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Comment by BluSyn | Hacker News Reader

How can Tesla advertise a “more accurate” number if they are required by regulation to use EPA estimate?

EPA range estimates being inaccurate is a real problem. They do not, and are not designed to, give actual expected range. It’s meant to be an “average” of “mixed” driving.

Take latest Model Y as example. If you compare EPA range vs WLTP (commonly used in EU)

327mi EPA est. (526km) US version (long range) / 586km WLTP est. (364mi) EU version (long range)

The WLTP is “average” as well, so which of these is more accurate?

This problem is not unique to Teslas, and actually not unique to EVs either. It’s just more noticeable, as ICE vehicles usually advertise MPG and tank size, not total range. So EVs suffer from their own advertisement highlighting numbers that will never be accurate.

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They are allowed to advertise lower numbers than the EPA, and are also allowed to use different tests. Tesla typically uses the test that is most favorible to their own range rating.

Some other manufacturers go to a lot of effort to make sure that they aren't overstating things (eg, Porsche), but you are right that this isn't the norm.

> How can Tesla advertise a “more accurate” number if they are required by regulation to use EPA estimate?

By also providing the worst case scenario numbers in addition to the EPA numbers. Tesla could simply do a highway range test at 70mph, ideally in Winter:

https://insideevs.com/reviews/443791/ev-range-test-results/

They could also show towing range:

https://insideevs.com/news/713690/tesla-cybertruck-range-dro...

There's nothing stopping Tesla showing these things.

The one time Tesla did a towing demonstration those numbers turned out to be lies. Tesla never ran the quarter mile that they claimed to. When even your engineers lack basic honesty you've got a sick company culture:

https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/tesla-cybertruck-beast-vs...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5J3H8--CQRE

https://x.com/wmorrill3/status/1746266437088645551

The worst case scenario is pretty much unbounded. 80mph range will be worse than 70mph. But it's still better than range at 90mph or 100mph.

I guess you could use the highest legal speed limit in the US alongside the lowest temp and fastest headwinds ever recorded in Texas. In conjunction with the heaviest, least aerodynamic thing that the vehicle can physically tow.

But that may be annoying to replicate in a controlled setting and will be even less relevant to most people than the EPA distance.

> EPA range estimates being inaccurate is a real problem. They do not, and are not designed to, give actual expected range. It’s meant to be an “average” of “mixed” driving.

Also, EPA ranges expect mostly constant speed and driving within the speed limit, neither of which matches real world driving

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