Tesla max range in the UK

[JohnnyH]

Apologies if this is an old topic but I've only recently discovered the Tesla marque and it's time for a new car.
I'm curious whether UK drivers achieve the claimed long range quoted by Tesla considering that UK major roads are typically higher speed than US (at least when they are clear) and that UK South east roads are often very busy giving rise to a lot of accelerating and braking. I'm also curious where UK drivers charge when on long trips away from home as there are only four supercharge stations. In other words, is the Tesla a practical choice over here? Any advice or comments welcome.
I posted this on the charging forum and had a very good reply from Arg (thanks) who suggested I may get other replies if I post it here too.

 

[RichardL]

Not trying to be awkward, as a Brit ex-pat, but my recent experience in the UK is that I doubt generally that highway speeds are any higher - in the SF Bay Area and surrounds, if you are going less than 75mph you are a mobile chicane here! With the nasty average speed cameras etc. over there plus the horrendous traffic (yes, I've 'parked' on the M25 on a Friday afternoon quite recently!) I don't see much opportunity for blasting at a significantly higher speed.

More importantly is to look at your usage patterns - how often do I need to drive 200+ miles in a day and where are the Superchargers located relative to where I need to go on the other times - it may just not work for you, but may be fine based on your location etc. Also be aware of the future growth in locations - while we all bitch about when will they build the next one, the rate of progress has been excellent and the plan for the UK and Europe is quite aggressive.

Also checkout the Supercharger Site http://supercharge.info/ since it shows something like 18 SCs open or being constructed

 

[mgboyes]

I'm curious whether UK drivers achieve the claimed long range quoted by Tesla considering that UK major roads are typically higher speed than US (at least when they are clear) and that UK South east roads are often very busy giving rise to a lot of accelerating and braking.

An S85 has a 310 mile NEDC range (which is total nonsense, just like the mpg figures claimed by ICE car makers). If you set the car to read "typical" miles it will read 245 when fully charged.

You can achieve 245 if you are careful and don't go above 70. You can get 225 if you drive at around 80. You can get 200 even if you drive it without any consideration for efficiency. See http://www.teslapedia.org/model-s/tesla-virgin/78-how-far-can-you-really-travel-in-a-model-s

I'm also curious where UK drivers charge when on long trips away from home as there are only four supercharge stations. In other words, is the Tesla a practical choice over here? Any advice or comments welcome.

There are currently 22 supercharger sites in the UK.

In addition you can charge at most UK Motrway Service stations using the Ecotricity network (though this is much slower than a supercharger, and the network has longstanding reliability issues).

For me the Model S is by far the most practical car I've ever owned (all of my charging is done at home, overnight, with the exception of perhaps 6 trips a year, which the superchargers make easy), but if you do regular long distance travel for example for business, or need to travel many hundreds of miles in a single day, it may not be for you.

 

[martinwinlow]

I agree with mgboyes - My MS60 would do about 200 miles driven carefully at 70mph on the motorway if you use all the charge - not that I ever have yet but that is the feeling I got on the few occasions when I have had only 20 miles or so range left.

You can also buy a CHAdeMO adaptor (£350) which will allow you to use all of those DC 'rapid' charging facilities throughout the UK (see plugshare.com or zap-map.com) of which there are about 400 or so now and seemingly getting more and more prevalent all the time. The charge rate (50kW tho there has been some talk of the charger power being reduced when used with the adaptor) is well less than half what the SuperCharger (SuC) provides (up to 120kW or 300 miles of range per hour of charging) but it is *much* faster than a 7kW or even the 11 or 22kW that the Ecotricity AC chargers - which mgboyes referred to - provide (depending on whether you have one or 2 on-board chargers).

But if you are a 'normal' driver, this is only going to be an issue on long journeys i.e. anything over 200 miles (if you are getting the 85kWh pack). Otherwise, you plug in when you get home and in the morning you are charged up to whatever range you typically need for a days use... and using Eco7 power (if you have any sense!).

I thought my i-MiEV was the best car I had ever owned in 40 years of driving but it has been totally eclipsed by the MS. It has its little issues - 'frank' dents, touch-screen is a work in development (especially the navigation) etc but it ticks all my boxes including not pandering to Big Oil and their dodgy political bed-fellows the world over, yada, yada. It's just a great car and a truly inspiring machine. Looks good, too!

 

[politeperson]

My MS 60 does 180 miles on a charge.

I have no complaints.

 

[smac]

I have had 200 out of mine (a 60) mainly due to average speed cameras. But then I've had 150 out of it when caught in a snow storm. I get crappy Wh/mi over winter on short journeys, but now the weather has picked up and the pack isn't conditioning itself when I set off it's much better. City traffic commute I am at the equivalent of 230 miles range if I drive like a nun, 150 if I flog it. So It really is hard to say exactly what you'll get it's so dependent on variables.

I'd take 220 mile figure as a fair planning guide for a UK P85. I tend to plump for 175 in my S60. (This gives you some buffer just in case) However if you order now you can't buy those cars I wouldn't choose an S85 now (IMO it's a "run out model"). So you are left with a choice of the 70D, 85D, or P85D.

Best guess as none have been delivered to the UK yet, would be to reliably plan on getting 200, 230, 220.

 

[JohnnyH]

Thank you to everyone who replied to this question. The map does show the strategic thought going into the supercharger network is sensible (not that I would expect anything less from what I have read so far about Tesla) and the comments on alternative slower charging possibilities are helpful too. It looks like the financial commitment is now becoming the major consideration along with delivery timings.