70MPH or 80MPH For Road Trips? Tesla Model Y Long Range RWD 70MPH Efficiency Range Test

[@brandenflasch]

Tesla referral link for $1000 off the purchase of a new Tesla! bflasch.com/tesla Results data: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1u4CH5X3f8CbAW1q7D5JLuIswCfAkfqVeNV0d-9NRMw4/edit?usp=sharing

[@dennissteul5445]

Well I use to be a guy who believed in the +10 mph over the posted speed, with occasionally +15 if I was more frustrated with traffic, left lane hogs. Finally in my old age I figured the stress wasn’t worth it. I now set the speed on the interstates at 73 in a 70 mph speed limit, and wave at everyone as they zoom past me. Sooooo relaxing. Wait a minute why is the clown in front on me in the right lane doing 60 in a 70 zone? Damn frustrating. I give up!

[@chuckhill5698]

💯

[@rayphelps-bowman3824]

Years ago I learned from my father to basically drive at the speed limit on the highway. When you do that, it is like you have the road to yourself. In reality, I do set the autopilot 2 or 3 mph higher than the speed limit (like you), but the effect is the same, it seems like I have the highway to myself. With the occasional exception of the person driving 65 in a 70 mph zone or someone who can't hold a steady speed, everyone else is either passing me or pulling away from me. Enhanced autopilot would make it a bit more convenient to pass the occasional slower driver, but I think I can handle switching off autopilot and switching it back on after passing.

[@RazvanMarc]

Doing the same....so relaxing.

[@ErvinKortsLaur]

Same

[@mil3761]

Agreed. But the number of people who don't hold a steady speed is silly. I use cruise control so I know my speed is constant yet some cars of their own accord just have such a huge range in driven speed. Use the damn cruise control folks

[@georgepelton5645]

Thanks Branden for running this test and publishing the results. I normally drive 75, as indicated on the speedometer.. That way I don't worry about tickets, and still save a bit of time on long drives. This worked great with my 2015 Model S. Now I have faster charging 2018 M3 and 2022 MY, and when the speed limit is 75 or 80, I bump my speed up to 80 mph. When I need to stop (restroom or food), I do so at the nearest supercharger, and the car is always charged before my wife and I are ready. (we are slower, older, folk 😂)

[@anthonyc8499]

Branden does a good job of putting together two key pieces of information; 70mph Range Test and the 10% Challenge, and combining them into some useful metrics.

[@bigtenpochet]

In my 2021 LR MY, with 20" wheels and the factory roof rails, I need about 50 wh/mile MORE for my 70mph and 80mph consumptions compared to your numbers. At 80 mph, I get rough 2 miles per 1% of SOC (so basically 200 miles of range).... basically 350 WH/mile at 80 mph. I have done many long trips, and as long as the charging stops are close to the highway for an easy on/off, driving fast and inefficiently will always get you to your final destination sooner (assuming a day with >400 miles of driving). BTW, for those anti-EV people out there... 200 miles of range on a road trip for me is more than sufficient. This means I realistically only get about 120-150 miles between charging stops, which is generally 90-120 minutes of driving, which I love! I need to use the restroom, and getting out of the car more frequently to stretch results in feeling so much less fatigued when we arrive at our destination.

[@Oxmustube]

You have to include charging stops in order to make an informed decision. I myself know that on a 1000 miles trip, i would have to stop at least three times (four would be better) to rest, stretch, etc. If the effeciency allows me to charge only three or four times, it would be a win-win..

[@cgamiga]

Supercharging adds range back faster than higher speeds use up more range, so, even though you have to charge more, you should save time in the end... as his numbers show... but, you will pay more for it since more KWH used. Up to what folks want to do...

[@brandenflasch]

Correct, assuming you're using the bottom of the battery as much as possible, the incremental charge time increase is pretty minimal.

[@calvinjeans-sj1bl]

Thanks for this comparison... I had done some mental math and came to the same conclusion! If time is important, drive as fast as you are comfortable and charge a little longer. One thing I haven't seen though, is... what techniques help you drive more efficiently in an EV? I just took my first long trip ( 2600Km or a little over 1600 miles). Obviously, going slower improves efficiency... in driving an ice car, but I could always get 5-10% better mileage than most people I know. I did this mainly by accelerating smoothly and slowing down early for traffic lights. I would also allow the car to slow down a bit on uphill and allow it to coast up on down hill. I get the sense that these techniques do not provide nearly the impact they did on gas cars... I don't know how to quantify or test this, but it would be interesting to try...

