How Far Can a Tesla Go on One Charge?

When was the last time you worried about running out of gasoline? We guess that unless you were intentionally riding on empty or tight on money, this probably hasn’t happened because gasoline is incredibly abundant. 

There seems to be a gasoline station on nearly every other street corner, right? Due to immense availability and quick fill-up times at gas stations, drivers of gasoline-powered vehicles don’t typically ask how far their vehicle can go on a single tank of gasoline. 

Simply put, this easy access to gasoline has trained us not to think twice about the driving range of our gas-powered vehicles.

This care-free outlook doesn’t necessarily hold for electric vehicles or EVs for short. Why is this? 

Since there is a perceived lower number of public charging stations and a misconception about long charging times, new Tesla owners are often concerned about how far they’ll be able to drive on a single charge.

Fortunately, through the rapid growth of the Tesla charger network and charging times dropping to sub-thirty minutes, these questions of concern no longer merit quite the concern today. However, understanding how far a Tesla can go on a charge is still a valid question that should be investigated.

In this article, we’ll answer how far a Tesla can go on a single charge and investigate some factors influencing Tesla’s ability to act as an effective daily driver.

• Tesla EPA-Rated Range
• How EPA Defines Range
• How Different Models Stack Up Based On EPA Rating
• Impacts on Range
• State of Charge and Depth of Discharge
• Weather Conditions
• Public Tesla Charging Stations
• SuperCharger
• Tesla Charger Network

Tesla EPA-Rated Fuel Range

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Range denotes how many miles a Tesla can drive on a single charge. Every Tesla is rated for an official range designated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 

The EPA is a US-based Agency commissioned by the federal government to regulate, test, and validate fuel efficiency and the range of vehicles used in the United States. 

By a simple web search, you’ll find that each Tesla has a defined EPA range denoting how far that Tesla can travel on a single charge. On average, an EPA-defined range for a Tesla is around 200 miles.  

However, the process used for determining EPA range may not be the best for determining the range of your particular Tesla.

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How EPA Determines Range

When the EPA tests and validates range, they do so through a very well-defined process known as the Multi-Cycle City/Highway Test Procedure. The Multi-Cycle City/Highway Test Procedure tests electric vehicle range in the following manner:

• The car is charged to 100% battery capacity via the standard charger provided by the manufacturer
• The EPA measures how much electricity is drawn and any electricity lost in the charging process due to charger inefficiency
• Once charged, the EPA will drive the vehicle in ideal conditions (moderate temperate and low driving speeds) until the battery is discharged to zero
• Following that, the EPA multiplies the number of miles driven on a single charge by 0.7 to account for more life-like charging / discharging habits and environmental factors that influence range.

How Different Models Stack Up Based on EPA Range Rating

With all of this careful calculation, note that this EPA range rating is an estimate at the end of the day. A better calculation for range can be estimated based on personal driving habits, charging habits, and driving environment. Before assessing an estimate that is based more closely on real-life use, here’s a list of some EPA ratings for today’s Tesla models.

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Impacts on Range

As mentioned, the EPA range is calculated in ideal conditions and may not reflect the potential range of your Tesla. Real-life conditions may influence range based on your unique driving and charging habits.

State of Charge and Depth of Discharge

The State of Charge and the Depth of Discharge used by the EPA is a key factors for why the range of your Tesla may vary from the range estimated by the EPA.  

Remember that the EPA was changing the vehicles in question to 100% of charge capacity and discharging to 0% of charge capacity. This denotes a State of Charge of 100% and a depth of discharge of 0%. See the issue here? This charging habit is very uncommon and potentially harmful to the lithium-ion batteries that power Tesla vehicles.

Most lithium-ion battery best practices would suggest charging within a range that promotes longevity and minimizes degradation to the lithium battery. The reason for this is due to some complicated lithium-ion battery physics that show that, in most cases, frequent charging from 100% to 0% will accelerate the degradation of the battery. 

If you’re interested in learning more on this topic, consider reading our article The Comprehensive Guide to Maximizing your Tesla’s Battery Efficiency and Battery Life.

