Tesla

What are the Ranges of Each Tesla Model?

Casey Donahue
Casey Donahue
September 14, 2022
What are the Ranges of Each Tesla Model?

When it comes to electric vehicles and the range game, Tesla plays it well. For years, Tesla has been among the range pacesetters as its makers focus on optimizing and exerting control over every aspect of the electric vehicle to achieve maximum efficiency. 

According to Tesla, whenever you can boost your motor efficiency by 10%, your range improves by up to 18%

In this feature, we look at the range of Tesla models, the factors that make up the ranges of each model on the open market, and how Tesla achieves maximum efficiency to ensure drivers get the full range of benefits for every trip. 

How Does Tesla Top the Range Game? 

Tesla has become a range leader over time thanks to its stay-in-control approach when addressing the range of its various models. Tesla manufacturers build most of what they need when constructing their vehicles rather than rely on suppliers' sourced items. 

How Does Tesla Top the Range Game? 

Tesla has become a range leader over time thanks to its stay-in-control approach when addressing the range of its various models. Tesla manufacturers build most of what they need when constructing their vehicles rather than rely on suppliers' sourced items. 

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Additionally, their batteries' quality and power capacity have steadily improved over the years. For example, the Model S, which Tesla introduced in June 2012, came with a battery pack with an 85 kWh capacity, rated at 265 miles of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) range. Four years after its introduction, Tesla introduced a 100 kWh battery pack, with the range number increasing to 315 miles. 

Logically, a larger battery pack equals more range. However, even with the battery packs remaining the same, the Tesla range keeps increasing as the electric vehicle maker finds ways to maximize efficiency. 

Battery Optimization is Tesla’s Main Focus

The battery is the core of improving range for Tesla makers. Contrary to other automakers, Tesla offers drivers full access to the battery pack capacity, meaning that all 100 kWh of the pack are available to Tesla drivers rather than having to hold some battery capacity in reserve to preserve battery life. 

There is the potential downside of battery degradation, which becomes more apparent with time. However, Tesla continues to partner with different battery manufacturers and create ways to make their batteries dense by using cheaper materials. As a result of using cheaper materials, the kWh price gradually decreases. 

Tesla models like the Model 3 and Y have benefitted from the increased density thanks to enhanced battery cell chemistry due to Tesla’s improved collaborations with their battery partners. 

Improving the Quality of the Powertrain 

Tesla also improves its range and performance by removing waste from the powertrain. By improving motor efficiency, Tesla drivers will last longer on the road because the motor runs smoothly throughout any trip. According to Tesla, optimizing the powertrain boosted the motor of the Model S from 80% to 90% efficiency, with the peak efficiency reaching 94% during test cycles. 

Meanwhile, Tesla’s inverter, which takes direct current (DC) energy and converts it into three-phase alternating current (AC), is up to 97% efficient. At its peak, the inverter reaches 99% efficiency. 

However, what remains unclear is how much efficiency there would be when converting AC to DC while using plugged-in Level 1 or 2 chargers. Such efficiency depends on the local electrical infrastructure and other key factors. 

What Are Other Advancements Being Made to Boost Tesla Range? 

Tesla continuously makes hardware advancements to boost efficiency while encouraging drivers to leverage over-the-air software updates for further improvements to improve range. 

Furthermore, Tesla does not maintain a model-year refresh schedule, a standard with other auto manufacturers. When the motor is most efficient, it goes into the Tesla when it is ready, armed with a few tweaks.

Tesla also takes anonymized data from its vehicles to make its software adjustments, using the information to optimize future software iterations. 

All of Tesla’s efficiencies, including for range, necessitate Tesla building them, improving the sustainability and shelf-life of their electric vehicles. 

What Tesla Has the Longest Range? 

According to the EPA, the longest range of any Tesla on the market is the Tesla Model S Long Range Plus, with the 2020 electric vehicle model boasting a range of 412 miles. It’s the world’s first 400-mile electric vehicle and marked a 20% range increase versus Tesla’s Model S 100D from 2019, with the battery pack boasting a similar design. 

Tesla’s Model S Long Range Plus reflects the company’s focus on energy frugality and efficiency, making iterative and transformational improvements to ensure optimal performance. 

