Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

So what are the things that reduce range in a Tesla

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
Man...guess I'm really lucky as far as logistics go. I think if the base range is 215 like Elon said, I'll be fine with that. The only trips I plan to take will be down to SD periodically, maybe up to the Bay Area and a cross country trip to visit family. I obviously wouldn't plan to make that trip in the winter but it seems like the perceived base option will be just fine for me.
 
After driving my Model S for 73k miles this is my experience:

weight doesn't make a big difference. Range is not much affected

tire pressure: going 5 psi over recommended saved 5-6% range!

cold weather affects range a lot. It's a combination of using the heater, wet or snowy roads, the batter being less efficient cold temps. There is nothing you can about it. Preheating the car before you leave helps a little, but only when you have it plugged in.

Speed make a significant difference. Air resistance increases at a geometric rate. This means, double the speed causes 4 times the air drag. The difference between going 65 vs 75 is significant.

AC doesn't make a big difference. The Model S is very efficient with it's AC. At the same time, the batter works more efficient when it's warmer. So while you need more AC as it gets warmer, it's offset by the battery delivering a little more capacity. In the winter you can wear gloves and warm cloths and drive without heater. At 110 and sun burning down, you can't drive without AC.

opening the windows causes more air drag than it saves on AC. So keep windows closed and AC on.

Bad alignment can eat up range.
 
wow a 30-40% loss in range during cold times? That's pretty damn significant.

I live in Seattle so this is not good news.

Is there data to back up your suggestion of 10% reduction in range for rain driving?

I have a hard time believing that. I understand that you may slip and slide a little more. But 10%? Maybe it is highway driving with an effect on aerodynamics you are suggesting?
So driving a Tesla in the NW is like a home run at Safeco the first week of the season. Not exactly as efficient as one in Texas ;)
 
Is there data to back up your suggestion of 10% reduction in range for rain driving?

The only time I've had a serious issue with range was in the rain. It's not the rain falling on the car, it's the extra road resistance from pushing the car through water standing on the roadway. In my case, the penalty was much more than 10%, but then this was during a torrential downfall in Florida. I was in the slow lane doing 50, and my Whr/mi was what I normally see doing 65 on dry pavement.
 
Is cold weather driving impacting range because the occupants use heat to warm the interior of the car and use heat warmers? Or is cold weather just hard on the batteries? I am curious on how the heater and/or seat warmers have impact on the car's batteries.
Seat heaters use a trivial amount of energy, so that is the way to go if it works for you. (I find that a heated steering wheel is even more important for comfort; why all Teslas don't come with it standard, instead of as a $1000 option, is a mystery to me.)

The cabin heater is a huge power hog. Unlike an ICE car, where most of the energy from the fuel is lost to heat, leaving plenty to warm the car, all the cabin heat in an EV comes from the battery, at a significant loss of range. The way around this is to preheat the car while it is still plugged-in before leaving. Then you get into a warm car and don't need to heat it as much, or at all for short trips. [A serious design defect of the current Model S is that there is no way to use the climate control system and turn the heater off. So, no circulating unheated air around the car in cool or cold conditions.]

As to why cold weather has such an impact on range, it is three fold:

1) Cold air is more dense and causes increased aerodynamic drag, so it takes more energy to push the air molecules out of the way, and cold tires have more rolling resistance, thus reducing range. [By the way, driving at high altitude has less drag than at sea level, at a given temperature, so cars in my state — where there is no "low" altitude — get better gas and electric mileage than those in the more dense air at sea level.]
2) A cold battery has less energy capacity and a Tesla uses energy to heat the battery to help it work more efficiently (driving also heats the battery).
3) Cabin heater use is a drain on the battery and reduces range.

There is also one more small factor: a cold battery is limited in regenerative braking use, so you might recover a bit less energy from regen braking.

In addition to simple cold effects, if you throw in rain or snow the range can be reduced significantly. Much as with aerodynamic drag, having tires push water on the road out of the way takes energy; it is even worse in the case of slush or snow.

FWIW.
 
Can you get a Nema 10-50 outlet installed at your destination? That alone will give you freedom to travel. Also the destination charger network is growing rapidly. When we got our model S there were only 6 superchargers all in California. The growth in the supercharger network is amazing.
 
Speed make a significant difference. Air resistance increases at a geometric rate. This means, double the speed causes 4 times the air drag. The difference between going 65 vs 75 is significant.

