Rated Range vs. Reality

[XHokie]

I searched and found a few other threads on this, but thought I would ask my question with a fresh one given it may be unique to the seasons changing and that "Winter is Coming...".

My 90D w/ 20" wheels gets a 90% charge of about 232-233 miles of rated range (i.e what the battery icon shows when it's charged to 90%). However, it seems that unless I drive 45mph or less without much stopping and going, there is no way I would get that type of range in reality. That's okay since I know even EPA estimates of MPG are not always reality and only in the best of driving conditions. I've had my X since August, and the rated range hasn't changed all that much, but it seems recently and with the weather getting colder, my "real range" is dropping dramatically. For example, yesterday after charging overnight to 90%, I did about 110 miles of driving (half highway, half local), and came home with about 75 miles of remaining range. Doing the math, that would give me about 185 total miles, well off of what the 232 rated range is. I recognize that the rated range is really under perfect driving conditions and/or will be better if I was doing a steady 55-65mph on highways. However, 185 or probably much less (reality may have been about 150-160 total miles yesterday) seems to be a lot less than the rated range and that I would expect. When I bought the X, I expected a reality range of at least 200 miles of driving under similar conditions...didn't think I would lose 1/3 of my range to using the vehicle's heating/cooling and road/weather conditions. I don't think I have a lead foot and rarely slam on the accelerator...

My question is, were my expectations off or is this just the nature of electric cars and doing a mix of local/highway driving along with the polar vortex...?

 

[aesculus]

Wind and cold are your enemies. You cannot change the wind (and actually it could be in your favor too the other way). If you want to try an experiment you could turn off your cabin control for a commute and see how you do. One trick would be to warm the car first while still plugged into the HPWC or 14/50 so you don't loose any battery energy, and the turn off the cabin control right before you disconnect. Then use the energy gauge to see what your consumption is until you MUST turn on the cabin heat enough to survive. Then compare this segment to the one the cabin control was off in.

Note the battery will probably still need to be warmed so this will take some energy too.

 

[ecrsail]

After more than 18K miles, my general thoughts on this topic are:

The rated range is a pretty good estimate of what's possible with steady highway driving with speeds under 70 mph, e.g. the road trip scenario. If you're climbing or dealing with headwinds, expect to lose some range, but this can be offset by simply driving slower as well. It's also possible to exceed the rated range (slightly) with careful driving habits. I've rarely needed to do this, and never not been able to reach a destination, although I have planned some legs of road trips very carefully.

As @aesculus mentions, cold temperatures will cause the rated range to drop. If you are driving through cold weather, you'll get this range back as the temperature warms up, but if you encounter cold weather unexpectedly, it can be a nasty surprise if you have not planned for a little reserve.

Given that you've had your vehicle for a few months and given your concerns, and assuming you plug in every night and charge back up to 80%, I suggest that you keep track of your daily Wh/mile (since last charge) for a couple of weeks and extrapolate from that data set what to expect as your "reality" range for your typical driving habits.

 

[flyhigh123]

it would be nice if the tesla can give you actual estimated miles based on your previous driving patterns.

 

[LastGas]

I personally get EPA rated mileage or better. I also live in a warm climate.

If you drive at 0 degrees F, then figure your range to be reduced by 18%. Range is also reduced by headwind, speed, elevation, rain, snow, wet or snowy roads, cargo weight, strong acceleration/braking and cabin temperature. You might want to run your scenario through one of the Trip planners to see what is "normal." (Try EV Trip Planner)

If you charge at home, then you could try turning on the AC with the Tesla app 30 minutes before driving (make sure Energy Saving Mode is off when pre-conditioning). This warms the battery and reduces energy consumption.

You might also tell us what your average W hr / mile is since you got your car.

