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Tesla Model Y Long Range Only Hits 220 miles in Real World Test

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How hard one accelerates and decelerates can make a huge difference between in consumption; along with about a billion other things; yet this is unreported and doubt is standardized if they are just using human drivers instead of testing on a dyno. This is why EPA numbers are used even if they are more optimistic than real world.

A big diff between ICE and EV is how much energy is actually stored on board. A gas tank holds an order of magnitude more energy; it’s just not very efficient with it. But it has so much in excess and so inefficient that things like temperature, and acceleration profile doesn’t alter range much.

EVs stores precious little energy but it is extremely efficient with it. But if you start doing inefficient things like accelerating hard or driving 10mph faster it really starts to hit the range of the car.

it’s this kind of nuance that IMO most Car magazines and journalists doesn’t understand yet and it is how we are ending up with such weird results because their underlying science is bad. It just didn’t matter before when comparing ICE cars to ICE cars. The tests that most publication does simply doesn’t have the signal to noise ratio to provide meaningful results comparing EVs to EVs.
 
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Go outside of CA and you care. Add cold weather, loads of rain or snow, and often 100+ miles between superchargers, or more stressful, ONE supercharger on a 200+ mile route. Sure it’s in the middle which makes it 100 miles to the supercharger and 100 miles after it... but what if that supercharger is damaged, the town doesn’t have power, or it’s offline for any other reason.

I live way outside CA.
I bought the LR Y for that reason. Most folks up here realize that winter changes the range of any car (ICE or EV).
Cold air is more dense, so it takes more energy to push through it.
We don't have superchargers (SC) everywhere (yet) but they are still expanding the SC sites.
Driving conditions and terrain make a huge difference regardless of whether it is an ICE or EV.

I believe, if I can do math correctly, that my range is in the low 300's.
I got the car at the very end of June, 2020. It's been on many highways and also many country sloping back roads here in NH. It's been through it's first winter here. Heated seats set to 1. Temps set to 70.
Also use Dog Mode a lot (summer and winter) which uses more energy.

Below is a real world value. YMMV.

2021_02_lifetime.JPG

Note: The image of the car is their rendering. In winter, my Y doesn't ever look that clean! :)
 
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There's nothing more inefficient than going uphill at highway speeds. This is my typical drive now that I have my Tesla.

First pic: 943 Wh/mi avg over the past 5 miles, taken at the top of the mountain (~2500 ft)
- Estimated range is 52 mi @ 66% SoC
Second pic: 248 Wh/mi avg after 36.4 miles, taken at the bottom of the mountain (~sea level)
- Estimated range increases to 219 mi @ 67% SoC

saratoga_hill_climb.jpg


How hard one accelerates and decelerates can make a huge difference between in consumption; along with about a billion other things; yet this is unreported and doubt is standardized if they are just using human drivers instead of testing on a dyno. This is why EPA numbers are used even if they are more optimistic than real world.

A big diff between ICE and EV is how much energy is actually stored on board. A gas tank holds an order of magnitude more energy; it’s just not very efficient with it. But it has so much in excess and so inefficient that things like temperature, and acceleration profile doesn’t alter range much.

EVs stores precious little energy but it is extremely efficient with it. But if you start doing inefficient things like accelerating hard or driving 10mph faster it really starts to hit the range of the car.

it’s this kind of nuance that IMO most Car magazines and journalists doesn’t understand yet and it is how we are ending up with such weird results because their underlying science is bad. It just didn’t matter before when comparing ICE cars to ICE cars. The tests that most publication does simply doesn’t have the signal to noise ratio to provide meaningful results comparing EVs to EVs.
 
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Reactions: angus[Y]oung
Yeah, going up a steep hill at 40 mph needs about 27-30 kW from the motors. That's the equivalent of driving at 75 mph.
My area is generally flat so I don't have a lot of long uphill locations I can go at 60+ mph to see how much energy is needed from the motor(s).
 
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Anybody know why Tesla doesn’t just put a few more batteries in the SR Y to get the range up to 260 or so? This seems like an easy fix to me.

Cost! I think the margins on the SR are already a lot lower. The less batteries in a car the more cars can be made and sold. Also, I do think there will be a LR RWD eventually...so, don't want to get the SR RWD range too high...
 
Note that one thing they DON'T apparently control is ambient temperature.

That's a critical omission.

And wind speed, in fact they don’t even seem to record that and comment on it. I’m trying to come up with a good way to record air speed at the front of the Y to do a series of range tests; I suspect the Y is more sensitive to wind than the 3 is. However, ready made kits with data loggers appear to be like $1,000+, which I don’t really want to spend. Still researching this and hopefully will be able to record a lot of telemetry soon with it...
 
