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Tesla front corner

2023 Tesla Model 3 Performance – Does It Achieve Rated Range?

August 27, 2023 /

There’s no shortage of debate, complaints, and even lawsuits about Tesla cars’ range. Many factors affect an EV’s range, even more-so that an ICE car. YMMV has never been a truer statement. Even how much power is used for climate control is debated (US News vs. Tesla claim).

I did a brief trial trip with my 2023 Tesla Model 3 Performance, with conditions noted below:

  • Miles on car: ~1k
  • Highway: 70mph 2/3 of trip
  • Town: 40mph 1/3 of trip
  • Temp outside: 101 (ouch!)
  • AC set: 73, no passengers
  • No preconditioning of inside temp
  • Distance traveled: 15mi
  • Non aggressive driving
  • Regenerative braking
  • Reflective roof liner, no side tint
Tesla Model 3 energy consumption

Calculations (82kWh battery pack, 315mi rated range)

14.8% (0.8/5.4) was consumed on AC

Including power consumed by AC: 4.428kW used in 15mi = 277mi

Excluding power consumed by AC: 3.772kW used in 15mi = 326mi

Observations

AC has a big impact on range. As owners know, the front climate control is dual zone and in my case with no passenger, only the driver zone was actively cooling. With a passenger, the impact of AC would have been more.

While driving in such heat, external/battery fans are engaged. It’s not clear how much energy that uses, or where it’s accounted for in the usage breakdown.

Highway speeds (like 70+mph) increase rate of energy consumption, though the M3P is quite aerodynamic. My last ICE car (Mazda 6) began to noticeably suffer on fuel economy around 80mph.

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Tesla Model 3 - front stage

Tesla Model 3 Premium Audio System – secret to success

August 27, 2023 /

The secret to the premium audio system’s great sound is in physics

Tesla front corner

I’ve been a car audio enthusiast for years, having designed and fabricated my car stereo systems and competed with them. No car I’ve owned had a good-enough sound system, until my 2023 Tesla Model 3 Performance. Let’s see why it’s so good, and what can be improved.

Boasting a total of 15 speakers (including a subwoofer), multiple amplifiers, and an equalizer, the premium audio system means business.

More impressive than the number of speakers, though, is their environment – where the speakers are located in absolute terms and relative to one another. Let’s take a closer look at how the environment plays a big role in sound.

The dash sets the (sound) stage

Tesla Model 3 - front stage

Literally, the dash is the main responsible party for setting the front sound stage. Midrange speakers at the corners of the dash provide a high soundstage, while the symmetric dash provides an unobstructed path for audio goodness to fill the cabin. Since the dash is so far forward, the Path Length difference (delta in distance of left vs. right speaker to your ears) is minimal. Low PL delta minimizes the soundstage from skewing to the left (for driver) and to the right (for passenger).

Helping the front stage are the image tweeters, whose level can be set via the audio controls. This is part of the ambient sound and provides a more immersive experience (high frequencies determine sound stage height).

Tesla Model 3 - image tweeter
Tesla Model 3 - front door speakers

The speakers at the front-bottom of the doors are proper midbass drivers – the mid/high frequencies are filtered out. Path length to left door midbass is almost identical to left dash midrange – likewise for the right side. With the door speakers and dash speakers equidistant from your ears, there is less chance of phasing issues that can negatively affect the listening enjoyment.

There is a single enclosed subwoofer along with its amplifier tucked away in the rear quarter panel. This sub/amp combo is reported to weigh less than 10 pounds, which is an extraordinary achievement in weight vs. performance vs. space. The trunk corner is ideal for sub placement because of close proximity to environment boundary. Close boundaries reduce bass cancellation from sound wave reflections. I’d employed similar in a box I built in my previous car (2016 Mazda 6).

Tesla subwoofer

Verdict and what can be improved

There are a lot of positives to the Tesla Model 3 performance audio system. It’s well designed and sounds wonderful. I haven’t mentioned the streaming apps and ability to play downloaded music via USB. (A USB hub is required for newer Model 3’s if you want to also store security cam footage – there’s only a single data USB port in the glovebox).

What can be improved:

  • Subwoofer has limited displacement and I’d like a bit more output. Ideally the sub would be larger and be in a solid box, with more power. Obviously that has trade-offs regarding weight, cost, and sacrificing trunk space. If I do tackle any audio upgrades in the M3, the subwoofer will be first.
  • Mid/high frequencies can be straining at times, for e.g. female vocals. This isn’t an issue from volume too loud – it’s an issue with the response of the midrange speakers and/or their environment. I’ll play with the equalizer more, but it has fixed bands/frequencies. If those frequencies don’t line up with the “problem zone” then I’m out of luck.
  • More advanced equalizer – increase the number of bands and make it parametric (variable frequencies and “Q” )
  • Road noise is definitely a thing at highway speed. This can be countered somewhat by turning up the volume, but this still results in an imbalance in the music since you are trying to un-mask the lower tones from road noise whereas higher frequencies in the music become too loud. Aside from Tesla redesigning the M3 to be a quieter car, to fix the root cause of this would entail different tires and ample placement of composite materials for noise reduction in the cabin – costly and time-consuming.

Update: reading up on the revamped Model 3 Highland project, looks like Tesla is already making further improvements on noise and sub bass

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