 

[Tjhappel]

Does anyone with 22's ever get under 350 whatts per mile? I just turned on my model s p85 with the 19's and I averaged 285 over 82k miles. Sometimes with my x I'm lucky to get under 400 wh/mile on 100-200 mile trips. Cold weather jack it up even more. People who don't think tesla needs a bigger battery really need to try to do a road trip in the wintertime with their family and gear in the car. Kinda makes you rethink the whole deal. For the model x to truly compete with a full size Range Rover or Mbz gl (I mean doing normal freeway speeds like 75/80 in cold weather) we could have a 150kwh battery and we'd be close. Today driving from so cal to mammoth head wind was easily 30 mph and cold, if I took my x I bet my 4:45 minute drive would have turned into 7-7:30 easily.

 

[Screwbal]

Turn on range mode if your regeneration is limited. If the yellow dashes are there you can be sure the battery warmer is running. That combined with cabin heat will chew through power.

 

[Xenoilphobe]

I searched and found a few other threads on this, but thought I would ask my question with a fresh one given it may be unique to the seasons changing and that "Winter is Coming...".

My 90D w/ 20" wheels gets a 90% charge of about 232-233 miles of rated range (i.e what the battery icon shows when it's charged to 90%). However, it seems that unless I drive 45mph or less without much stopping and going, there is no way I would get that type of range in reality. That's okay since I know even EPA estimates of MPG are not always reality and only in the best of driving conditions. I've had my X since August, and the rated range hasn't changed all that much, but it seems recently and with the weather getting colder, my "real range" is dropping dramatically. For example, yesterday after charging overnight to 90%, I did about 110 miles of driving (half highway, half local), and came home with about 75 miles of remaining range. Doing the math, that would give me about 185 total miles, well off of what the 232 rated range is. I recognize that the rated range is really under perfect driving conditions and/or will be better if I was doing a steady 55-65mph on highways. However, 185 or probably much less (reality may have been about 150-160 total miles yesterday) seems to be a lot less than the rated range and that I would expect. When I bought the X, I expected a reality range of at least 200 miles of driving under similar conditions...didn't think I would lose 1/3 of my range to using the vehicle's heating/cooling and road/weather conditions. I don't think I have a lead foot and rarely slam on the accelerator...

My question is, were my expectations off or is this just the nature of electric cars and doing a mix of local/highway driving along with the polar vortex...?

XHokie
I drove down to VT this week in the 12 degree weather we had Thursday from NOVA. I have a S 90D, four adults and all their luggage and probably 1000 lbs of people and gear. I drove 75 to 80 most of the way with heat set to 75 and seat heaters and steering wheel heat on. My average watt per mile was 490 ( which is excessively high) I always assume half of whatever the dash says at full charge in the winter and I religiously stop at every supercharger on the way down to Blacksburg. The new SC in Strasberg and Lexington are awesome. I stay at the Marriott on Southpark drive in Blacksburg because they have designation charging with two HPWC and two clipper creek systems. I made this trip multiple times before without the super chargers and had to use the CRaPMO charging network which is about as reliable as a Walmart Rolex.

I have over 150,000 miles behind the wheel of the three different Model S's we have owned since 2013 and you will learn what affects range ( jack rabbit starts has litttle impact). Temperature, speed/ wind resistance have the largest impact.

Slow down, pre condition on shore power, preheat on shore power, use the seat heaters vs cabin heat and wear a hat in the winter... Hope that helps.

Also I mirror the comment about a larger battery I would get a 200kw if they offered it.

 

[Xenoilphobe]

Coming back today in the 60 degree weather yielded a 290 watt per mile at 80MPH... so it really depends on weather and speed....

 

[Pwdr Extreme]

This worries me, I'm about to set off on a long road trip across the north where there isn't a charger every 100 miles, it will be very cold, and the wind is always blowing...

 

[TexasEV]

Coming back today in the 60 degree weather yielded a 290 watt per mile at 80MPH... so it really depends on weather and speed....

And which direction the wind is blowing.

 

[aesculus]

and the wind is always blowing...

And always in the wrong direction.

 

[xkwizit]

I searched and found a few other threads on this, but thought I would ask my question with a fresh one given it may be unique to the seasons changing and that "Winter is Coming...".

