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Tesla owner, not saying they didn’t do this, but to consider… The range in an EV is impacted by more variables than a gasoline vehicle. I’ve seen so many sensa
by eagerpace 3y ago
Tesla owner, not saying they didn’t do this, but to consider…
The range in an EV is impacted by more variables than a gasoline vehicle. I’ve seen so many sensationalized headlines the last couple a weeks, in particular one about how the heat wave is killing electric cars.
Look, as with any big change, people have to learn how the new thing works and that takes time. I don’t get the same range on a 95 degree day as I do on a 75. The rain impacts it, charging my phones impacts it, running the AC impacts it. I believe the number provided in the vehicle is fairly accurate and considers a handful of factors. But others like your driving style also have a huge impact and there is no way to account for that.
Can the software get better and incorporate more variables in its estimate? Yes. Do consumers also just assume the number displayed is perfect? Also yes.
We had this same problem when GPS navigation became available. There were stories of people who followed the guidance before their common sense and ended up in strange places. Now we know to use it as a guide and check for common sense.
- therouwboat 3y agoCome on, tesla makes self driving cars and now they have trouble estimating range?
- bryanlarsen 3y agoIf you tell the car where you're going the estimate is deadly accurate.
- PraetorianGourd 3y agoIf this is the case, why is Tesla the outlier? Ford, Hyundai, GM etc. all seem to be able to accurately estimate range. In fact, as the article mentions, Hyundai is slightly inaccurate in the opposite direction (though not by the same margin as Tesla over-estimates). If this is simply people getting used to a new technology, wouldn't it be a similar story across the board?
- oxygen_crisis 3y agoFavoring optimistic predictions isn't a reasonable response to large margins on complex probabilistic models. "Under-promise and over-deliver." Choosing the side of the margin that favors your marketing at the risk of stranding the customer on the side of the road is the unscrupulous choice.
- interstice 3y agoI find it funny that a side effect of ICE cars being so inefficient is that their range is much more predictable. If ~50% of your petrol turns into heat no matter what you do then using the AC doesn't make a lot of difference.
- ht85 3y agoI don't think they have to do with inefficiency. Predictability is there because combustion engines operate the same regardless of weather conditions. AC / energy consumption anxiety doesn't exist because of said predictability as well as your ability to refill 1000km worth of fuel in a couple minutes. The only difference if ICE were 100% efficient would be a slightly smaller gas tank.
- patrick451 3y agoI don't see how this makes any sense. An AC compressor is an extra load regardless of whether the motor is powered by gas or electricity. If it requires 10 Joules to run the AC for 1 minute, you need 20 more Joules worth of fuel. If turning on the AC didn't decrease gas mileage, then the efficiency of the engine somehow magically increased when it starts turning the compressor. This same reasoning should also apply to charging your phone, cranking the bass, etc, because that represents an additional load on the alternator which must be powered by the engine. Of course, turning on the heater in gas vs electric car is a different story, because the gas car is using the heat energy you mentioned that would otherwise be wasted.
- EdJiang 3y agoBecause the drivetrain is several times more efficient, other loads have an outsized impact on mileage. The Model 3 is rated by EPA to be 131 MPGe. So yeah -- if your drivetrain is getting 131 MPG, your A/C that consumes the same amount of power is going to have a much larger proportional impact.
- pests 3y ago> The rain impacts it, charging my phones impacts it, running the AC impacts it. That doesn't sound too good.