Featured Nissan motor analysis Munro

Actually, I'm open to a Leaf when the Model 3 dies. But that will hopefully be about 5 years away and we'll have to do a "source selection survey." This assumes at age 80, no one has confiscated my driving license:

• End of lease Tesla <whatever is efficient> with transfer of Full Self Driving
• End of lease efficient <other EV>

Bob Wilson

 

If the MG comes in, so too the Chinese … point, game, set, match. There are some very attractive Chinese EVs.

Bob Wilson

 

A "product" has no politics beyond what was evident when it was purchased. Corporate management has as much of a right to go nuts after our purchases as anyone else. Certainly there has been a lot of buyer's remorse on the Tesla side by some.

In my case, I owned TSLA stock but realized the CEO had gotten "distracted." That was my clue to selling my last TSLA stock and buying a solar roof. The capital gains tax neutralized by the solar roof credit. Yet I still have a 2019 Model 3 and didn't think twice about buying a $9k replacement battery a couple of months ago to keep it running another 5-6 years. I need cheap transportation until someone decides to take my drivers license away.

I make my political statements by donating to political campaigns. One rare exception, I gave $1 to a Donald Trump fund last year and continue to receive SMS texts soliciting money. Free to delete without reading, I suspect they have spent orders of magnitude more sending me their lies that I smile as I toss into the bit bucket.

Bob Wilson

 

That was the traction battery and it was "cooked" by a failed valve in the 5-way coolant bottle. I didn't realize it at the time and when I eventually did, too late.

The Nickel Cobalt Aluminum (NCA) chemistry in the 2070 Tesla cells age even if in storage. So the expected 50 kWh new battery in 2019 became a 44-46 kWh replacement battery. So now I'm applying lessons learned from my Prius days to minimize the charge-discharge cycle:

• More efficient tires - longer lasting and lower rolling resistance
• Absolute aero wheel covers - home made, 18", modified pizza pans
• More efficient driving profile:
  • Charge stops more frequently, 10 minutes or less, for a higher block-to-block speed
  • GOOD (65 mph, Interstate) or CHEAP (48 mph direct) and avoid FAST (75 mph, Interstate)
  • Stay at cheapest motel and use nearby SuperCharger for next segment

A Tesal software release earlier this year included a "battery test." I could not run it because of the stuck coolant valve. After I fixed it, the battery test showed capacity down to about 40 kWh and dropping. That is what happens to a "cooked" battery.

Looking at all my options, the $9k replacement battery was cheaper than any new or used EV I might buy. With my Model 3 tuning, I'm achieving better that Lucid, 23 kWh/100 mi, and Hyundai, 24 kWh/100 mi efficiency. FYI, I'm not done Model 3 tuning, yet.

Bob Wilson

 

Let me explain this chart:

• At ~80 mph, my Model 3 drives for about 75 minutes before needing a 10 minute charge
  • 80 mph * (75/60) = 100 miles
  • 100 miles / ((75+10)/60) = 70.6 mph
• At ~80 mph, my Model 3 drives for about 110 minutes before needing a 20 minute charge
  • 80 mph * (110/60) = 147 miles
  • 147 / ((110+20)/60) = 68 mph
• At ~80 mph, my Model 3 drives for about 130 minutes before needing a 30 minute charge
  • 80. mph * (130/60) = 173 miles
  • 173 / ((130+30)/60) = 65 mph

There are similar lines for ~60 mph and ~40 mph. What happens is the rate of charge decreases as the duration increases. So the fastest block-to-block speed maximizes the rate of charge by using shorter charge sessions. However, this reduces the time and miles traveled by that charge.

This chart uses my Model 3 benchmark test results with these fundamental assumptions:

• maximum 30 minute charge session, as long as I care to take at a SuperCharger
• maximum 180 mile range, ~3 hours of driving

I've tested the chart by a series to trips from my Huntsville home to Brentwood SuperChargers in Nashville TN:

• FAST - typically 75 mph over the posted 70 mph Interstate speed limit
• GOOD - typically 65 mph under the posted 70 mph Interstate speed limit
• CHEAP - minimize Interstate using the State roads direct from home to Brentwood

I am a former Prius owner who did a lot of vehicle tuning and benchmarks between 2005-2019. So my Model 3 has exceptionally long lasting, low rolling resistance tires with home made, absolute aero, wheel covers. I use passenger side windows for cabin temperature control. I also use Full Self Driving for everything but the parking lots. Ordinary, untuned Model 3s would have trouble matching my chart and benchmark results but I have to pay my bills, not yours. Regardless, the pattern should be clear.

Shorter charging sessions starting from a low state of charge will give a faster, block-to-block speed. This is because the higher initial charge rates shorten the overall trip time. I use a fixed, 40 mile reserve to the next fast DC charger(*).

A more sophisticated model would include exit Interstate and return to Interstate minutes. But these are nothing we have much control over so I choose to leave it out of the model. I am only interested in the two things I can control:

• Speed between fast DC chargers
• Duration at a fast DC charger

Bob Wilson

* - If my projected reserve is less than 40 miles as I approach the next charger, I slow down early several MPH until it remains constant. This becomes more aggressive at 30 and 20 mile reserve range. At 10 mile reserve, I find a closer, alternate charger before going further.

If the projected reserve increases over the 40 miles, I have increased speed by several MPH until it remains constant or decreases to the the 40 mile reserve. For example, coming down a mountain or a heavy tail wind.