Reason for range discrepancy between real world and EPA?

[FatherTo1]

MotorTrend drove a Raven S Long Range from SF to LA, a distance of 365 miles. They arrived with enough range left to equal 400 total miles! They had 19" wheels and obeyed speed limits.

EXCLUSIVE: 2019 Tesla Model S Review: From SF to LA on One Charge? - Motor Trend

 

[SVMike]

That’s a useless test, in that case what’s the point of it? All it does is give people a reason to think something is wrong with their vehicle

The test is meant to be repeatable. Also, after they get the final energy used they multiply it by a fudge factor to account for wind resistance and other factors. It is not actually meant to be the number that you get, but rather a number that is comparable to other cars.

 

[whitex]

What we need now is 2 people, one with Raven S and one with Taycan to drive on a trip together, convoy style, see which one hits, beats, or comes short of their EPA ranges. Long time ago I did that with 2 Model S, they both reported using the almost identical amount of energy (KWh), even though one was rated more efficient than the other (S75D vs. P85DL) - both came short compared to EPA rating too.

 

[ewoodrick]

I recently purchased a raven Model S that supposedly is rated at 373 miles of range by the EPA. In the real world, I struggle to get anywhere close to that with normal driving. I've more or less assumed that was normal until I read this week that the Porsche Taycan seemingly easily went 40+ miles over its EPA range of 201 miles. Now I'm not trying to compare here the ranges of these two cars as I'm aware the LR MS has a longer range regardless. I am just confused as to how the MS can be rated at 371 miles of range when its seemingly impossible to achieve with normal driving whereas the Taycan rated at 201 miles seems to easily hit that and in this case surpass it by 30%? If the EPA tests are supposedly standardized real-world simulations how can such a wide discrepancy appear?

What the car says on the dashboard has very little to do with actual range.
Short trips won't get rated range
Take a long trip and drive 60-65 mph. Should have no issues beating the EPA range.
Use the Energy Graphs to monitor current usage.

Model 3 has been shown to have a real range of over 600 miles.

 

[PhilDavid]

I would say the biggest difference is your right foot

 

[David29]

Also, be sure the tire pressure is correct. I would not be surprised if tire pressures are low in a new car. they are probably set in the factory, indoors where it is warm. If the Bay area is as cool as even 60F, the tire pressure may need to be checked (cold) and adjusted. Follow the pressure on the driver's door post, and set it when the tires are cold, early in the morning.
But I also agree that the 21 inch tires are a significant contributor to the higher energy consumption.

 

[S4WRXTTCS]

It's still the early days of EV's so there really isn't a good efficiency measurement for them.

The EPA one doesn't take a lot of things into account. Even things the EPA tests for an ICE car does.

Even Tesla is slowly evolving their numbers. Like on the Model 3 they fairly recently updated the SW to take into account the wheel size. I still don't get anywhere close to rated range with my P3D+, but at least it's closer.

 

[EmilyT]

I'm struggling with poor range... I bought my Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus Dec 20, 2019, and I'm consistently getting about 60% of the estimated range (e.g. drive 60 miles and it depletes 100 miles on the battery). I drove a Nissan Leaf for 6 years and consistently got 100% or more of the estimated range, so I know how to drive efficiently. I live in San Diego (temperatures moderate) and I drive very gently (under 65 mph, slow acceleration, little braking). I brought in the car to the service center and they did a battery test and said everything is fine. I got the car back from them and got 100% of the estimate range for the first charge (100 miles) - they added a little pressure to the tires (they had been 44psi and they inflated to 46psi). After that initial improvement, I'm now getting 60% range again for the last ~150 miles. I currently have 1160 miles on the odometer and 249Wh/mi historically.

Any advice on next steps? At this point I'm very disappointed and I wish I hadn't bought this car!

 

[ucmndd]

Any advice on next steps?

Post in the Model 3 forum?

