Road trips in a Tesla Model S electric car: lessons learned

Tesla Model S at a Supercharger fast charge station
Credit: George Parrott/Green Car Reports

Most electric vehicles (EVs) have short battery range: less than 160 km (100 miles). This is more than enough for the vast majority of daily use, but not for the much less frequent road trip. For a road trip, short range is compounded by slow charge times. An exception is the Tesla Model S with an EPA certified range of up to 426 km (265 miles). Using a Tesla Supercharger, the Model S can recharge to 80% of full charge in 20 to 30 minutes.

All of the above problems are compounded by cold weather. Charging is slower & the ability of the battery to release its stored energy is compromised, reducing range.

Use of the heater further reduces range in cold weather. This can be minimized, by using seat heating (a common fitting in EVs), rather than heating the entire passenger compartment. One quarter of the power use is representative. Warm gloves required.

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