Tesla Model 3 LR AWD -- 200 miles range vs 320 claimed? [NJ]

[dhuli]

Hi everyone, I wanted to confirm if this is normal. My Tesla Model 3 LR AWD is getting around 200 miles on a full charge with an average of 370 wh/hr.

Here are my factors and conditions when I calculated the 200 mile range:

• NJ Commute ~50 miles round trip
• Traffic during 50% of my commute
• 35° - 45° F temperature
• Cabin Temperature - 70° F
• Seat Heater - Setting 1

My wh/hr is usually around 370 which seems way too high especially since I am barely using the cabin heater (only 70° F) and I am only driving on high speeds about 50% of my commute.

I understand temperature drop in winter is suppose to affect the range but should it be this much?!

Thanks for any input!

 

[XLR82XS]

200 miles at 100% SOC is LOW and not normal.

 

[Puddles]

Your route does not include 10 laps at the local track, does it?

If I had AWD I would be gunning it out of every stop light... I'd probably use about 500 wh/mi. Do you have a lead foot? 370 does seem high.

 

[ewoodrick]

30% degradation in cooler temps is expected

 

[Wooloomooloo]

370 sounds high but it might not be. If your commute is fairly short in terms of distance, in heavy traffic so slow average mph, you're heating from cold, have a cold-soaked battery (you get the blue snowflake), have a heavy foot, aren't benefiting from regen and are setting the cabin to 70f when you leave, then 370 probably not too far off what I'd expect.

Set the cabin to 66 (wear something warm in the car), try and maximize regen by giving more stopping distance (not tailgating... NJ...) pre-heating the cabin before departure when plugged in, and accelerating smoothly and not like an Uber driver. ~260 - `300 is more achievable increasing your range to more like 250 - 280 miles.

I am not implying you don't drive like a saint (OK I am a little, but in good humor) but it really does make a difference, especially when regen is weaker and you need to give more time to stop. If you're hitting that brake to slow rather than using regen in stop/start traffic, you're easily losing 20 - 30% efficiency.

 

[mtndrew1]

Make sure to precondition your car from shore power 20 minutes before departure (the greatest heat consumption is in the first minutes after departing) and verify your tire pressure is correct.

Otherwise at 370 Wh/mi that range is expected and nothing is wrong.

This is a consumption issue, not a capacity issue.

 

[vasuvius]

I haven't measured precisely as we usually charge when the battery remaining miles is around 150.
My wife's commute (Northern NJ) is roughly 12 miles each way - all local roads with lots of stop and go traffic. Most of the mileage is all local short trips. To give you an idea - the car has 2100 miles and it was picked up on Oct 22. Lifetime usage rate is 317 Wh/mi and she does have a lead foot.

I really think the 310 is based on riding off a full charge, on a 70º F day, starting, getting on a highway with no traffic, keeping speed steady around 60mph, and stopping when the battery is down to 0. In other words, IDEAL conditions.

 

[rincewind]

Spot on with your thoughts. If I'm doing around 70mph and it's cold out (<10 deg) the I look to get around 220-230 miles in my M3P - if I keep the heater on low and drive gently. I see 250-280 wh per mile only when I'm doing about 50 mph for some time. If doing short local trips then the car has to heat up inside and also the battery pack, which makes it inefficient compared to long journeys.

 

[KenC]

Hi everyone, I wanted to confirm if this is normal. My Tesla Model 3 LR AWD is getting around 200 miles on a full charge with an average of 370 wh/hr.

Here are my factors and conditions when I calculated the 200 mile range:

• NJ Commute ~50 miles round trip
• Traffic during 50% of my commute
• 35° - 45° F temperature
• Cabin Temperature - 70° F
• Seat Heater - Setting 1

My wh/hr is usually around 370 which seems way too high especially since I am barely using the cabin heater (only 70° F) and I am only driving on high speeds about 50% of my commute.

I understand temperature drop in winter is suppose to affect the range but should it be this much?!

Thanks for any input!

200miles for 370Wh/mi is totally normal. The question is 370Wh/m normal. Well, you have to tell us more. My experience driving thru NJ is that "high speed" is relative. You guys drive alot faster than I would consider normal! Also, check your tire pressures.

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

Hi everyone, I wanted to confirm if this is normal. My Tesla Model 3 LR AWD is getting around 200 miles on a full charge with an average of 370 wh/hr.

Here are my factors and conditions when I calculated the 200 mile range:

• NJ Commute ~50 miles round trip
• Traffic during 50% of my commute
• 35° - 45° F temperature
• Cabin Temperature - 70° F
• Seat Heater - Setting 1

My wh/hr is usually around 370 which seems way too high especially since I am barely using the cabin heater (only 70° F) and I am only driving on high speeds about 50% of my commute.

I understand temperature drop in winter is suppose to affect the range but should it be this much?!

Thanks for any input!

Perfectly normal.

At 370Wh/mi, you will have a range of about 193 miles to 0%.

(Not updated with 2020 Performance numbers yet...): Lines & Constants

As I said, there are some changes afoot for 2020 vehicles. Additionally, for brand new vehicles, before they reduce to below 76kWh capacity, there may be some deviations from these formulas which I don't fully understand yet.

As far as heat goes, for 70 degrees in cabin and 35-45 outside, you'll probably be at something like 3kW continuous. Sounds like your commute might average 40mph? So that would be an additional 3000W/40mph = 75Wh/mi on your trip meter. If your average speed is lower, then this number would be higher. If you're using the AC, that could add an additional 1kW or so (I need to measure and quantify this at some point). So in the end it looks like you could have baseline use of 250Wh/mi (normal) plus an additional 120Wh/mi on top of that due to HVAC if you have a slow commute.

