Tesla has established a new one for electric vehicles. Be careful.
At that time, let’s say around 2013, the battery life of an electric vehicle typical of a classic manufacturer between 75 miles (Nissan Leaf) and just over 80 miles for the Chevy Spark EV and BMW i3.
For relatively few buyers who can only have a Model S, you can get an 85 kWh Model S with a diversity of 265 qualified miles across the EPA for around $80,000 (the cheapest version of no performance).
But until 2020, a 265-mile diversity is average. Anything below that, such as the Audi e-tron with a diversity of 218 miles rated across the EPA and an MSRP worth $80,000, is barely acceptable.
The new popular now has three hundred miles of range. At least for Tesla.
Here’s Elon Musk responding to a consultation called Tesla’s 2020 Quarter 2020 Earnings Convention on Why Tesla No longer Offers a Popular Y-Rank Model:
“As far as passenger cars are concerned, I think the new popular for Range will only be in terms of the U.S. EPA, about three hundred miles away. So I think other people will expect the number to be closer to three hundred miles as usual »
He went on to say that this popular new one is because the autonomy can vary depending on whether it has no blood or is hot outside, whether you drive on a mountain and how large the load you carry is.
And he added something important. A diversity of three hundred miles is the minimum because you want “reasonable margins”, that is, you don’t want to get to your destination without juice and no place to get a quick charge.
EPA’s deceptive estimated range
So true. The nominal or estimated diversity of an electric vehicle means little. For example, I had a Chevy Spark EV at one point (a few years ago) in my garage. It has rarely approached its nominal diversity of more than 80 miles. It’s a relentless and terrifying anxiety to drive the Spark almost everywhere. Suffice it to say, it’s not a practical car. And we sold it after about six months.
I now drive a 2018 Chevy Bolt with a 238-mile rating through the EPA. But because of all the variables, even this can be a bit tricky on long-distance travel.
The fact is, you’re rarely fully loaded when you go out on the road. And variables such as weather, terrain, load and driving speed can wreak havoc on the array of an electric vehicle, even with a 238-mile one, assessed through the EPA.
This would also apply to a standard Model 3 (starting at $37,990) that has an estimated 250 miles across the EPA.
So, for those who use an electric vehicle with a diversity of less than three hundred miles, Musk’s words.
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Observations:
*Back then, I had a 2013 Chevy Volt too. The genius of the Volt was that 90 percent of the time it was a pure EV sans the range anxiety because of its range-extending gas-powered generator.
Tesla’s Y model starts at $49,990 and offers a 316-mile diversity rated through the EPA; it is not a bad deal through the diversity and value standards of 2013, while the 265-mile S-model is approximately $80,000.
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I am a founding member of CNET News and Hardware Editor at CNET, a generation journalist who contributes to the New York Times and a reporter and editor-in-chief at the Asia Wall.
I was a founding member of CNET news and hardware editor at CNET, a contributing technology reporter for the New York Times, and a reporter and editor at the Asian Wall Street Journal Weekly — the latter in Japan, where I lived for ten years. Currently a contributing reporter for Fox News.