Real world range on Premium ER/AWD

[Daraiders76]

Have there been any long term drive reviews done where they have checked the mileage range of the battery. I have a premium reserved with ER battery and RWD but I'm getting the itch to switch to the AWD. But yes I do have range anxiety-for long trips not everyday commuting.

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[Tim_C]

I haven't seen many attempts at verifying range, and the drives have been short on details. The Autoblog review mentions getting 250 miles driving an AWD ER, but other than mentioning a Brooklyn starting location there are no details of the drive.

 

[DBC]

No there haven't been any test drives that would suggest the actual range. Seems like you are most interested in range on the freeway. Insideevs usually does one of those, though the guy who does them has recently moved from NC to CO so he'll have to find some nice flat roads in warmer temperatures for that to happen (I think he mentioned he was going to try and do this in CA sometime in January).

I doubt 30 miles of range will matter than much. It's not as if you plan to pull into a charging station with zero miles remaining, and the charging stations are usually spaced less than two hundred miles apart. And if you are nervous you can just slow down.

 

[VegStang]

Edmonds did a preliminary range test on their loop and got 304. Mentioned at 4:18 in:

https://www.macheforum.com/site/thr...on-mach-e-first-drive-reviews.2350/post-71957

 

[Daraiders76]

Edmonds did a preliminary range test on their loop and got 304. Mentioned at 4:18 in:

https://www.macheforum.com/site/thr...on-mach-e-first-drive-reviews.2350/post-71957

Nice. I will check that out on my lunch break. Although at this point, I don't know if it's possible to make changes. I placed my order in late July and have a build-date of 02/01. I don't want to screw that up!

 

[dbsb3233]

Have there been any long term drive reviews done where they have checked the mileage range of the battery. I have a premium reserved with ER battery and RWD but I'm getting the itch to switch to the AWD. But yes I do have range anxiety-for long trips not everyday commuting.

It's been a subject of intense speculation and debate throughout these forums. There were a few bits and pieces revealed in last week's first drives, but even those need to be taken with a bit of a gain of salt because they were pre-production units that won't be quite the same as the production units.

In general, it sounds like range is coming in pretty much as advertised (EPA). However make sure you understand what that really represents. That's 0-100% battery, which is of course unrealistic for real driving. Leaving home at 100%, you'll probably drive it no lower than 10%. If charging on the road, you probably won't charge above 80%, so those legs will have even less range.

If driving at highways speeds (as most would on a road trip), subtract probably another 10% off range at 70 MPH (more if faster). If it's cold out, using the heater can cost another 10%. More if it's very cold. If the roads are wet, subtract more. If it's windy, subtract more. If it's uphill, subtract more. (These are all rough estimates.)

270 mile ER AWD range driving from 100% down to 10% is probably around 240 in the city. But on the highway is probably anywhere from 140-220, depending on the conditions. And if stopping to charge along the way (up to 80%), then successive legs could be just 115-175.

If sticking with the ER RWD, add 10% to all those estimates.

 

[UW2]

Have there been any long term drive reviews done where they have checked the mileage range of the battery. I have a premium reserved with ER battery and RWD but I'm getting the itch to switch to the AWD. But yes I do have range anxiety-for long trips not everyday commuting.

I found this interesting:
https://www.caranddriver.com/featur...-factor-tesla-uses-for-big-epa-range-numbers/

 

[Daraiders76]

It's been a subject of intense speculation and debate throughout these forums. There were a few bits and pieces revealed in last week's first drives, but even those need to be taken with a bit of a gain of salt because they were pre-production units that won't be quite the same as the production units.

In general, it sounds like range is coming in pretty much as advertised (EPA). However make sure you understand what that really represents. That's 0-100% battery, which is of course unrealistic for real driving. Leaving home at 100%, you'll probably drive it no lower than 10%. If charging on the road, you probably won't charge above 80%, so those legs will have even less range.

If driving at highways speeds (as most would on a road trip), subtract probably another 10% off range at 70 MPH (more if faster). If it's cold out, using the heater can cost another 10%. More if it's very cold. If the roads are wet, subtract more. If it's windy, subtract more. If it's uphill, subtract more. (These are all rough estimates.)

270 mile ER AWD range driving from 100% down to 10% is probably around 240 in the city. But on the highway is probably anywhere from 140-220, depending on the conditions. And if stopping to charge along the way (up to 80%), then successive legs could be just 115-175.

If sticking with the ER RWD, add 10% to all those estimates.

