Range of Tesla Model 3 Performance (2020) depending on the diameter of the rims and the availability of caps [TABLE] • CARS

Does the range of an electric vehicle depend on the size of the wheels? Depends! Electrek just discovered that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website has information on the Tesla Model 3's performance ranges for the coming year depending on the rims. The difference is a few percent.

The Tesla Model 3 Performance is offered as standard with 20-inch Performance wheels. In Europe no other option appears in the configurator, in the US also 18 '' rims with Aero covers are visible but cannot be selected (see image below).

For model year (2019), Tesla Model 3 Performance he only had one information about it automotive range according to the EPA - that is, the one that the editors of www.elektrowoz.pl consider to be real. It was 499 km (310 miles) per charge.

Three values ​​have appeared for the model year (2020):

• Tesla Model 3 Performance with 20-inch wheels - 481,2 km, energy consumption: 18,6 kWh / 100 km (186 Wh / km).
• Tesla Model 3 Performance with 19-inch wheels - 489,2 km (+ 1,7%), energy consumption: 18 kWh / 100 km (180 Wh / km).
• Tesla Model 3 Performance with 18-inch wheels and Aero hub caps - 518,2 km (+7,7% compared to 20-inch wheels), energy consumption: 16,8 kWh / 100 km (168 Wh / km):

In the last version, we added the information that these are discs with Aero caps for a reason. The large, flat pad surface reduces air penetration through the rim and allows additional use of a few percent of the range:

> Should you use Aero overlays? Test: energy savings of 4,4-4,9% compared to the version without overlays

Interestingly, the results reported by the EPA for the first time match data reported by Tesla Model 3 Performance buyers from around the world. The vast majority said they can travel up to 480 kilometers on a single charge, while the manufacturer's claimed 499 kilometers require a lot of acrobatic stunts (and slow driving).

And although we usually trust the EPA and the manufacturer, here we split off, which was seen, for example, in our ranking of the TOP 10 cars with the largest assortment.

> 8. Tesla Model 3 (2019) Long Range AWD Performance ~ 74 kWh – 480-499 km

It is also interesting that the new results are completely out of step with the previous model year. Tesla hasn't bragged about car upgrades, so it is possible that the impact on EPA numbers refer to improvements in new software releases:

> Tesla will increase power, range and charging speed with ... software update

Editor's note www.elektrowoz.pl: EPA rounds energy consumption to whole numbers. We give them to one decimal place.

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