Tesla battery charge range and how long does it last

How long will a Tesla battery charge range or last—in terms of miles or years? Giving a definitive, fact-based response to that query is challenging. Even though electric vehicles (EVs) have been around since the 1800s, they haven’t been on the road long enough or in large enough numbers to have proven themselves in the real world. The first batch of the Model S, Tesla’s first mass-produced EV, has celebrated its tenth anniversary.

One of the best ways to embrace a greener and more sustainable future is to switch to an electric vehicle. It’s understandable to ask how Tesla will perform in the long run given that they are one of the most well-known electric vehicle manufacturers. The Model S, Model X, Model 3, and Model Y are some of the most famous electric vehicles produced by Tesla Motors. Elon Musk, the company’s founder, markets Tesla’s beautiful goods as high-end electric vehicles (EVs), and they come with a hefty price tag to match. Owning an electric vehicle requires knowledge of your charging station options, including Tesla’s vast network of charging stations and home charging.

Well in this article we’ll be discussing the Tesla battery charge range, how long does it last, and other side knowledge you need to know. So, let’s begin!

Tesla battery charge range

Contents

Tesla battery charge range

A mere 5 miles can make or break your drive to the next charge, even though Tesla has increased the driving ranges for each car. Any Tesla vehicle’s battery, as previously mentioned, has a minimum range of 267 miles per charge. The range of batteries is influenced by a number of factors. These two factors are your driving style and battery capacity. Tesla now offers a maximum range extension of about 375 miles on a single full charge.

Similar to a gasoline engine, Tesla adjusts the available mile range based on the current driving conditions. It can say you can go 250 miles on a full charge, but if you drive quickly and aggressively, it might be less. The fact that EV battery lifespan is a shifting target further muddies the statistics. Numerous modifications to battery cell chemistry, cell structure design, and battery management systems have been made over the last ten years. The batteries in Tesla vehicles now are considerably different from the batteries from ten years ago.

Tesla’s Model 3, Model S, SUV Model X, and Model Y all have different ranges following a single full charge, as illustrated in the diagram below:

Tesla models                                                                                                       There range

Model 3 Standard Range 267 miles
Model 3 Long Range 334 miles
Model 3 Performance 315 miles
Model S 375 miles
Model S Plaid 348 miles
Model X 332 miles
Model X Plaid 313 miles
Model Y Long Range 318 miles
Model Y Performance

 

303 miles

Because of the rising availability of Superchargers, whatever Tesla you choose will give enough range for everyday use and lengthy drives.

How much does it cost to charge a Tesla?

Below shows the charging cost for different Tesla cars at different locations;

Price of Tesla Model S charging in the top states

Location Per-kWh electricity rate ($) Price of a full charge ($)

 

California $0.14 $9.86
Colorado $0.12 $8.37
Hawaii $0.30 $21.23
Massachusetts $0.21 $14.49
Nevada $0.12 $8.62
New York $0.17 $12.12
Oregon $0.11 $7.48
Utah $0.11 $7.52
Vermont $0.18 $12.40
Washington $0.09 $6.60

 

 

What factors impact the cost of charging a Tesla?

While filling up an ICE vehicle with gas is usually always more expensive than charging a Tesla, the price gap will vary depending on a number of factors. We’ll go through some of the key factors to think about when assessing your charging alternatives in order to maximize your savings.

The size of your Tesla’s battery

It should come as no surprise that paying more per charge means your car has a bigger battery. However, depending on the range of your Tesla, a larger battery may still result in lower per-mile costs and less frequent charging requirements.

Read more: Tesla maintenance, its cost and repair

Your electricity source

It should come as no surprise that your electricity source will have the most impact on the cost of charging as you need electricity to charge a Tesla. For instance, you might pay for the normal electricity plan from your utility or select an alternative, such as community solar, a community choice aggregation (CCA), or a green power plan (GPP). Subscribers to community solar typically pay less per year to charge their Teslas.

The conventional option from your utility, nevertheless, can be less expensive than a CCA or GPP. Check out this post to discover more about how various alternative sources of electricity compare. The ideal option to charge your Tesla if you’re really trying to save money is with a rooftop solar system; once you pay it off, you’ll effectively be able to charge it for free!

The type of charger you use

Not all of the energy needed to charge your EV’s battery is really kept there; some are lost as heat, some are utilized to maintain the battery’s temperature, and some escapes as “transmission loss” (a process that is highly technical; we won’t go into the specifics). The level of EV charger you choose can have a significant impact on how much power is wasted as heat; higher voltage charging often results in less power loss.

In order to convert alternating current (AC) power from your home into direct current (DC) electricity that can be stored by your EV’s battery, Level 1 chargers (also known as 120-volt ordinary outlet chargers) and Level 2 chargers (also known as 208- or 240-volt standard home chargers) are used. Heat is produced during this conversion, causing energy to be lost. Conversely, using a Level 3 charger (400-volt chargers found at public charging networks) is known as DC fast charging since they deliver DC electricity, meaning no conversion losses take place.