This fact will remain a serious obstacle in Germany: The well known AUTOBAHN without any speed limit. Normally we´re driving about 80-90 mi/h, because going much faster is of course funny but in most of the cases quite senseless. 80-90 mi/h is equivalent to really smooth travelling. But this speed seems too much for any current EV.

Best regards from Germany

Josh, who will have race competitions with trucks in the future driving model 3 ... :D (I will win!)
 
  • Like
Reactions: David99 and Lunarx
And there are lots of places in the US where 80-90 mi/hr is pretty typical.

We have 70 mph limits in NC which means traffic is usually 75-80 in those areas. The Model S (and the Model 3 will) does this fine but you won't get rated range.

I have a 70D and I get rated range at about 70 mph in nice weather - which I would describe as 50+. We get to 100 every once in a while but mostly are highs are 90ish in the summer. Since I don't drive a lot at night or in the winter - I've rarely experienced much of a range hit. If you like to travel at night and in the winter - temp is a big factor. But obviously road trips are usually summer (or at least not Jan/Feb) - cold isn't a problem.

Going 75-80 hurts a little but doable. 90 hurts more but is still doable.

The model 3 will be more aerodynamic than the S and EPA tests minimize the aero influence so the speed hit will be less than on an Model S. There could be a speed where a 215 range Model 3 goes farther than a 230 range Model S.
 
Here's a blog post JB Straubel wrote in 2008 about the impacts of various aspects of the roadster on range - it helps tell the story visually about many of the concepts people have expressed here. Many things matter, some more than others, with speed/aerodynamics ruling the day at higher speeds.

Roadster Efficiency and Range

You'll love the car, BTW.
 
Pizza Pans attached to each wheel will provide free miles for minimal cost and effort. When its crunch time you could pull them out of the frunk and install them. Or else wear them at all times like a true pioneer.

Search on 'pizza pan'.
--
 
  • Like
Reactions: David99
....

There is also one more small factor: a cold battery is limited in regenerative braking use, so you might recover a bit less energy from regen braking.

This difference in driving annoys me, on a cold day you end up coasting much more and using more brakes. I wish on the cold days they could still dump the energy to the heater instead of to the battery pack. I understand you cannot charge a cold battery, but why not dump that energy into heat.
 
After driving my Model S for 73k miles this is my experience:

weight doesn't make a big difference. Range is not much affected

tire pressure: going 5 psi over recommended saved 5-6% range!

cold weather affects range a lot. It's a combination of using the heater, wet or snowy roads, the batter being less efficient cold temps. There is nothing you can about it. Preheating the car before you leave helps a little, but only when you have it plugged in.

Speed make a significant difference. Air resistance increases at a geometric rate. This means, double the speed causes 4 times the air drag. The difference between going 65 vs 75 is significant.

AC doesn't make a big difference. The Model S is very efficient with it's AC. At the same time, the batter works more efficient when it's warmer. So while you need more AC as it gets warmer, it's offset by the battery delivering a little more capacity. In the winter you can wear gloves and warm cloths and drive without heater. At 110 and sun burning down, you can't drive without AC.

opening the windows causes more air drag than it saves on AC. So keep windows closed and AC on.

Bad alignment can eat up range.

Really great and informative. Never would have known about the tire pressure. Thanks!
 
Ya... EV in the cold is a huge weakness that cannot really be solved. Even where I live, where temp is rarely very low, when it is in the 30's in the winter, my energy usage can go above 400! Comparatively I average between 270-300 between spring to late fall.

I wonder if they could develop a small heating motor to put in EVs. It doesn't have to be big at all, the cabin is a tiny place that can be heated with a pretty small maybe 1-2hp engine, and a couple gallons of gas can probably provide hours of heating in such a small space.
 
An early post in this thread mentioned capacity loss early on in the life of the battery. This happens, but then it will continue (at a slower pace) through your ownership of the car. I'm going to buy my Model 3 factoring in the things discussed here and also another 15-20% of loss after the first 10 years of ownership. I historically buy my cars and keep them for a long time, reducing turnover. For an early technology, that's probably tougher than a normal ICE, but what I'm planning on.

One post said that they want twice the range than they need, and I would agree with that. I'm hoping for 300+ miles with a range upgrade. Even if I make the same number of stops at SC locations, I want the flexibility of maybe skipping one and/or doing last minute trips and not worrying about range. For example, I drove about 200 miles to my parent's place without stopping, dropped off their pet, and then drove another 30 miles to spend time with old friends across town (no charging location there yet). That freedom is something I value. I'm willing to plan my trips a little bit, but not excessively. When we get 1,000 miles of range in the next few decades, people won't even blink an eye at questions of range.
 
