Here's How Much Range The Tesla Model X Really Has
One of the biggest concerns when it comes to electric vehicles is range, and rightly so, since a stop to charge can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours. Just like gasoline-powered vehicles, it's impossible to predict exactly how far an electric vehicle will go for every driver. Tesla, being the biggest manufacturer of electric vehicles, has a vehicle portfolio with some of the best range in the industry. The base AWD Model X is one of Tesla's less successful vehicles in terms of sales, but it still claims a range of 348 miles.
As with any vehicle manufacturer — especially electric vehicles — Tesla's range claims are estimations based on guidelines given by the Environmental Protection Agency. The estimates are supposed to be indicative of more or less what you should see in terms of range on a day-to-day basis, but the actual performance may vary depending on a mix of factors. When it comes to gasoline engines, your fuel mileage may be affected by things like the type of fuel you use, altitude, your typical route, road conditions, and driving habits.
With regards to EVs, all of the individual factors, like the distribution of highway and city travel, average speed and acceleration, and road conditions can play a large part in your range. However, cold weather can also be a much bigger factor in your overall range, especially when compared to internal combustion engine vehicles.
Model X doesn't quite reach Tesla's claims
Starting off with normal driving conditions and no extreme weather, testing by Edmunds puts the Tesla Model X Long Range — which claims a mileage of 328 miles — at a real-world range of 294 miles. This means the Model X Long Range gets close to 10% less mileage off a full charge than its EPA numbers claim. Tesla has since updated its Model X lineup and no longer sells the Model X Long Range, but this 10% number is pretty much par for the course when it comes to Tesla. As InsideEVs testing found, Tesla consistently overstated its vehicle's range estimates by around 10-12%.
EV batteries don't work as efficiently in the cold, so Tesla recommends that drivers who are going to drive in excessively cold conditions use both battery and cabin preconditioning while the vehicle is charging to prepare the vehicle for the drive. This warms up the cabin — and most importantly, the battery — so that the vehicle can perform as well as possible without draining too much range to keep the battery pack warm.
According to cold weather testing by Recurrent, a tested Tesla Model X 75D experienced a loss of 15% — a reduction from a tested range, rather than the EPA range — due to cold weather. Based on this information, you can expect a current 348-mile, AWD base Model X to get around 313 miles of range when new, and closer to 266 miles in extreme weather conditions.