Recently I drove to Jackson, NJ to visit Six Flags Great Adventure. The trip was about 150 miles round trip, something the 325 mile Model 3 can handle with ease.
The car was charged to 90% the night before. By the time we actually left, it was down to 88%. The in dash navigation predicted a 64% arrival state of charge but we got there with 66% left. Average speed on the highway was about 60mph with a top speed in the mid 70mph range. Three other people were in the car.
“Since last charge” stats showed 150.3 miles used with a power usage of 33kWh and a 217Wh/mile. While at the park for 8-9 hours, sentry mode and cabin overheat protection were enabled and used 7% of the battery. Driving back home from Six Flags used another 22% of the battery pack.
To say this car is efficient is an understatement. People complain that the rated range is never achievable but from all the driving I’ve been doing, I disagree. Air conditioning was kept at 72 degrees and I didn’t go out of my way to disable functionality of the car to save range. Obviously while idle in a parking lot, a gas car will not use any range but it also cannot record video as part of its alarm system. Nor keep the interior from melting due to hitting 150F. I’m extremely satisfied with the trade offs of driving an electric car. Even more specifically, a Tesla made electric car.