According to a Car and Driver article, Level 3 chargers normally achieve efficiencies of about 90%, but Level 1 or Level 2 chargers typically achieve efficiencies of around 85%, with some falling as low as 60% in cold conditions.

How And Why Does A Tesla Battery Fail?

It’s critical to realize that relatively few EV batteries suddenly fail before we look at the figures. Instead, they slowly deteriorate over time, storing less and less energy over time, reducing the driving range of an EV. The decline is not linear. Early on in its life, the battery experiences a fast impact and may lose up to 5% of its energy capacity. Following that, it enters a prolonged phase of slower deterioration.

What causes this to occur? Positively charged lithium ions in the battery go from an anode through the electrolyte and to the cathode while an EV is being driven. They come back to the anode charged. The simplest explanation for battery deterioration is that as the battery charges and discharges, some ions end up stuck to the cathode or the anode. Less energy is needed to push the car because there are fewer freely moving ions. Additionally, the ability of the electrolyte to allow ions to pass through it decreases with time as it matures. Regardless of how often you charge or operate the car, this deterioration, also known as calendar aging, happens over time.

When you charge your Tesla

You can also spend more to charge your Tesla at particular times of the day, depending on where you reside. When power is in high demand, certain utilities have rate systems that change how much you pay for it during the day or year. Known as time-varying rates, these rate structures vary depending on the utility but typically charge more during periods of high energy demand and cost, such as the middle of the afternoon on a hot day. If you reside in a place with this kind of rate structure, you’ll often pay less to charge your Tesla at night.

Where you live

Where you live will have a huge impact on how much it costs to charge your Tesla (unless you’re charging it with solar energy!). Electricity costs vary widely across the nation. Overall, the Pacific Noncontiguous U.S. is likely to cost the most to live in, while the West South Central region of the U.S. is likely to cost the least.

It’s also crucial to bear in mind that if you reside in a very hot or cold area, more energy is lost during the charging process because more energy will be required to maintain the battery’s proper temperature. This lowers the charging efficiency of your Tesla. So the greatest places to charge EVs are in temperate climates.

What Tesla Says About Battery Lifespan

Tesla believes that its batteries will endure for about 200,000 miles in the United States and 150,000 miles in Europe. This is according to the company’s 2021 impact assessment. According to Tesla’s own research, after 200,000 miles of use, the Model S and X batteries typically retain 90 percent of their initial capacity. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, also stated in a tweet that the battery pack in the Model 3 and Model Y was intended to survive 1,500 charging cycles, or roughly 300,000 miles for Standard Range models and 500,000 miles for Long Range models.

Until recently, the majority of Tesla vehicles sold in the United States used lithium-ion battery chemistry called nickel-cobalt-aluminum (NCA), but the business has lately begun using lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries in less expensive Model 3 models. Although these cells don’t have the same energy density as NCA batteries, they ought to be more resistant to deterioration. The Model Y Standard Range AWD leaving Tesla’s Texas Gigafactory has also begun using its new, bigger 4680 nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) cells. Before we have a complete grasp of how these new cells perform in the real world, it will probably be more than ten years.

What Tesla’s Battery Warranty Says About Degradation

Like every automaker, Tesla creates its products and warranties to prevent the firm from incurring excessive costs to replace parts. Consider the Tesla battery warranty as the absolute worst-case situation. What is the earliest you might be responsible for a costly battery replacement if the battery dies on the same day the warranty expires, an extremely improbable scenario?

Prior to 2020, Tesla offered an eight-year, unlimited-mileage warranty on the batteries and drive units of the Model S and Model X. Since then, the new warranty for those vehicles is eight years or 150,000 miles. Less-priced Tesla cars have lower mileage restrictions. While the Performance, Long Range, and Standard Range AWD models of the Model 3 and Model Y are warranted for 8 years or 120,000 miles, respectively, the Model 3 RWD is covered for 8 years or 100,000 miles.

The manufacturer guarantees that during the warranty period, the batteries will maintain at least 70% of their initial capacity (also known as 30% deterioration). In other words, a 303-mile Model Y Performance is operating as designed if it can still hold onto enough energy to travel at least 212 EPA-rated miles on a single charge.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Tesla battery longevity and range are important factors for owners of electric vehicles. Tesla has made significant advancements in battery technology and now offers a number of models with outstanding charging ranges, frequently going over 300 miles on a single charge. However, factors including usage, charging practices, and maintenance affect how long a Tesla battery lasts.

Tesla batteries may be kept efficient and reliable for many years with the right care and attention to best practices. Due to Tesla’s dedication to battery research and development, electric vehicles are becoming a more appealing and sustainable choice for transportation in the future.

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