An alert member of the Tesla Motors Club forum has apparently teased out the official EPA efficiency rating given to the Tesla Model 3. The official EPA sticker is pasted to the floor of the frunk (front trunk). A photo of it appeared online last week, but much of the information was too indistinct to read.
Frequent TMC poster stopcrazypp was able to decipher it, however — well, the MPGe part. The good news? The EPA rates the Model 3 at 128 MPGe. And that’s for the version with the larger of the two battery packs offered (“Tesla Model 3 Long Range”), the car being produced right now at the very start of production.
Presumably, the smaller battery version, which will weigh about 280 lbs less, will be even more efficient, especially if equipped with dual motors. 128 MPGe is among the highest ratings ever given by the EPA. Only the Hyundai Ioniq Electric’s 136 MPGe is higher.
Another way to look at the efficiency of the Model 3, as Pedro Lima of PushEVs notes, is to convert 128 MPGe to kWh per 100 miles. In that calculation, the Model 3 uses 23.7 kWh for every 100 miles driven. The Model S uses 34.4 kWh per 100 miles, or about 40% more energy. The Model X requires 36.9 kWh to go 100 miles. Greater efficiency translates directly into less electricity needed to go a given distance and that means the Model 3 will cost less to operate and save owners money.
Of course, an individual’s driving style can significantly improve efficiency (and range). That’s why a team of Italians was able to squeeze ~670 miles out of a Model S with a rated range of 335 miles. Yes, they doubled the rated range of the car through super efficient driving.
The long range version of the car that is in production right now is rated at 310 miles of range, making it one of the longest range electric cars in the world. The Hyundai Ioniq Electric has only about a third as much range but it will list for about $12,000 less than the long range version of the Model 3.
The “Model 3 Standard” will be rated at 240 miles of range when it goes into production, more than double that of the Hyundai. The Ioniq will be cheaper than the Tesla, but only by about $3,000 dollars unless its price changes. Elon Musk is committed to building compelling electric cars and encouraging other manufacturers to do so as well. There is no question the Tesla Model 3 qualifies as one of them.
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