[@cgamiga]

@@calvinjeans-sj1bl You can use tools like ABetterRoutePlanner to do the math for you, it knows most all EVs driving efficiency and charge profiles, and you can put in a route and set to speed some % >100 of the speed limit, and see arrival vs charge time&cost. re efficient driving: same as in gas car, but moreso. ICE drivers normally don't care/not aware of how much speed impacts MPG... EVs more noticeably. You can often see on energy/odometer meter, how much Wh/mi goes up as you speed... drag is square of velocity... smooth slower accel helps as well vs (fun) rabbit starts, uses less power. Since regen gives power back (not 100% efficient but close), you don't have to worry as much about braking, nor try coasting. Just drive whatever speed you want, car will handle regen. There are also no transmissions, so no concerns about highway/gear speed being more efficient than another, except that MPG is opposite for EVs, that city driving w/ lower speeds and more (regen) braking is MORE efficient , while constant high-speed (drag) highway driving is LESS efficient

[@aaronbounds1336]

Great that I am watching this on a road trip at 82 mph, in my M Y. 2022 dual motor, long range. 86 deg F. 16% RH. SE wind 4 mph. 311 wh/m. Mostly sunny. 5k foot elevation. 56K mile odometer. I just leave it on a +10% speed offset and forget about it. Easy.

[@DavidC1]

great channel

[@lucidf8]

Thanks for the test and statistics in tabular form. It agrees pretty closely to my experience in a 2022 Model Y LR, 20 inch wheels. I drive a 100 mile loop once a week, and find that keeping it about 5 mph over the limit (60-70 mph), nets about 253 wh/mi. This will degrade to about 270 wh/mi under cold (40 degrees), hot (over 100), windy (+ 7 mph). It’s difficult to stay +5 mph over the limit because everyone else is +10 to +20 mph over the limit. And a few nut jobs are going +30 mph over!

[@thefilmpoets]

There’s also factoring in long term life. 100k miles at 80mph will have many more battery cycles than 70mph

[@Budooby]

I can’t imagine living somewhere with such little traffic that you can reliably maintain any speed on the interstate 😭 thanks for doing this, super interesting!

[@danburkland]

For me it’s almost always 113% of whatever the freeway speed limit is or 85mph (FSD’s current max speed limit). I frequently drive between my house in NE Minneapolis and West Des Moines which is approximately 260 miles. 9 times out of 10 there is a nasty headwind but usually the Plaid can comfortably make it on a single charge at 80mph. On the really cold / windy winter days I’ll slow to 75mph (or even 70mph) just so I don’t have to stop. On cross country trips I’ll usually rock 80mph as the time savings is worth it.

[@BillB33525]

This is a nice way to do a range test on a car. Everyone wants to know the 80mph range as that's the general speed on todays highways. Diving a car till it's dead is interesting but not necessary. Even in my senior years I prefer to go as fast as reasonably and safe as possible to get off the road earlier at the end of the day. An EV with more range means less stops over the day of driving which means arriving at the destination sooner. I liked the spreadsheet of data.

[@keizersoze907]

Cool deal KZbin from Charlotte Area!

[@franklong6269]

This is interesting because my 2022 RWD Model 3 will get between 240 -250 KW/mile driving at 70 - 75 mph in temperate weather (not too hot or cold). With approximately 60 KW of battery that is useable, this equates to 250 - 260 miles of range depending on the topography of the road. It has been really hot here in Arizona, my home state, and I think that this mileage will improve to around 225 KW per mile as Autumn approaches and temperatures cool. This would be in line with what I have heard, that the Model 3 is more efficient than the Model Y. This makes sense because the Model 3 is lighter and more aerodynamic than the Model Y.

[@johnpoldo8817]

Brandon, thanks for carefully controlled range test. Penalties for speeding in my home state of FL are severe so I avoid any more than +9. EV efficiency is so much better than previous ICE vehicles. Home charging is only $0.13 and DC fast charging at FL Power & Light utility is only $0.30, less than Tesla.