Yeah, that's the only thing keeping me from pulling the trigger on going AWD. I mean, it's mostly going to be a commuter and weekend errand care. We do have a 2008 Acura MDX that still runs like a champ. Just hoping the RWD handles well in rainy conditions, etc. I mean, up until a few years ago RWD was the way to go. When you had mostly options of FWD and RWD, FWD was frowned upon.

 

[dbsb3233]

Edmonds did a preliminary range test on their loop and got 304. Mentioned at 4:18 in:

https://www.macheforum.com/site/thr...on-mach-e-first-drive-reviews.2350/post-71957

I think that's the best number I saw in the reviews. The worst was probably Kyle's (admittedly uncontrolled) 11 minute segment where he only got 2.1 miles/kWh at a steady 70 MPH in wet roads and slightly uphill at 45F. That would translate to 185 miles for a full battery (vs 270 EPA).

Those are probably the extremes. I assume most highway drives would likely be somewhere close to the midpoint of those 185 and 304 extremes. Wide window though.

 

[dbsb3233]

Something on Kyle's drive really didn't hit me until I watched it again... He read off the energy stats at one point:

Climate 31%
Route 59%
Accessories 5%
External Temp 5%

I assume "Climate" refers to use of cabin heating/cooling? If so, 31% sounds MASSIVE. Do we think the cabin heater really uses 31% of the battery???

 

[imstriker]

Cabin resistive heaters are brutal. The heat pump on my LEAF doesn't hurt it too badly, but once we are cold enough for resistive the range plummets.

 

[dbsb3233]

Cabin resistive heaters are brutal. The heat pump on my LEAF doesn't hurt it too badly, but once we are cold enough for resistive the range plummets.

31% though? I knew it was significant, but I wasn't expecting half as much energy as it takes to actually push the 5000 lb car at 70 MPH.

Breaking it down by power... 2.1 miles/kWh = 33 kWh per hour. 31% of that is 10.3 kWh. That's the equivalent of running almost 7 1500 watt space heaters.

 

[DBC]

I assume "Climate" refers to use of cabin heating/cooling? If so, 31% sounds MASSIVE. Do we think the cabin heater really uses 31% of the battery???

Only if the heat is on and the MME isn't moving, which is what might have happened in this case.

Heating isn't an issue with ICE vehicles. Lots of waste heat which can be used. Electric vehicles are much more efficient so heating can be an issue. Heat pumps are touted as a solution but they are better on paper than in reality. At some temperatures you can simply use heated seats. Those are very efficient. At lower temperatures heated seats may not cut it, but at these temperatures heat pumps don't either.

 

[DBC]

270 mile ER AWD range driving from 100% down to 10% is probably around 240 in the city. But on the highway is probably anywhere from 140-220, depending on the conditions. And if stopping to charge along the way (up to 80%), then successive legs could be just 115-175.

As they say, it will all come down to the three Ts -- Temperature, Terrain, and Technique. Based on experience, my guess is that on long trips I'll get 3.5 miles/kWh and my wife will get 3.7 miles/kWh. That's going 70-75 MPH with an occasional visit to 80 MPH. So close to what Edmunds got. I guess I could conjure up a scenario where the range would be 115 miles but it would be a lot of conjuring.

But note the short sleeved shirt during the Edmunds drive. Cold weather and going up a mountain will definitely reduce that range. You will recapture some of the range when going down the mountain -- and to avoid freak-outs faith is needed that this will happenIn -- but nothing beats a nice flat route.

 

[DBC]

Yeah, that's the only thing keeping me from pulling the trigger on going AWD. I mean, it's mostly going to be a commuter and weekend errand care. We do have a 2008 Acura MDX that still runs like a champ. Just hoping the RWD handles well in rainy conditions, etc. I mean, up until a few years ago RWD was the way to go. When you had mostly options of FWD and RWD, FWD was frowned upon.

FWD was generally preferred in rain or snow because the engine, and hence more weight, was over the drive wheels. RWD was preferred for performance reasons.

But the MME will be different. It will be much heavier, and hence more planted, than similar sized ICE vehicles. Plus EVs respond much more quickly which helps handling in rainy or snowy conditions. I think Musk claimed that a RWD Tesla handles better than AWD ICE vehicles in snow, and I suspect he's right on that. So you should be fine with RWD.

But if you're not worried about range why not get AWD. It's the performance version and one reason for getting the MME is that it is a more performance oriented vehicle.

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