The Real Question, It Is Not The Total Miles

[drg_mx]

though i did some search before posting my question on range and range math, i found and read lot more stuff on the issue. and as pointed by many, it is futile to reconcile battery meter, range, wh/mi etc...

and i am also not concerned about what the range should be (epa track, rated, etc.). if it 200 or 220, i am ok

my main question/concern is when i am on a trip, WHAT AND WHERE SHOULD I LOOK TO SEE HOW FAR CAN I GO BEFORE I AM TOTALLY DRAINED?

in comparison to ICE (that many like to do), i have one reliable meter= the GAS GAUGE. i can ignore all the range, mpg etc., but when the gas gauge shows, say 1/8 , i know with reasonable certainty that i have 2 gal left and even with aggressive driving, i have 36 mi to go.

in tesla, again as many pointed out, the battery meter is not reliable and now i understand tesla did not put any graduation (% or 1/4, 1/2 etc.)

 

[David29]

though i did some search before posting my question on range and range math, i found and read lot more stuff on the issue. and as pointed by many, it is futile to reconcile battery meter, range, wh/mi etc...

and i am also not concerned about what the range should be (epa track, rated, etc.). if it 200 or 220, i am ok

my main question/concern is when i am on a trip, WHAT AND WHERE SHOULD I LOOK TO SEE HOW FAR CAN I GO BEFORE I AM TOTALLY DRAINED?

in comparison to ICE (that many like to do), i have one reliable meter= the GAS GAUGE. i can ignore all the range, mpg etc., but when the gas gauge shows, say 1/8 , i know with reasonable certainty that i have 2 gal left and even with aggressive driving, i have 36 mi to go.

in tesla, again as many pointed out, the battery meter is not reliable and now i understand tesla did not put any graduation (% or 1/4, 1/2 etc.)

Use the navigation system, put in your destination. That will use elevation changes and knowledge of the route to give you a decent initial estimate. Then use the Energy app to track the estimate as you drive. The Energy app will constantly adjust for your actual energy consumption during driving (based on speed, use of AC, outside temperature, etc.) and show you the projected range in miles/km. Click on the Trip tab of the Energy app and you can see a graph of your projected energy use vs, actual.

 

[commasign]

Yeah, I’ve never had any problems with the built in energy app. Enter your destination and it’ll tell you what % you’ll finish with and whether you need to supercharge along the way (and for how long). Another strategy is to display the energy gauge showing Wh/mile and learn what your car’s rated range efficiency is (e.g. 350 Wh/mile). As long as you stay close to the rated range efficiency, the displayed remaining range can be considered accurate.

 

[P85_DA]

As others have said if new to car just our destination in let the energy app guide you ...as long as you are aware of things that kill battery , ie speed, wind , heater you will be fine

 

[TexasEV]

The energy app will show you projected range based on the last 5, 15, or 30 miles of driving. What I find even more useful is if you have a destination set in the navigation system, at the bottom of the turn by turn directions box overlying the map is an estimate of percent charge at destination-- either at your next supercharger stop on the way or your final destination if there are no more supercharger stops planned. This continually updates as you're driving. If it shows less than 10% charge on arrival, I slow down.

 

[ewoodrick]

Flip the gauge from miles to % and use it the same way.
When on a trip, it is okay to charge to 100% before leaving. It's not prudent to charge to 100% on Superchargers, it takes too long.
You generally want to plan (or just let the car do it) to arrive around 10-20%. Don't forget that the actual range can vary based upon speed and temperature (winter sucks).
The Energy graphs are the most informative. When on a 30 minutes average, they give a good idea on the left of how much you are consuming and on the right, what your real range is.


BTW, I don't think that anyone has ever called an auto's gas gauge "reliable" or accurate before. Heck, they change based upon a vehicles orientation. Or let me put it this way, on the ICE gauges that also indicate the range. Would you trust driving the exact distance?

To begin with, just follow what the car says. If you are not going to make it, it will suggest slowing down to make the next stop. It will tell you where and how long to charge. You can trust it.
After you get rid of the range anxiety, you may find that you can stretch beyond the recommendation of the car.

 

[jmaddr]

What @ewodrick said. Change to percentage and use as you normally would. You have historical context in your ICE that 1/8 tank means 2 gallons which at 18mpg min gives you 36 miles. You don't have that historical context for electric but you will learn. If you have a 310 mile car, ever 10% is about 30 miles but that drops with wind, rain, heat, cold, right foot, etc. For me in my M3P, it's more like 20 miles when driven sanely.

BTW, Most ICE cars also have an estimated range that suffer the exact same issues our range indicators do, which is affected by our rights foot. Though some of the more advanced ones "learn" from how you drive and drop or add range to the estimation which Tesla's in my experience don't. I remember my S5 saying it had 290 mile range and then I took it to the track. 90 miles later I was empty.

 

[drg_mx]

thanks all for your suggestions....i gather one thing look further is the energy app...will give it s spin.