Some of Tesla’s best selling models have received an adjustment to their posted EPA range estimates, lowering some of them by as much as six percent. It has long been known that Tesla has a tendency to exaggerate its range estimates, failing to bake in any leeway for weather, terrain, or speed. Some say it’s technically possible to achieve Tesla’s figures in the real world in perfect conditions employing ultra efficient driving techniques. Most drivers, however, see their battery numbers tumble much faster than they might have otherwise figured.
In late October the U.S. Department of Justice launched an investigation into Tesla’s inflated driving range estimates. Around that time a class action lawsuit was also launched for the same reason. The DOJ was reported to have been looking specifically to see whether Tesla falsified range estimates to show real-time ranges longer than the vehicle could travel. The allegation is that Tesla has been doing this for over a decade.
The company website now says that the Model Y Long Range is down from 330 to 310 miles. The Model X Plaid has seen its numbers drop from 333 miles to 326, while the Model S Plaid equipped with 19-inch wheels has been updated to reflect 359 miles of range instead of the previously-claimed 396 miles. The Model Y Performance is perhaps worst off, as it dips 18 miles of range to give it a sub-300 mile range of just 285. These changes have not been made on Tesla’s UK and European listings, and the Model 3 and RWD Model Y remain unaffected by the range estimate reductions.
Range anxiety tends to be exacerbated when your vehicle can’t reliably achieve the range that it says it can. Many automakers—notably Porsche in my experience—have under-estimated ranges in their electric vehicles, delivering more miles than the EPA estimates attached to these vehicles.
The Cybertruck’s claimed 340 miles of range remains unaffected by the recent changes, in spite of the fact that a recent range test of the truck achieved just 254 miles of highway driving.