Question: Why would someone buy a ‘long range’ EV if they didn’t expect to use that range very often? Aren’t you just carrying around a lot more battery than you need (just in case) and paying the price in weight? Well I have a theory:
Yes, a larger battery adds more weight, but at what cost? I don’t know…
Yes, a larger battery reduces my range anxiety, so there must be value in that…
But here’s the thing – what if I actually want my battery to ‘last forever’? Well, that means I should always be charging in the goldy locks zone, around 50% SOC plus or minus, and small-ish charge cycles (10%). Well, with my long range battery it’s really easy to live in that zone almost all the time (10% of 368 is ~37 miles). And before I go on, many will say I should have just gotten a plug-in hybrid – been there, done that. The overall complexity of the PHEV (and maintenance of another ICE car) is what convinced me to switch to an EV. So just say ‘no’ to another PHEV, or HEV for that matter…
So, referring back to my previous post (It Really Does Matter!), if you’re able to operate and charge in this zone, then tests show that battery life can be extended ‘indefinitely’. I’ll use that word loosely because we know that’s not a real thing, but my lifetime is limited and so is the rest of my car (body, suspension, drivetrain, motor, etc.). But knowing that all the non-battery stuff could last a long time, I want my battery to be in good condition at least that long, and maybe have a second life as somebody’s house backup unit. Who knows where it could end up if it’s still healthy after that rest of my car (and I) might not be…
So, using a web service called Recurrent, I’ll continue to monitor the health of my car’s battery to see if what I’m proposing is fact or fiction. Right now, it appears I’m still on track at 4,800 miles on the odometer. And with the car that averages 200 watt-hours per mile (Wh/mi) or less, this car is still very efficient with this big battery.
In conclusion, my case for have a large battery but using so little of its capacity could be completely debunked. But I’m very satisfied with the performance and range of the 2025 Model 3 RWD Long Range, and if I can keep my battery happy for the duration, I’ll be overjoyed!
Thanks for listening!