Why Tesla's EPA Range Numbers Were Lowered: Did the Range Get Worse?

Tesla's EPA range numbers for many of its vehicles were lowered recently, and this is the reason why.

Tesla EPA Range Numbers Lowered

The Cybertruck was put through a range test recently, by Out of Spec Reviews, and was driven on the highway from 100% down to 0% to see what the range would be when the battery depletes.

This was a Cyberbeast Foundation Series Cybertruck. The temperature it was run at was 46 degrees Fahrenheit and 8 degrees Celsius. The speed of the truck was 70 miles per hour.

When the range test was complete, Kyle posted the results. They were: 254 miles; 124 kWh consumed; An efficiency of 486 Wh/Mi or, what I think is easier to understand, 2.05 miles per kWh.

It's important to note that the climate controls were being run in the car at 67 degrees Fahrenheit, which does take a lot more energy.

254 miles does seem low, and 270 would have seemed more reasonable when running this real world test. If you ran the same test, would you get the same results?

Also, it's important to note that others have gotten a different efficiency number from their driving of the Cybertruck. One driver showed a 454 Wh/Mi or real world range of 270 miles.

To unpack these range results, I am going to compare them to my Model 3 RWD, which started with a 60 kWh battery, though I don't think all of that is used. It's more around 52.5 kWh usable and around 50 kWh today after 17 months of use and battery degradation.

Generally, I can expect to get around 220 Wh/Mi on the freeway at 70 miles per hour if I'm not running any climate controls. If I am running climate controls, especially in the winter, that number goes as high as 280 Wh/Mi.

I am only able to get the 272 miles of EPA range in warm weather around 60 degrees or higher. I'll know the weather is good because there is no limit on the regenerative breaking.

When I drive "normal" - meaning no unnecessary acceleration, without climate controls in warm weather, I get the 272 EPA range miles, sometimes more, and around 5 miles per kWh and more.

The Cybertruck gets just over 2 miles per kWh as shown in this range test. However, an explicit range test should be done with the Cybertruck not using climate controls, in 60 degree weather, and not all freeway driving because that is also the experience some people will have. I think in that case, it'll get close to the 320 miles of range for the Cyberbeast.

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Range Drops on EPA Range for Tesla Models

Recently, the EPA range numbers were dropped for a number of Tesla models:

Prior EPA Ranges

• Model Y Long Range: 330 miles (531 km)
• Model Y Performance: 303 miles (488 km)
• Model S Plaid (19-inch wheels): 396 miles (637 km)
• Model S Plaid (21-inch wheels): 348 miles (560 km)
• Model X Long Range: 348 miles (560 km)
• Model X Plaid (20-inch wheels): 333 miles (536 km)

New EPA Ranges

• Model Y Long Range: 310 miles (499 km)
• Model Y Performance: 285 miles (456 km)
• Model S Plaid (19-inch wheels): 359 miles (576 km)
• Model S Plaid (21-inch wheels): 320 miles (515 km)
• Model X Long Range: 335 miles (539 km)
• Model X Plaid (20-inch wheels): 326 miles (525 km)

Why were these EPA ranges dropped? The EPA is mandating that all EVs in the U.S. test all acceleration and ride height modes in best and worst case scenarios. The new ranges are the result of this requirement.

The EPA is doing this to better reflect real-world performance of modern EVs.

Tesla has dropped the range for almost all of its vehicles. The Model 3 appears to be unaffected so far, however, I wouldn't be surprised to see the numbers drop there.

With the Cybertruck range test happening, does this mean Tesla's 4680 battery cells are not where Tesla wants them yet? Or does it mean that the range test was done on the freeway and that EV range on the freeway is just worse? Were the climate controls dragging down the range?

For instance, a city driving test with the Cybertruck, especially without climate controls, might show more efficiency and closer to 300-320 or more miles of range.

Regardless, these range numbers signal an attempt to get more accurate to the real world, which does mean using climate controls and not a "perfect scenario".

The range and usage of Tesla's vehicles are the same - no battery changes were made - it's the same Tesla vehicles, just a different reporting of range.

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What do you think about the lowered EPA range estimates for Tesla's vehicles? Is this a bad thing for Tesla, or just more reflective of reality?

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Hi! I'm Jeremy Noel Johnson, and I am a Tesla investor and supporter and own a 2022 Model 3 RWD EV and I don't have range anxiety :). I enjoy bringing you breaking Tesla news as well as anything about Tesla or other EV companies I can find, like Aptera. Other interests of mine are AI, Tesla Energy and the Tesla Bot! You can follow me on X.COM or LinkedIn to stay in touch and follow my Tesla and EV news coverage.

Image Credit & Article Reference: Kim Java | Out of Spec Reviews