Last edited:
An early post in this thread mentioned capacity loss early on in the life of the battery. This happens, but then it will continue (at a slower pace) through your ownership of the car. I'm going to buy my Model 3 factoring in the things discussed here and also another 15-20% of loss after the first 10 years of ownership. I historically buy my cars and keep them for a long time, reducing turnover. For an early technology, that's probably tougher than a normal ICE, but what I'm planning on.

One post said that they want twice the range than they need, and I would agree with that. I'm hoping for 300+ miles with a range upgrade. Even if I make the same number of stops at SC locations, I want the flexibility of maybe skipping one and/or doing last minute trips and not worrying about range. For example, I drove about 200 miles to my parent's place without stopping, dropped off their pet, and then drove another 30 miles to spend time with old friends across town (no charging location there yet). That freedom is something I value. I'm willing to plan my trips a little bit, but not excessively. When we get 1,000 miles of range in the next few decades, people won't even blink an eye at questions of range.

I think people also have to be realistic about what the technology is capable of. Let's say that you get the 300 range version of the Model 3 (assuming it comes in that capacity)... but in the winter time your range is realistically going to be about 200-220 miles and maybe less if you want to keep up with fast moving traffic.

How comfortable are you with the idea of making a side trip to spend 15-30 minutes charging at a charging station, assuming one is available (or how long would you be comfortable waiting for one if someone hogs one while they go have a 2 hour dinner?).

While these problems don't affect me personally they are realistically the #1 concern that prospective owners have. In my case and that of probably the majority of families, there is still going to be at least one ICE car that can be used for longer travel.

I don't see this changing dramatically until cold weather performance can be greatly improved, cars can give 300+ miles of range under "real world" conditions (driving 75 mph through cold Wyoming in February) and super chargers are maybe 10X as prevalent as they are today.

I'm not trying to be a Debby Downer. I'm just pointing this stuff out because if people have an honest conversation about the realities, at least in the 5 year near-term they might have to admit these cars aren't going to do it for them.
 
This fact will remain a serious obstacle in Germany: The well known AUTOBAHN without any speed limit. Normally we´re driving about 80-90 mi/h, because going much faster is of course funny but in most of the cases quite senseless. 80-90 mi/h is equivalent to really smooth travelling. But this speed seems too much for any current EV.

I'm originally from Germany. I know exactly what you mean. I wouldn't say going that speed is too much for the Model S. On long road trips here in the US I often had extended sections where I drove that speed. The energy consumption goes up for sure, but that's the same on any car. It's just physics, regardless of what motor is used.

To be fair, driving in Germany I found it was rare that I had longer stretches of Autobahn where I could actually go faster than 150 km/h. Either there is too much traffic or there is some speed limit. The main difference I found driving here in the US and in Germany is that here, you tend to drive at a certain speed and that's it. (Usually you go a little over the posted limit and you'll be fine). On Germany's Autobahnen you usually have too much traffic to go much faster then 130 km/h and here and there it opens up and you floor it to get to 180 or whatever and then you already have to slow down again. I think that's what is killing range.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Josh the German
I think people also have to be realistic about what the technology is capable of. Let's say that you get the 300 range version of the Model 3 (assuming it comes in that capacity)... but in the winter time your range is realistically going to be about 200-220 miles and maybe less if you want to keep up with fast moving traffic.

How comfortable are you with the idea of making a side trip to spend 15-30 minutes charging at a charging station, assuming one is available (or how long would you be comfortable waiting for one if someone hogs one while they go have a 2 hour dinner?).

I agree with the entirety of your post and am just quoting a portion of it here. The range upgrade and 30 minute charging is a part of what I'm considering. If we continue to get an 80% charge in 30 minutes, then that's about 240 miles of range with a 300+ mile capacity. A 30 minute break every 3-4 hours seems reasonable to me for long range travel depending on conditions. That same 30 minute charge on the base capacity gives 160 miles of range and that puts it in the 2-3 hour range. Up front, it's not the end of the world, but you're right that depending on weather conditions, traffic, etc., it will change more. I'd hate to have to stop more than once every 2 hours for 30 minutes and in bad conditions, I could see that being needed on the base model.