My 90D w/ 20" wheels gets a 90% charge of about 232-233 miles of rated range (i.e what the battery icon shows when it's charged to 90%). However, it seems that unless I drive 45mph or less without much stopping and going, there is no way I would get that type of range in reality. That's okay since I know even EPA estimates of MPG are not always reality and only in the best of driving conditions. I've had my X since August, and the rated range hasn't changed all that much, but it seems recently and with the weather getting colder, my "real range" is dropping dramatically. For example, yesterday after charging overnight to 90%, I did about 110 miles of driving (half highway, half local), and came home with about 75 miles of remaining range. Doing the math, that would give me about 185 total miles, well off of what the 232 rated range is. I recognize that the rated range is really under perfect driving conditions and/or will be better if I was doing a steady 55-65mph on highways. However, 185 or probably much less (reality may have been about 150-160 total miles yesterday) seems to be a lot less than the rated range and that I would expect. When I bought the X, I expected a reality range of at least 200 miles of driving under similar conditions...didn't think I would lose 1/3 of my range to using the vehicle's heating/cooling and road/weather conditions. I don't think I have a lead foot and rarely slam on the accelerator...

My question is, were my expectations off or is this just the nature of electric cars and doing a mix of local/highway driving along with the polar vortex...?

The range is actually simple maths..90000 divided by what's your average wh. Depending on your driving pattern (traffic, type of roads, lead foot, etc), wind and extreme temperatures, the average wh will vary. The lifetime wh showing on your Trips panel will be a good place to get an estimate of how much range you will get.

 

[vandacca]

The range is actually simple maths..90000 divided by what's your average wh. Depending on your driving pattern (traffic, type of roads, lead foot, etc), wind and extreme temperatures, the average wh will vary. The lifetime wh showing on your Trips panel will be a good place to get an estimate of how much range you will get.

Actually, it's more like 81800 divided by average wh.

 

[X Fan]

I searched and found a few other threads on this, but thought I would ask my question with a fresh one given it may be unique to the seasons changing and that "Winter is Coming...".

My 90D w/ 20" wheels gets a 90% charge of about 232-233 miles of rated range (i.e what the battery icon shows when it's charged to 90%). However, it seems that unless I drive 45mph or less without much stopping and going, there is no way I would get that type of range in reality. That's okay since I know even EPA estimates of MPG are not always reality and only in the best of driving conditions. I've had my X since August, and the rated range hasn't changed all that much, but it seems recently and with the weather getting colder, my "real range" is dropping dramatically. For example, yesterday after charging overnight to 90%, I did about 110 miles of driving (half highway, half local), and came home with about 75 miles of remaining range. Doing the math, that would give me about 185 total miles, well off of what the 232 rated range is. I recognize that the rated range is really under perfect driving conditions and/or will be better if I was doing a steady 55-65mph on highways. However, 185 or probably much less (reality may have been about 150-160 total miles yesterday) seems to be a lot less than the rated range and that I would expect. When I bought the X, I expected a reality range of at least 200 miles of driving under similar conditions...didn't think I would lose 1/3 of my range to using the vehicle's heating/cooling and road/weather conditions. I don't think I have a lead foot and rarely slam on the accelerator...

My question is, were my expectations off or is this just the nature of electric cars and doing a mix of local/highway driving along with the polar vortex...?

Found cold was a -15% impact when driving in NC last month in somewhat windy conditions vs. my usual average.

Suggest purchasing TeslaFi which is a great app that tracks your daily driving habits, avg. speed, temps, charging, destinations, etc. I've got 17K right now and have been able to map/plan all of my popular routes with multiple data points in varying weather conditions.

 

[vrykolas]

When I was planning/shopping to get either 75D or 90D, I planned for ~10 years of ownership.
I took 81800 (or 81000 as 'estimate') for 100%.
But since we plan to keep the X for a long time, I want to maximize battery life, so I'll avoid 100% as much as possible.
So I planned for 90% charge (which is 72900).

