How Do Different Highway Speeds Affect Tesla Model 3's Consumption?

Summary

The video compares highway energy consumption and estimated range for a 2024 Tesla Model 3 Highland at 110, 120, and 130 km/h.

Test setup

• Usable battery capacity: 60 kWh
• Tires: 18-inch Michelin e-Primacy
• Three runs over the same roughly 100 km route, about 90% of which was on the highway. Each run included turning around halfway to balance elevation and direction.
• The car was charged to 60% before each run.
• Temperatures ranged from 14–20°C, with climate control set to 20°C.

Results

• 110 km/h: 122.4 Wh/km; 12.6 kWh used; estimated full-battery range of about 490 km.
• 120 km/h: 13.8 kWh used; estimated range of about 449 km. The video reports a 9.2% increase in consumption and about 41 km (8.5%) less range than at 110 km/h.
• 130 km/h: 152.1 Wh/km; 15.7 kWh used; estimated range of about 394 km. Consumption rose 13.8% from the 120 km/h run, with about 55 km (12.1%) less range.

Across the full speed increase from 110 to 130 km/h, consumption rose 24.3%, while estimated range fell by about 96 km (19.5%). The results illustrate that the second 10 km/h increase had a larger effect on consumption than the first.

The video attributes the growing impact partly to aerodynamic drag, which increases roughly with the square of speed. It also notes that tires, road surface, wind, temperature, elevation, and climate control can affect real-world results.

Data note

The subtitles give two different consumption figures for the 120 km/h run: 130.7 Wh/km in one passage and 133.7 Wh/km later. The stated 9.2% increase is consistent with 133.7 Wh/km, so the exact figure is unclear in the transcript.

Main source

Narrator/presenter for Enhance - S3XY Buttons, reporting a real-world Tesla test.