We'd need all the stats to calculate it, but this stuff is all very quantifiable if you care to quantify it...

 

[CCIE]

The cabin heater is rough on range. Try your commute with the HVAC system off (seat heater only). Assuming you stay under 70mph, you should get close to the 240wh/mi needed to achieve the car's rated range.

Setting your overnight charging to start at a time that will result in full charge right before you leave is also helpful, as the battery will be warmed by charging. Note that Tesla's departure time charging option doesn't do this correctly, so you have to use the delayed charging option and estimate when is a good time to start.

 

[dhuli]

Make sure to precondition your car from shore power 20 minutes before departure (the greatest heat consumption is in the first minutes after departing) and verify your tire pressure is correct.

Otherwise at 370 Wh/mi that range is expected and nothing is wrong.

This is a consumption issue, not a capacity issue.

Actually that does make sense. Since the wh/mi is very high it would make sense why the range is so low. At least now I can confirm that this is a consumption issue rather than a battery capacity issue.

Still I can't figure out why it's consuming so much especially with my somewhat conservative settings.

Thanks for your reply

 

[dhuli]

200miles for 370Wh/mi is totally normal. The question is 370Wh/m normal. Well, you have to tell us more. My experience driving thru NJ is that "high speed" is relative. You guys drive alot faster than I would consider normal! Also, check your tire pressures.

I would say out of my 50 mile round trip commute, I would be driving around 70 mph for 20-30 miles. Tire pressure seems in check

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

I would say out of my 50 mile round trip commute, I would be driving around 70 mph for 20-30 miles. Tire pressure seems in check

Turn off your HVAC for your entire round-trip drive (press and hold the fan key until it goes grey, or bring up the menu and turn it off), and report back. As outlined above, will probably reduce your consumption by at least 70Wh/mi.

 

[mtndrew1]

I find that when driving in very cold weather it’s pretty effective to precondition the car on wall power for 20 mins to heat soak the cabin then when I get in the car I set the heat manually to 68 degrees, fan speed 1, and seat heaters maxed out.

The car stays pretty comfortable and the consumption is quite a bit lower. Left on Auto the climate control is a little enthusiastic with the heat.

 

[Rocky_H]

Also, I really don't like how Tesla's AUTO settings are with heating. I think this change came approximately in software version 9. It tries to use the air conditioning constantly in heating mode! It seems to think it always needs to do this to dehumidify the cabin, because it's also trying to always use recirculate. Well, you know what also can dehumidify the cabin? Using outside air instead of having this ongoing civil war with the air conditioner and heater fighting each other on the same air, which drives the energy usage up!!

I do hate that if I use the phone app to pre-warm the car, it does go to those same AUTO settings, so when I get to the car, I have to remember to turn the damn A/C off and switch it back off of recirculate.

 

[jjrandorin]

I would say out of my 50 mile round trip commute, I would be driving around 70 mph for 20-30 miles. Tire pressure seems in check

There is a HUGE (huge huge) difference in driving 70 MHP and 55-60. Its not a "little".

Slow down and you will get your Wh/Mi lower. Also, just as a point of information.

My car is my commuter car. I drive 40 miles each way to work. 80 miles round trip. I drive almost exactly the same way every day, and I drive the exact same path every day to work, and home.

When I got my car in Dec 2018, between Dec and March 2019 my Wh/Mi was like 309 average. As it warmed up, I drove exactly the same, and my Wh/Mi decreased. I was not using the heater during dec, I was actively turn it off and only using seat heating sparingly. I also live in southern california, and it was not below freezing at any point where I live. My car lives at home in a garage, that is never below about 50 degrees.

By may 2019 my Wh/Mi was down around 250 for the same exact drive, and this is in a model 3P. My lifetime Wh/Mi on my car is 268 right now... and yet, this morning, my wh/mi on my drive to work this morning was 322 and it was sunny and 55.

Translation, It doesnt take much weather to change your wh/mi, so your car is fully, 100% normal.

 

[Tomc62]

Also, I really don't like how Tesla's AUTO settings are with heating. I think this change came approximately in software version 9. It tries to use the air conditioning constantly in heating mode! It seems to think it always needs to do this to dehumidify the cabin, because it's also trying to always use recirculate. Well, you know what also can dehumidify the cabin? Using outside air instead of having this ongoing civil war with the air conditioner and heater fighting each other on the same air, which drives the energy usage up!!

I do hate that if I use the phone app to pre-warm the car, it does go to those same AUTO settings, so when I get to the car, I have to remember to turn the damn A/C off and switch it back off of recirculate.

My 2019 model 3 does not do this. It goes to the previous settings as soon as I press the brake

 

[scubastevo80]

I drive 40 miles round trip (50/50 highway and local roads) in my dual motor with just the seat heater and I’m at 230-240wh/mi coming off the charger in the morning. In the evening, I’m at 250-270 on account of having traffic and no regen initially. I drive 70 on the highway portion.

 

[mrau]

I agree that 350 wh/hr seems about right with air temps less than 45°F and some 70 mph driving. Cold air and high speed are not friends of the EV. If you park your car outside in the cold it will also take a bit more battery to warm it up as opposed to a garage that stays a bit warmer. However, as long as you have enough battery power for your round trip I would just enjoy it and drive as you like and keep the cabin temps & seat warmer comfortable for you. Just know that once the temps are regularly above 50°F your range will increase dramatically.

I first got my car in the winter time as well and was a bit disappointed at the range. Then April rolled around and I was all smiles then.