

However, unless you need to drag race, perhaps consider an S100D with 19-inch wheels?

 

[SSedan]

There's been a ton of real-world testing with this. You'll be quicker to leave with a 90% charge. Drive as fast as possible. Then charge at that supercharger which is 200 miles away. You'll arrive with roughly 20%, which is optimal for achieving maximum charge rate.

The larger diameter wheels weigh more, and the majority of the wheel weight moves further to the outside of your rotational mass. This increases your moment of inertia, which in turns requires more torque to rotate said mass.

The rotating weight hurts at acceleration not steady state cruise. Steady state cruise is all about rolling resistance and aerodynamics.

If it were the weight of the wheels they would not hurt highway range just city.

 

[dark cloud]

Drive as fast as possible.

Careful with that advice. Tickets can slow down the trip substantially.

 

[dark cloud]

The rotating weight hurts at acceleration not steady state cruise. Steady state cruise is all about rolling resistance and aerodynamics.

If it were the weight of the wheels they would not hurt highway range just city.

Those who have not checked out @Troy 's cool data here is the chart explaining the difference just the aero covers on the Model 3's wheels make: a 5% difference. Ugly? yes. Worth 5% more range? yes.

The range increase should get greater with the increased speed though, not sure why they don't...

Go to the 19" and loose 10% range vs. the aero 18"'s. Makes me think about what range I would get if I put on 18's on my S.

 

[U.K. Tony]

Thanks for all the very detailed advice, sounds like the supercharger stop is the way to go.

I tend to cruise at 90mph (if conditions allow) in my current cars but may knock that back a bit and use the intelligent cruise thingy.