Technology

I wrote this in another comment, but Tesla has been known for a long time to game EPA numbers. Here's an article from 2020 talking about it: https://insideevs.com/news/407807/eletric-car-real-world-range-tested/

Several get below their EPA numbers, but several cars also get higher. Tesla models all get significantly below their claimed mileage.

It's worth noting that he recently did the same test, with similar temps, in the EV9 (which is also super inefficient on the highway), and got over the EPA range. IIRC most of his range tests exceed EPA numbers.

also, the EPA test cycle for highway has a maximum speed of 60mph, with the average below 50

That article's from 2012, before Elon Musk popularity took off, and yet you can already get a foreshadowing sense of Musk off the article:

Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk called Top Gear "completely phony" and his company sued for libel and malicious falsehoods.

It's the same with gas, you just didn't notice it as much. Gas cars definitely get way lower mileage in the winter.

It definitely already is and some people will literally buy huge gas sucking trucks that they don't need just to stick it to the libs or whatever

Just throwing away money really but the reasoning is insane

Already there, a conservative I know said to me "it's only matter of time until they make us all drive EVs"

Industry average results?

You probably do have a lead foot. I can usually best the sticker mpg especially with hybrids.

He ran his standard test. Most other EVs in this test exceed the EPA range, most notably he recently tested the EV9 (a literal brick) in similar temperatures.

The EPA highway test is 55mph or something around that. These real world tests are all 70mph+

The only way you do better or equal on a 70mph test is

1. Advertise a smaller range than you actually have

2. Gear the motor for high speed and have worse performance at lower speeds (EVs typically do better at low vs high, but you could make low even worse)

3. Have a multi gear motor like Porsche and I think some Audi. Then you don't have to optimize the motor on 1 gear, but it substantially increases cost (but it's a porsche) and complexity and repair costs.

The EPA just needs to make a 70mph test part of the test cycle and make them advertise that.

Most EVs he's tested hit or exceed the EPA range on this test. Even bricks like the EV9 exceed their EPA range in similar temps.

Why is the efficiency lower on highways?

Tesla has been known for a long time to game EPA numbers. Here's an article from 2020 talking about it: https://insideevs.com/news/407807/eletric-car-real-world-range-tested/

It's not a best case scenario - it's a precisely repeated series of accelerations, cruising with a specific amount of resistance applied to the wheels, and braking.

It won't match any real world drive. In the real world there are other variables, traffic, wind, hills, speed limits, etc. It's also intended to be a fairly typical highway drive, so in ideal conditions you will do better than the EPA range. Down hill, for example, the cybertruck can drive forever (unlike an ICE, which is so inefficient it uses energy even going down hill).

I've found EPA MPG estimates to be fairly accurate. Unless I'm driving aggressively or there's a lot of elevation change the highway average has been spot on the EPA number in every car I've driven enough to pay attention to the MPG.