Yeah, you definitely need to be careful and the conditions need to be close to ideal, but I routinely get the rated range in a model 3 without any trouble. It’s like any other car though - elevation change, weather and driving habits play big roles in efficiency. The car also has nearly 500hp on the top end so it’s very easy to kill your trip efficiency with even just one or two bursts of high acceleration.
Tesla doesn’t lie about the EPA range though. It’s reproducible even if those aren’t “real world” driving. If we want real world driving numbers that’s up to the EPA to change the methodology.
Range displayed is always just an estimate anyway, with so many variables. If they’ve fudged what gets displayed somehow that is clearly bad, but the EPA range is legit.
I think the AP investigations are a much bigger problem and also impact nearly all Teslas. What if Tesla has to disable AP or can’t let people beta test FSD which could grind their data collection to a halt?
Socsa@sh.itjust.works 11 months ago
PersnickityPenguin@lemm.ee 11 months ago
Sort of yes and sort of no.
Tesla displays the vehicles “range” as the EPA range minus any battery degradation. The number doesn’t fluctuate otherwise.
However, if you plus a destination into the trip computer, it actually computes the estimated efficiency and you can estimate the range from it.
Every other EV instead has a “guess-o-meter” which estimates the remaining range of your car based on current driving habits and derived efficiency by looking at the recent X number of miles driven… this gives you a good range estimate which automatically factors in recent weather, terrain and driving habits. It also takes into consideration your current battery health.
Only the trip computer is particularly accurate. Tesla has theirs, while everyone can download the app abetterrouteplanner.
Socsa@sh.itjust.works 11 months ago
Yeah, it’s top line number is basically the estimated range at 250WH/mi given the cars estimate of battery capacity.
It’s not hard to get or even beat 250WH/mi in good weather on relatively flat highway if you are moderately careful about it. It’s definitely an upper limit though, which I think is appropriate. I don’t care how much range the car has with a lead foot. Top Gear showed that an M3 can get better mileage than a Prius when both are doing performance laps, so that’s kind of just a dumb way to measure range/efficiency.
NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Exactly. I don’t think Tesla showing the EPA range after degradation and state of charge is anything to be concerned about. If there’s a problem with doing that, then the problem lies with the EPA/regulations.
I’m not sure what this whole different numbers at 100% vs at 50% is unless they do turn on a guess-o-meter if you reach 50%, or maybe Tesla is fudging the battery degradation to show a higher 100% and then adjusts it as you start driving, but either way, I don’t think it’s the big deal this articles title is trying to make it out to be. The number at 100% will be accurate to the EPA test cycle on a new vehicle, and I think that’s the critical piece here.
I do still think we need better more accurate EPA tests.
abhibeckert@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Some people have complained that their Tesla does half the estimated / EPA range when they drive in winter. If those complaints are accurate… then that’s pretty bad.
Everyone knows range is weather affected, but not by half. It definitely shouldn’t be that bad.
NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world 11 months ago
It would probably make sense for the EPA to have a cold weather test to help give a better picture.
Cold weather really isn’t 50%, especially with the heat pumps. Like maybe on a non heat pump, if you don’t preheat, and have a lead foot directly onto a highway, but even then.
All that said, none of that is the doom and gloom of the title if that’s all it is.
I still think the real risk is from AP/FSD.
This range thing probably won’t result in anything significant