Tesla’s Model 3 has a range of 310 miles, EPA confirms – The Verge | Hacker News Reader

Tesla’s Model 3 has a range of 310 miles, EPA confirms – The Verge

theverge.com

22 pointsrbanffy13 comments

For average use, coming from the perspective of a traditional combustion engine user, that falls squarely in my "hey, not bad!" area of judgement. That's about 100 miles less than a full tank on my Subaru, and I don't think I would have to adjust my day-to-day routine at all to compensate for that. Even road trips wouldn't be uncomfortable in this range.

Agreed - would do my longest 'common' road trip there-and-back without recharging (~4h total driving), though I usually stay overnight so a comfortable top-up overnight would be common.

It does bring up an interesting point - while visiting friends and topping up in their driveway, is it polite to pay them a few bucks for 'gassing up'?

I live in Connecticut with family all back in Pennsylvania, so my most frequent road trip is just slightly out of range. I could stop and charge for a few minutes to cover it, but if I lived further east in CT or were going further west in PA it'd require a more substantial recharge.

It's a pretty close thing, but my Saturn can make it on a tank of gas without stopping.

Day-to-day for commuting I bet it's great for people who have a garage. Not so great if you live in an apartment with on-street parking.

The real problem is if you wanted to go farther gassing up the Saturn takes five minutes, and gassing up the Tesla will take... 30 minutes? If there's nobody using the charger?

How often do you drive more than 300 miles in a day? If it’s more than once or twice a month and you can’t spare the time at a supercharger, an EV might not be fit for you. Otherwise, it satisfies the daily driving needs of most people in the US (based on DOE/DOT commute data).

Sure, it's fine for daily use, but my folks live about 400 miles away, and I visit every couple months. That's an extra charge on the way there, then another on the way back.

And it's not clear to me just how easy it will be to use a supercharger if Tesla sells as many as they intend. How likely is it I'll get a slot without waiting the week of Thanksgiving?

My situation can't be that uncommon. People take vacations, visit family, go to conventions, etc, etc. I realize if it's just once or twice a year you could rent a car, but it doesn't take that many rentals to put you into the "wish I'd bought a regular car" group.

The only way I can see a car like that making sense is if you're part of a two-car family and the electric is a dedicated commuter.

Your situation isn't that uncommon; there are probably many existing Tesla owners in a similar situation who find the supercharging system works for them.

310 miles at 60 mph is over 5 hours...

Do you really drive for 5 hours straight without a break...? That sounds both unsafe and dull.

Here in the UK, most people take a brief (15 minute, coffee and toilet) break every 1.5 hours or so.

Is that not normal in the USA?

310 miles would be done at 75-80 mph depending on the speed limit. Puts it in the ~4 hour range, and me personally, I would probably take maybe 1 bathroom break, sometimes not. I could imagine driving between lunch and dinner.

then i dont believe the range would be 310 miles with such speeds. Probably something like 70% of that.

I'm European. From my experience, long distance driving in the US is less stressful than our side of the pond.

Wide, long & straight roads are the norm. Automatic transmission and cruise control make for comfortable long rides.

While roads there are less well maintained than in comparatively rich European countries, car suspensions are softer.

And don't forget, battery tech keeps improving. I wonder how many years until it hits 400 miles.

Finally they delivered the car for EPA..

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