I finally had a chance to do a longer trip.

I had fairly warm temperatures, around 65F and dropped to 50F towards the evening. 2 passengers, climate control off.
Car: 2021 Model Y LR AWD
Total Trip: 188 Miles
Charged to 90% - 292 displayed range
Miles left: 55
Efficiency: 295 wh/mi
Speed: Cruise set at 78mph. Occasional traffic making me reduce speed between 70-76mph. I would guess 90% of the time I was able to keep my set speed. Also did lots of spirited passing (I was trying to get home, not be efficient).

Route was from Fresno, CA to Bay Area, CA. Highway 99 North > 580 West > 880 South.

TLDR: I estimate I would be able to get 220 miles driving @ 78mph from a 90% charge. Of course YMMV.
 
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There's nothing more inefficient than going uphill at highway speeds. This is my typical drive now that I have my Tesla.

First pic: 943 Wh/mi avg over the past 5 miles, taken at the top of the mountain (~2500 ft)
- Estimated range is 52 mi @ 66% SoC
Second pic: 248 Wh/mi avg after 36.4 miles, taken at the bottom of the mountain (~sea level)
- Estimated range increases to 219 mi @ 67% SoC

Heh, that single digit for SoC added soo much range!

Joke aside, interesting data, thanks!
 
I can take the freeway and get home in 20 minutes or I can have fun which will take an additional hour. ;)

I've been trying to get a high-score for Wh/mi avg dissipation on the way up. My record so far is 970 and I got a respectable 954 last week.

It's getting warm here and the 4.12 firmware allowed more regen so I've been getting even better efficiency. 223 Wh/mi avg over 40+ miles.

MY_Efficiency_March_2021.jpg


Heh, that single digit for SoC added soo much range!

Joke aside, interesting data, thanks!
 
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EDD just updated again, now to 6/19-6/25. added my insurance Info too.
Does anyone call Tesla to get a better idea of where their car is and when to expect scheduled delivery?
I know this is the wrong thread, but...when I was awaiting delivery, end of Dec, 2020, my sales advisor googled my VIN, the system told him my car was on a truck somewhere in Wyoming. I live in Ft. Worth, TX. He chuckled and said, "HAHA! It must be on Autopilot, using Tesla Nav!"
(My car arrived safe and sound a few days later...)
 
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It's getting warm here and the 4.12 firmware allowed more regen so I've been getting even better efficiency. 223 Wh/mi avg over 40+ miles.
My wife drives about a hundred miles a day in the M Y. She has averaged the same 223 wh/mile for over 1100 miles. But she keeps at the speed limit and her route doesn't use interstate highways.

I believe the real world many are claiming is that their real world is 85 to 90 mph. Then they make the case that Tesla inflates their range numbers. This is false! Tesla quotes EPA range which uses a complex way of determining range and none of that is at 90 mph. What is real world? For my wife it is 223wh/mile and that comes out to 325,miles range on a full battery. She generally recharges at home after 2 trips plus some local driving or when she is at 60-100 miles remaining.

I drive the M S LR+ and I average 245wh/mile and recharge when I get to 50miles remaining. That's about 12% remaining.

WE find those claiming Tesla doesn't have real world range claims are driving inefficiently mostly speeding according and modifications to the car's aerodynamic design based on admissions on You Tube.
 
My wife drives about a hundred miles a day in the M Y. She has averaged the same 223 wh/mile for over 1100 miles. But she keeps at the speed limit and her route doesn't use interstate highways.

I believe the real world many are claiming is that their real world is 85 to 90 mph. Then they make the case that Tesla inflates their range numbers. This is false! Tesla quotes EPA range which uses a complex way of determining range and none of that is at 90 mph. What is real world? For my wife it is 223wh/mile and that comes out to 325,miles range on a full battery. She generally recharges at home after 2 trips plus some local driving or when she is at 60-100 miles remaining.

I drive the M S LR+ and I average 245wh/mile and recharge when I get to 50miles remaining. That's about 12% remaining.

WE find those claiming Tesla doesn't have real world range claims are driving inefficiently mostly speeding according and modifications to the car's aerodynamic design based on admissions on You Tube.
I believe EPA average speed for “highway” is like ~48 mph. There are plenty of tests showing 70 to 75mph gets about 290 to 310 Wh/mi. Does your wife drive 50 or 55, because there is a huge energy difference between that and 70 or 75…