If you’re following best practices, you’re most likely charging your Tesla battery somewhere between 30% to 90% or a charge differential of 60%. Recall that the EPA multiplied their total miles driven by 0.7; in our case, the charge differential is set to 60% of maximum charge capacity. 

In reality, they may be close, but this may be one factor that comes into play if a Tesla owner is not finding their range matches the range presented by the EPA-verified range.

Weather Conditions

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Another major consideration when comparing the EPA’s defined range versus a more realistic range is the impact of weather conditions. Whether it’s extremely cold or hot, the range will be affected by the conditions in which you charge and drive your Tesla. 

Since this is such a hotly discussed topic in Tesla forums, we thought it would be worthwhile to discuss this in more detail.

Charging in Extreme Weather

You will find challenges when you charge your Tesla in conditions around freezing temperatures or around 100 degrees Fahrenheit. When charging your Tesla in temperatures around 32 degrees Fahrenheit, the onboard Tesla systems will use some of the energy generated by the charger to warm the Tesla cabin and the Tesla battery itself. 

Why is this important? Using energy to warm the Tesla will induce longer charge times to reach your usual charge level or a lower State of Charge based on the time it would take to charge a Tesla in less harsh weather conditions. 

So, you may find a decreased range by charging your Tesla the same amount of time that you usually would in better weather.

The same goes for charging in extreme heat. When you attempt to charge your Tesla in weather conditions near 100 degrees Fahrenheit, you’ll find that some of the energy generated from the charger is diverted to cool the battery and cabin of the Tesla. 

Again, you may decrease the range if you allow the same amount of time that you typically would charge in extremely hot weather as in more temperate conditions.

Driving in Extreme Conditions

Driving in extreme conditions will also affect range, like charging in extreme weather. In 2019, the American Automotive Association, or AAA, found that when the internal heaters of major EV manufacturers were used to warm the cabin, the battery would lose its charge at an accelerated rate, resulting in a 40% loss in efficiency. 

This is a massive shock to many Tesla owners who may have assumed a certain range that was realistic in the summer months but found that their range is greatly reduced in winter.

Public Tesla Charging Stations

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The range is critically important if the time to charge a Tesla is high or the availability of Tesla chargers is low. If one ran out of battery from the previous night’s charge and couldn't find a charging station or the time to charge was hours, they’d be in quite a pickle. 

However, with the development of the Tesla Superchargers and the growing availability of chargers through the Tesla charging network, when Tesla owner finds that they are low on charge, they now have a much greater ability to quickly and conveniently charge and get back on the road. 

Let’s look at the Tesla Superchargers and the Tesla charging network to understand how these technologies have greatly improved charge time and charge availability.

Tesla SuperCharger

As of 2019, Tesla released the Tesla SuperCharger V3, its third iteration of the Tesla Superchargers. This new iteration of the Tesla Superchargers promises a 50% reduction in the average charge times compared to the previous Tesla SuperCharger V2. 

This new charger can provide up to 75 miles of range in 5 minutes of charging and 180 miles of range in 15 minutes. This is an incredible feat in EV charging. Over a decade of development, we can see that Tesla is closing in on gasoline fill-up times by providing these lighting-fast Tesla SuperChargers.

Tesla Charger Network

Another phenomenal benefit to Tesla ownership is access to the expansive network of Tesla chargers. Also known as Destination Chargers, Tesla has built a charging network of over 4,500 Tesla chargers in North America. 

The intention behind this growing Tesla charging network is to ensure that even the lowest range Tesla can effectively drive within cities and between states without running the risk of running out of charge.

Next Steps

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The key takeaway is that this development in Tesla technology has greatly reduced the concern around range compared to the recent past.  

But, regardless of range, you’ll still want to optimize your charging schedule.  Optiwatt is a free app that can optimize your charging time and precondition your battery before leaving.  

In addition, Optiwatt can automatically charge when your utility rate is lowest and provide exact tracking of your Tesla charging costs. 

Finally, if you’re new to Tesla ownership and have more questions, consider reading our recent 5 Important Questions to Ask When You Get a New Tesla guide. 

Through our various guides and comprehensive growing knowledge base, we hope we are answering your important questions about all things Tesla.

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