Tesla Leads in Energy Efficiency by 10 to 30%
Tesla’s early start, its focus on EVs and its vertical integration has given the Silicon Valley-based OEM a significant advance in terms of the overall energy efficiency of its vehicles. This become obvious as we compare Model S, X or 3 with the battery EVs (BEVs) the competition is introducing now.
The latter have a lot of catching up to do, especially as Tesla continues to update the software of its fleets over the air (OTA) and to introduce technical upgrades. A few months ago, the range of new Model S and Model X went up by about 10%, seemingly without any extra battery capacity — certainly no badge change. The gap in overall energy efficiency, as measured in terms kWh/100km/ton (WLTP) or mi/kWh/ton (EPA) is very significant, ranging from 10% to 40%. Incumbent OEMs will take years to absorb it.
I computed and mapped out the energy efficiency of BEVs currently on the European and US markets, using total battery capacity (kWH) rather than useable capacity as it more relevant when assessing vehicle cost and weight — the gap between the two is typically 5–10%. Depending on the market, I used either the WLTP and EPA numbers as well as average vehicle gross vehicle weight. Tesla’s Model S, X and 3 were used as a benchmark as they offer the highest efficiency and they are available in both regions.