 

[FatherTo1]

I'm struggling with poor range... I bought my Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus Dec 20, 2019, and I'm consistently getting about 60% of the estimated range (e.g. drive 60 miles and it depletes 100 miles on the battery). I drove a Nissan Leaf for 6 years and consistently got 100% or more of the estimated range, so I know how to drive efficiently. I live in San Diego (temperatures moderate) and I drive very gently (under 65 mph, slow acceleration, little braking). I brought in the car to the service center and they did a battery test and said everything is fine. I got the car back from them and got 100% of the estimate range for the first charge (100 miles) - they added a little pressure to the tires (they had been 44psi and they inflated to 46psi). After that initial improvement, I'm now getting 60% range again for the last ~150 miles. I currently have 1160 miles on the odometer and 249Wh/mi historically.

Any advice on next steps? At this point I'm very disappointed and I wish I hadn't bought this car!

Emily, for what it's worth, a buddy of mine with a new M3 Standard Plus delivered 12/31/2019 is also seeing only 60% of expected range during his first month of ownership but that was due to his 285 Wh/m average (higher than what I average in my Model S).

To get the EPA rated 250-mile range on your Model 3, you need to average 216 Wh/m (54kW battery). At 249 Wh/m, you're already 15% below EPA. I'm in Northern California and even though the climate is temperature the mornings are still cold, and I expect the same for you in San Diego. Unless you're warming the battery while plugged in, you could be using a lot of energy just warming the battery during the morning drive. Also, check is you have Smart Preconditioning on, and use the seat heaters instead of the heater. Also, if you have larger wheels then that can also cut your range by 10%. In my S, downsizing from 21s to 19s netted a 12% improvement in Wh/m. Good luck and hope you are able to enjoy the car more. The 3 is a helluva car for the money!

 

[cwerdna]

I believe the EPA estimate is based on going 65mph. Speed kills range.

No on the former. Yes on the latter.

See Car battery: 340 miles. I drove 280. Came home with 5 miles left?. As I said there "The highest average speed of ANY of the test cycles is only 48.4 mph."

OP should look at the links I pointed to in that post for some background info on the EPA tests. Also look at WarpedOne's response.

 

[gavine]

No on the former. Yes on the latter.

See Car battery: 340 miles. I drove 280. Came home with 5 miles left?. As I said there "The highest average speed of ANY of the test cycles is only 48.4 mph."

OP should look at the links I pointed to in that post for some background info on the EPA tests. Also look at WarpedOne's response.

Sorry. My mistake. Maybe the EPA doesn't use 65MPH, however, the chart below matches the EPA range very closely at 65MPH -->

Source: https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/attachments/driving-range-for-the-model-s-family-chart1-png.344259/

 

[EmilyT]

Emily, for what it's worth, a buddy of mine with a new M3 Standard Plus delivered 12/31/2019 is also seeing only 60% of expected range during his first month of ownership but that was due to his 285 Wh/m average (higher than what I average in my Model S).

To get the EPA rated 250-mile range on your Model 3, you need to average 216 Wh/m (54kW battery). At 249 Wh/m, you're already 15% below EPA. I'm in Northern California and even though the climate is temperature the mornings are still cold, and I expect the same for you in San Diego. Unless you're warming the battery while plugged in, you could be using a lot of energy just warming the battery during the morning drive. Also, check is you have Smart Preconditioning on, and use the seat heaters instead of the heater. Also, if you have larger wheels then that can also cut your range by 10%. In my S, downsizing from 21s to 19s netted a 12% improvement in Wh/m. Good luck and hope you are able to enjoy the car more. The 3 is a helluva car for the money!

Thanks AYCE - I appreciate the info!

 

[beachmiles]

With the 21 inch wheels on the long range S this chart claims 312 miles range which sounds closer to what you are seeing.
Tesla Range Table - Teslike.com

Even with the 19in wheels the range appears to have been overstated on the long range S. It would be nice if people didnt have to find a 3rd party site to get the real range numbers.