[@vitaliyleonov8958]

253Wh/mi is a dream for me =) I have 2021 MYLR on 18" wheels with AT tires, and cross-bars with cargo tray on roof. I do use 370Wh/mi at 70mph if that cargo tray is empty, if there is a cargo with cover then I slow down to 65mph to keep 370Wh/mi efficiency. Also I'm on almost sea-level, so air is thicker than in most of the country

[@johneric98]

Assuming one is charging to 80% from 10%, at 70 MPH you would need to charge 4.86 times; and at 80 MPH you would need to charge 6.01 times. What is the charging duration from 10% to 80%? What is the charging time for 0.86 of the 10% to 80%? Remember to take into effect the charge curve for the 0.86 of the charge (it would not be including the slower charging at the last 0.14 of the charging). Thanks for providing the data!

[@gc2276]

Consumption of energy will be always greater with higher speed. Electric cars are more efficient at lower speed. In my opinion driving at speed limit of highway is optimal and safe way of travel. Also if someone driving above limit could get ticket what will produce extra expense and definitely will extend trip and increase frustration.

[@MyTeslaTrek]

On a two lane highway I do +5 over the limit. When on the interstate, I set it to 85. My time is more valuable than the additional cost in charging.

[@Robdob780]

$0.39 / kWh for supercharging?!! Wow up here in Canada the rates just increased to $0.72 / kW so needless to say home charging is essential.

[@brandenflasch]

CAD vs USD...

[@ColtonBlumhagen]

Bro I'm paying 90 cents in alberta.

[@brandenflasch]

And in the US it can be $0.50+/kWh in California... it's variable. I picked $0.39/kWh since it's a fairly common price I see in the US southeast.

[@Robdob780]

@@ColtonBlumhagen where in AB?! I was paying $0.67 in Edmonton, I read it increased to $0.72. Apparently Kananaakis went down to $0.44 lol.

[@ColtonBlumhagen]

@@Robdob780 vegreville

[@wydryfly]

I agree with Sammy Hagar, I can’t drive …..65!

[@bobvorwald9737]

Nice comparison. Thank you. I am curious about the time difference between 70 and 80 over 1,000 miles what the additional charging time would be?

[@brandenflasch]

Charging time is very minimal

[@bobvorwald9737]

@@brandenflasch I have a new Model 3 rwd long range. I should run some similar tests

[@007silverwings]

What's is the ride and comfort like between the RWD and AWD? Thanks

[@brandenflasch]

Exact same

[@ColtonBlumhagen]

70 is obviously more efficient. the most optimal speed is around 30MPH.

[@brad589]

Can you do a test at 56 mph trip and I know it’s slow driving but it gives you range. My friend drives a Model X Plaid and I told him to drive at 56 mph on a trip and he got an extra 30 miles of range.

[@walkerdarin2003]

I’d do 80 in west Texas but that’s slow there.if I recall posted is 75. 80 in a 55 is asking for trouble

[@CHiTO316]

I average 75mph on my 2024 MY LR AWD and get 270Wh/Mile

[@voldar70]

Great video. The question that is to be answered is the following : is it worth 23% more energy for 14% faster time ? Where I live the max speed that doesn't give a ticket is 75 mph. So I drive 75 mph when the driving conditions allow it. Even in this video, the average speed of the test was as indicated at 4:56 54 mi/49 minutes >> 66 mph so not really 70 mph drive.

[@MechayaAlta]

How about drafting behind a fast semi truck, and how close would you have to follow for maximum range?

[@brandenflasch]

For range? As close as possible. For safety and your paint? Keep your distance.

[@jitterygoat49r]

Smile as you go under.

[@mowcowbell]

Not worth the possible rock chip damage to my car to draft a 18 wheeler.

[@GregMcNamer]

I find about a 10-15% improvement in efficiency driving behind a semi at 70mph using radar cruise at minimum distance in my Rivian, and a little more than that when towing our camper. If you don't care about safety or rock chips, if you get about 2 car lengths back you'll see far more dramatic results, likely nearing 50%.

[@rosmarin2438]

@@jitterygoat49rGlasgow Smile

[@midnighttrouble4u2]

What ever you want.. and not what the car wants.. stupid world