Real World Range?

Discussion in 'Model 3' started by Tailwind, Dec 19, 2019.

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  1. Tailwind

    Tailwind Active Member

    I drive a Honda Clarity but am seriously considering a Model 3. My Clarity is rated at 47 miles of EV range, but that varies with temperature. I see 35 miles on the low end in winter and 60 in the summer.

    Can I get a group conscience on actual range for a Standard Range Model 3? The 2020 models state 250 miles range, so charged to 80% it should be about 200. What is everyone's experience.
     
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  3. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web Well-Known Member Subscriber

    I have a 240 mi, Std. Rng. Plus Model 3 and it easily handles segments of 210 mi with a reserve. The built-in instrumentation easily supports trading off speed for distance.

    With Plugshare, I can find a quick J1772 or NEMA 14-50 charger at most RV parks. There is a $450 CHAdeMO adapter which means the EVgo and Electrify America chargers can also be used. Heck, I've even used a 120 VAC outlet at a truck stop to add enough miles for a reserve to the next charging location.

    What I'm suggesting is having a Model 3, there are lots of ways to snatch a charge on a long distance trip. Longer range is always better but flexible, fast charging is the sweet spot. For example, the most recent Tesla software jumps the peak charging rate from 100 to 170 kW. So at a 120 kW Supercharger, I'm seeing peak rates of 123 kW, a 20-23% increase in charging speed.

    Bob Wilson
     
  4. Bolero

    Bolero New Member

    You can also get a Long range RWD off menu..
     
  5. Tailwind

    Tailwind Active Member

    That's an interesting comment. When i went to the Tesla store last July, the Tesla guy said that. Order a dual motor long range and after the order was placed they could delete one motor saving about $4000.

    Got online with Tesla this past week and was told, in effect, "No Way, Jose!"

    In any event, the question is moot. I picked up my Model 3 Standard Range Plus yesterday. Fully charged at the delivery center, the car showed 230 miles of range. Burned up about 4-5 miles of range during the delivery/setup, then hit the road for home. 190 mile drive with a supercharger almost exactly half way home. Charged for about 15 minutes there and met 2 new best friends as we all waited for our cars to charge. Even got a few good tips from the conversation.

    I spent so much time in the car after getting home playing with stuff that my wife asked if I was going to sleep in the car? Not that I couldn't, 'cause it's really comfortable! But no, I told her I'd be in a bit later. (like 90 minutes later! :D) Now charged to 85% at home overnight, the app says 220 miles of range. As this is our only car, I'll just have to be aware of range, but 98% of our driving is within about 40 miles of home and there are 2 superchargers within 10 miles of our house.
     
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  6. Tailwind

    Tailwind Active Member

    Bob, that is interesting. My new car is a 2020 and the manual still says 100 kW limit. I'll have to check to see if that update was installed on my car. My only supercharging experiences so far were at a 120 kW shared stall (got about 55kW) and at a 72 kW station (only car there and got 69 kW)
     
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  8. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web Well-Known Member Subscriber

    The rate of charge is dependent on how low the State of Charge (SOC) is:
    batt_chg.jpg
    I also recommend joining the Tesla Owner's Forum: https://teslaownersonline.com. You can search for many answers and tips. They are very good about answering questions. In my case:
    • drive in "chill" mode (to minimize battery stress) and you'll still reach the speed limit first and it won't seem so 'frantic' in traffic
    • charge to 66% (my preference to minimize battery stress) and I have enough range to reach Superchargers at Nashville (North), Chattanooga (East-North-East), Birmingham (South), or Tupelo (West.)
    • set your 'departure' time conditioning to the morning minus ~20 minutes so it will end just as you walk to the car
    Bob Wilson
     
    Last edited: Dec 23, 2019
  9. Tailwind

    Tailwind Active Member

    Bob,

    I looked yesterday at the release notes of the last over the air update. It noted that the car is now capable of up to 170 kW charging rate. I'm going to have to run the battery down a bit and hit one of the 150 kW chargers near me and see what it will do. I was quite impressed when I was getting 69 kW the other day. That translated to 345 miles of range per hour of charge. Compared to my former Honda Clarity on Level 2 at 6.6 kW charge rate getting 22-25 miles per hour of charge, it's amazing.
     
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  10. Tommyhp2

    Tommyhp2 New Member

    Hello everyone,

    I don't mean to hijack the thread but I have similar question regarding real world range. The site saids Performance / Long Range AWD is 322. So if you were to charge to full or 80%, then driver 150 miles locally. Would you end up at the same or very close to the level as driving 150 miles on the highway before recharging again? I'm specifying 150 miles because I think that's a reasonable driving time on the highway for most people. I understand that the regenerative braking is supposed to offset the loss in repetitive acceleration to certain speed since acceleration to that speed consumes more than maintaining.

    Thanks,
    Tommy
     
  11. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web Well-Known Member Subscriber

    We typically call the indicated range, the "guess o' meter" (GOM) because there is some variability that increases at values over ~30-50 miles. But if it says "150 miles," it will in urban driving, give you that 150 miles, with +/- 15 miles, due to weather like cold, under 50 F, heat, over 85 F, rain, or snow.

    The recommended practice is to limit the car charge, a percentage, to give regeneration "head room" for braking. In my case, the ~236-240 mi range, I charge to just 66%, ~154-160 miles to maximize regenerative energy recovery from braking. This is more than enough for driving around town yet I can reach the nearest Superchargers to the North, East, South, and West. I only fully charge the battery over night when I plan to drive a long distance the next day, to the Superchargers beyond the nearest ones.

    For long distance, I typically add ~30 miles reserve to the next Supercharger distance. Then I adjust the highway speed to keep the reserve and avoid going below 10 miles remaining. For example, I'll typically get behind a truck, RV, or trailer and use dynamic cruise control to keep a safe following distance to seer around road debris.

    Bob Wilson
     
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