Then I planned for potentially 20% degradation by end of life (which is 58320; and this is assuming aggressive degradation which does not seem likely to happen given the data I've seen lately; most likely I'll see maybe 10% degradation over 10 years).
Divide that by average Wh/mi (I'll assume 350), then range is 166 miles (which is enough to get to our typical supercharger destination.

At end of life, if I'm using 400 Wh/mi on a trip, I figured I could charge to "100%" (but really that's only 80% usable capacity since it's end of life). Then range is ~162 miles.

So the above scenarios led me to believe that we could not afford to get 75D for our purposes.
75D would be WAY too restrictive for us. And I didn't want to be "super limited" on heating/cooling or speed (not that we go excessively fast)

 

[XHokie]

XHokie
I drove down to VT this week in the 12 degree weather we had Thursday from NOVA. I have a S 90D, four adults and all their luggage and probably 1000 lbs of people and gear. I drove 75 to 80 most of the way with heat set to 75 and seat heaters and steering wheel heat on. My average watt per mile was 490 ( which is excessively high) I always assume half of whatever the dash says at full charge in the winter and I religiously stop at every supercharger on the way down to Blacksburg. The new SC in Strasberg and Lexington are awesome. I stay at the Marriott on Southpark drive in Blacksburg because they have designation charging with two HPWC and two clipper creek systems. I made this trip multiple times before without the super chargers and had to use the CRaPMO charging network which is about as reliable as a Walmart Rolex.

I have over 150,000 miles behind the wheel of the three different Model S's we have owned since 2013 and you will learn what affects range ( jack rabbit starts has litttle impact). Temperature, speed/ wind resistance have the largest impact.

Slow down, pre condition on shore power, preheat on shore power, use the seat heaters vs cabin heat and wear a hat in the winter... Hope that helps.

Also I mirror the comment about a larger battery I would get a 200kw if they offered it.

Hey @Xenoilphobe

I will actually be doing this drive this coming weekend; heading down to the Blacksburg/Radford area to spend Christmas with family down there. I'm definitely a bit concerned my normal 4 hour drive is going to be 5+ hours given that I will need to stop to charge, maybe twice. Not convenient, but let's see. Since posting this and seeing all the responses, I've been playing around with NOT turning the heat on in the car and instead using the seat warmers, heated steering wheel. Doing this the last couple of days has saved a lot of energy/range. I was not seeing as significant of a loss compared to when I started the heat when first getting into the car. As the temperatures get colder and back down into the teens the next few days, it will be hard to do that as much. I will definitely try pre-heating/conditioning the car while it is in my garage and plugged into the TWC.

Thanks to everyone else for your thoughts/advice! Just learning this is one of the quirks of owning an electric car and something that I think all EV car owners should learn/understand. There are pros and cons to EVs and it's important to understand all the factors that impact range, in reality this is not all that different from traditional ICE cars that are also impacted by many of the same external factors. Still love my Model X!!

 

[Xenoilphobe]

Some tips to keep the family happy - Plan to have breakfast on the way down at Denny's at the Strasburg SC... second, drop the wife and kids off at Walmart in Lexington or have lunch at Appleby's by the Lexington SC. This made the trip longer, but we had to eat anyway.... on the way back we did the same thing - topped off in Lexington (during lunch) - then pushed all the way home with over 90 Miles left when I got home (weather was much better and the tailwind helped too)..

Also find a hotel with destination charging (Marriott in Blacksburg is one good option). I have a CHADeMO charger too, but never needed to use it...

 

[LovelyCarrot]

My wintertime range hit is about -25% (30's and 40's in hilly Seattle)

 

[Canuck]

If you drive at 0 degrees F, then figure your range to be reduced by 18%. Range is also reduced by headwind, speed, elevation, rain, snow, wet or snowy roads, cargo weight, strong acceleration/braking and cabin temperature.

Another factor that affects range in cold weather is the fact that cold air is denser than warm air which causes more energy to be used to combat the increased drag.