The Tesla Model 3 Performance loses 100 km of range

I've always had a hard time understanding the purpose of the Tesla Model 3 Performance. It consists of paying more to drive less, all to gain a carbon spoiler and a few milliseconds from 0 to 100 km/h (which is of little use in everyday life, except to love mashing the accelerator pedal ). The new Tesla Model 3 Performance, which is not called Ludicrous, follows this trend, except that it gains one advantage over the old one. She is much prettier than the others, thanks in particular to a more refined muzzle.

However, this beauty has a price: the autonomy is given for 528 km according to the WLTP cycle – down 19 km compared to the old model. This is a lot more than the Propulsion version (513 km, in 19 inches) and, above all, much less than the Long Autonomy version (629 km, in 19 inches). We still see a difference of 100 km, despite an equivalent battery size (79 kWh). What can explain this discrepancy?

20-inch rims penalize the Model 3 Performance on autonomy

From 0 to 100 km/h, the Model 3 Performance only gains 1.3 seconds compared to the Model 3 Grande Autonomie – which is also equipped with two motors. The gap is therefore not abysmal either in favor of the sportiest variant of the two, even if we imagine that the few additional horses have an impact on consumption.

But it is more the size of the rims that weighs down the Model 3 Performance. It has a standard 20-inch shoe, while the other Model 3s do not go further than 19 inches. However, the larger the wheel size, the lower the efficiency due to rolling resistance. Also note that the new Model 3 Performance has wider tires at the rear (275 mm, compared to 235 for the others).

Model 3 autonomy depending on the rims :

• Model 3 Propulsion: 554 km in 18 inches and 513 km in 19 inches
• Model 3 Long Range: 678 km in 18 inches and 629 km in 19 inches
• Model 3 Performance: 528 km in 20 inches

We can consider that an extra inch loses between 40 and 50 km of autonomy in the WLTP cycle. In 19 inches, the Model 3 Performance would therefore theoretically increase to 578 km – which would give a difference closer to the generation before compared to the Long Autonomy (547 against 602). However, the gap is not as significant on the Model Y: 533 km for the Long Range SUV (20 inches), compared to 514 for the Performance equivalent (21 inches).

According to this certification document published on Twitter on April 5the Model 3 Performance would have a WLTP consumption of 16.7 kWh/100 km, a slight increase compared to the old model (16.5 kWh/100 km).