Also, it’s reflective of system architecture and hardware advancements Tesla made during the engineering and design processes, using significant mass reduction by minimizing the weight of different components without compromising performance. 

Additionally, the aerodynamic tires and wheels that the Long Range Plus has add to the efficiency, with aero wheels spanning 8.5 inches to reduce aerodynamic drag compared to previous wheels for the vehicle. Additionally, alongside a custom tire that lowers rolling resistance, a 2% range increase occurs. 

What is the Range of a Tesla S? 

With a long and low styling, the Tesla S was the vehicle that put Tesla on the proverbial EV map, with the electric vehicle maker updating the car continuously, as evidenced above by the Model S Long Range Plus. 

The Tesla S Long Range is an all-wheel-drive that drives up to 412 miles on one battery charge, with the electric vehicle model accelerating to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds

The Tesla S Plaid similarly features an all-wheel drivetrain, offering a range of 390 miles. The model is faster than the Long Range model, accelerating to 60 miles per hour in 1.9 seconds. 

Meanwhile, the Tesla S Plaid+ is also renowned for its speed, going from 0 to 60 in the same time as the standard Plaid model, with the trim driving for more than 520 miles with a single charge. 

What is the Range of a Tesla Model 3? 

According to EPA estimations, the 2022 Tesla Model 3 Long Range all-wheel-drive model boasts a range of 576 km. Meanwhile, the rear-while drive version of the Model 3 has a range of 438 km. And the Performance version of the Model 3 has a range of 507 km. 

Since unveiling the Model 3 in 2016, the four-door electric sedan has been among the best-performing Tesla models. The Range Plus rear-wheel-drive model accelerates from 0 to 60 seconds in 5.3 seconds while. 

The 2022 Model 3 Long Range model accelerates faster than its rear-wheel-drive counterpart, going from 0 to 60 within 4.2 seconds. And the Performance version of the Tesla Model 3 goes from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 3.1 seconds with a 75 kWh battery pack. 

The Ranges of a Tesla Model Y?

 

The compact electrically-powered SUV is available in two models: Long Range and Performance. 

‍The 2022 Tesla Model Y Long Range model drives for roughly 330 miles on one charge, while the 2022 Tesla Model Y Performance model drives for 303 miles on a single charge. 

However, if you’re looking for the 2022 Tesla Model Y Standard Range, you’ll be disappointed knowing there isn’t one. Tesla brought back the Standard Range version of the Model Y last summer, only for it to be discontinued shortly thereafter because Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, was not happy with its range. 

‍Another Model Y version will come out soon, dubbed the 2022 Tesla Model Y AWD, which has a 279-mile range. 

Tesla Model X Ranges 

The Tesla Model X is a seven-seater that comes in Long Range and Plaid models, with the Long Range model offering 360 miles on one charge while the Plaid offers 340 on a single charge. 

‍Both the Long Range and Plaid Tesla Model X accelerate well, with the former going from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 3.8 seconds while the latter does so in 2.5 seconds. 

Supercharging Also Boosts Tesla Range 

When considering what Tesla has the longest range or how much range any model has, supercharging as a factor helps considerably in distinguishing between the models. 

Tesla is known for its wide-ranging Supercharging network, using a proprietary connection to facilitate each charging station and its respective capabilities. Tesla’s connection method is contrary to the rest of the EV industry, steadily moving towards using CCS DC fast-charging ports. 

The first Supercharger added around 70 miles of range to a Tesla Model S in 15 minutes, while the 2020 Model S, by comparison, achieved 160 miles of range within the same period. 

The Supercharger V3, meanwhile, supports a high rate of 250 kW, a rate supported by models S, X, and 3. Quicker charging should be expected from future Supercharger variations, only enhancing the range of each of the available Tesla models that much further. 

Using technologically-advanced means to optimize battery efficiency and how Tesla car parts are made, Tesla continues to position itself above traditional vehicle makers concerning range. 

By building components in-house and having maximum control running their vehicle as a complete unit, Tesla’s electric vehicles have ranges that help drivers to stay on the road longer, with less worry. 

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Casey Donahue
Casey Donahue

Serial entrepreneur. Founder of Optiwatt. Pushing us towards a greener, cheaper, faster future.

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