# 2016 Tesla S 90D efficiency increase?



## jmullins (4 mo ago)

I reset my trip odometer every 6 months (Apr 15 - Oct 15) and until this summer have been consistently using ~ 300 w/mi in the winter and ~250-260 w/mi in the summer (last 95K miles avg. 276 w/mi). This summer, however, starting ~ 1 month or so ago I have been using about 220-230 w/mi. I have done a bit more in terms of long trips this summer but even in town (Seattle) the efficiency is ~30w/mi to the better, so I am pretty sure something has changed. So my perhaps dumb question is did Tesla push an improvement somehow or is there something wrong with the gauge in my car (~105,500 miles on odometer), or is the car getting better with age? 

I asked Tesla Service about this but so far have gotten only a canned, off-topic response. 

Any thoughts on this?

thanks


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## FRC (Aug 4, 2018)

The numbers you show indicate an improvement in efficiency of about 20%. Has your range also improved similarly? Not only your displayed range, but also your real-world range. If your range hasn't increased, then your efficiency calculation is faulty somewhere. If your range has increased, count yourself lucky (maybe you unknowingly rebalanced your BMS?).


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## jmullins (4 mo ago)

FRC said:


> The numbers you show indicate an improvement in efficiency of about 20%. Has your range also improved similarly? Not only your displayed range, but also your real-world range. If your range hasn't increased, then your efficiency calculation is faulty somewhere. If your range has increased, count yourself lucky (maybe you unknowingly rebalanced your BMS?).


I have not yet precisely tallied real-world range but it too seems to have increased significantly. Not sure how I could have rebalanced the BMS, but there have been a couple instances of what I think is called "deep sleep" in which the screen stayed black until I reset it, and the change appears to have started on a trip from Seattle to Boulder, during which time I sometimes increased the charge limit from 80% to 90% and I think 95% once. I never charged to 100%, but perhaps at 90-95% some cell balancing occurred? I also noticed that I could often easily (with 13% or more battery left) go past the charging stops Tesla navigation indicated but I am not sure if that was new. It was hot weather so I ran the AC most of the time and saw very little if any impact on range. This too surprised me though I had not monitored the impact of AC in the past since I rarely use it. I also topped out my speed at 65 to the chagrin of some following me in the right lane. Thanks


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## Bigriver (Jan 26, 2018)

@jmullins, I’ve not had anywhere near that efficiency increase on my 2017 model X, but I have had notable improvements since I got it. I have not been sure if it is from changes made by Tesla or from increasing my tire pressure (only thing I can think of that I might have done). It wasn’t this year, it was a previous summer when I was suddenly having trip segments (and sometimes entire trips) where actual miles exceeded the rated miles used. And yes, air conditioning doesn’t seem to have any adverse effect. Summertime efficiency has continued to be superb.

No improvement in my model 3 efficiency, tho. When it occasionally does the same 400 mile trip that the model X frequently makes, I’ve never had a “wow that was better than expected” moment.


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