Understanding "real-world range" for your electric vehicle
Real-World Range is the typical range we observe for an average Tesla of the same model, battery pack size and a similar age and odometer based on the Recurrent community’s real-world driving and charging habits. It is a mix of city and highway driving in various terrains and temperatures.
This value will differ from the original EPA range estimate, since the EPA estimate does not account for temperature differences and allows manufacturers to apply their own adjustments.
Real-World Range is what typically happens in day-to-day driving based on over 360,000 discharge sessions, covering over 20M miles, across nearly 10,000 Teslas.
Our models are determined by monitoring the depth of discharge and distances that Teslas in our community can travel between charging sessions.
For subscribed Teslas on our platform, we receive notifications at the beginning and end of charging events that include the beginning and ending state of charge and odometer reading. The driving that occurs between one charge session end and the next one starting we refer to as a Discharge Session. Each Discharge Session has a number of miles traveled and a change in state of charge that accompanies those miles. This may not always be in a single trip, so Real-World Range includes range loss from “vampire drain” as well. We use local weather station data to determine average external temperatures for each Discharge Session.
Prior to our beta launch in April 2023, we collected over 360,000 discharge sessions from nearly 10,000 Teslas across all models, years and battery pack configurations in a wide range of temperatures. All of this data is used in aggregate for Real World Range estimates. We’ll continue to add to this data set and update our estimates as model years age and software updates impact efficiency.
Why are we doing this only for Teslas?
Tesla has the largest market share of EVs on the road, so we’re starting here.
Teslas use a fixed efficiency for their Rated Range display, so their top-line range estimates don’t reflect temperature differences that Tesla drivers experience in the real-world.
Our Expected Range numbers, based on Tesla’s Rated Range data for connected cars, are a good proxy for the available remaining kWh in the battery. So that’s why we use them for our Range Scores, which compare a vehicle’s current range to the average for its make, model and year when new. However, Tesla drivers were reporting a discrepancy between the temperature-specific ranges we were predicting and the reality of what they experienced.
We’ve updated the seasonal temperature variance section of the report to use the new Real-World Range numbers as its source.
Dashboard range estimates from most other automakers already take into account the effects of temperature so our temperature-specific range estimates were already more realistic.
Does the Real-World Range estimate include miles after 0% (i.e. miles after empty)?
No, our estimates do not include the number of miles your vehicle may keep in reserve past 0% state of charge. We do not recommend testing how far your Tesla can go past 0% state of charge.
How does Real Range factor in vampire drain?
Our estimates are built for drivers who are using their car every day and in a variety of conditions. Each driver has their own preferences about cabin temperature and the use of features such as Sentry mode. Our estimate doesn’t make an assumption as to whether or not you will use these energy intensive features or not, but does take into account the way that 10,000 other Tesla drivers rely on these features in the real world. The more climate control and security features are used, the less efficient your car will be. We encourage all EV drivers to use their car in a way that fits their lifestyle and needs.
Why is the range on some trips is much better or worse than the Real-World Range estimate?
Our Real-World Range estimates capture the most likely range a Tesla like yours will experience at most temperatures. Drivers that go out of their way to maximize energy efficiency and minimize energy intensive features may achieve ranges significantly higher than we estimate. Likewise, drivers on very inefficient trips (heavy load, towing, etc) may achieve ranges much lower than our Real-World Range estimates.