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Tesla Model Y surprises by overtaking Jeeps in quick sand dune climb
There are things that Teslas are known to do. Winning drag races easily is one of them, and more recently, with the advent of the Model S Plaid with Track Mode, competing on the track has become another. Off-roading, however, has always been considered as something that would have to wait, at least until the Cybertruck starts its consumer deliveries.
This is not to say that Tesla has not put in any effort to develop its vehicles’ off-roading capabilities. When the Model Y was released, electric vehicle enthusiasts quickly observed that the all-electric crossover had a dedicated “Off-Road Assist” mode. Few looked at the feature very seriously, however, as the Model Y’s low ground clearance suggested that the vehicle would be an adequate “soft-roader” at most.
As per a recent video that was shared on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, it would appear that the Tesla Model Y’s off-road performance should probably not be dismissed. In the short clip, the Model Y could be seen starting at the same line as a couple of Jeeps. As the climb began, the Model Y proceeded to easily and authoritatively overtake its two combustion-powered peers.
At the end of the video, the Model Y could be seen driving all the way up to the top of the sand dune while the two Jeeps turned back near the top. Overall, it’s pretty difficult not to be impressed with the Model Y as it practically treated the sand dune as a drag strip. That’s quite an accomplishment for a city car like the Model Y.
The video, of course, only increases the excitement for the upcoming Cybertruck, which is starting its deliveries at the end of the month. The Tesla Cybertruck is designed from the ground up to be a tough vehicle that can take severe punishment, so when it comes to tackling sand dunes, the all-electric pickup truck will likely do quite a bit better than its crossover sibling.
I will be taking my Y on it's fourth trip to Southern Cal this Friday, and this will be it's first long distance trip in cold weather. I'll be recording its energy usage from start to the end of the trip to see how much the cold affects range, which hopefully will be negligible. Currently my average energy usage is between 228 Wh/mi at the low end to 278 Wh/mi averaged over my current mileage. The expected temps will be anywhere from the low 30's to the mid 40's. I'm betting that I will be able to maintain 28 to 29 kWh per 100 miles (3.4 miles per kWh)
Made our fourth trip to SoCal, we started the trip at 90 percent SoC. Our first stop was a 12 minute stop at Harris Ranch, with 68 newly built chargers (250 kW)
For the first leg of the journey, temps were in the mid 40's, we had the heater running at 70 and my daughter had the rear seat warmers turned to full. Average speed was 80 mph, and we drove through some steep mountain passes with up to a 5 percent grade, so efficiency took a big hit
The rest of the drive was straight through the California Central Valley
Total drive was 392 miles, with 111 kWh energy used
Comes out to 28 kWh per 100 miles, or 3.4 miles per kWh. I was still able to maintain over 100 MPGe. Total cost for the 390 miles....$24.90
We made a total of two stops, the first one was 12 minutes on a 250 kW charger. The second stop was supposed to be 10 minutes, but it was a 150 kW charger, someone parked next to me and the power dropped to 75 kW, making it 20 minutes . We grabbed a bite to eat, which thankfully took 20 minutes, and we were off!
I found another Tesla supercharger site near my brother's house, about 10 minutes away that is charging .23 cents per kWh. The one that is 5 minutes away is charging .44 cents
For the first leg of the journey, temps were in the mid 40's, we had the heater running at 70 and my daughter had the rear seat warmers turned to full. Average speed was 80 mph, and we drove through some steep mountain passes with up to a 5 percent grade, so efficiency took a big hit
Total drive was 392 miles, with 111 kWh energy used
Comes out to 28 kWh per 100 miles, or 3.4 miles per kWh. I was still able to maintain over 100 MPGe. Total cost for the 390 miles....$24.90
It took you 3hrs to go 130 miles or am I reading that wrong?
11-28-23, 08:39 PM
. We grabbed a bite to eat, which thankfully took 20 minutes, and we were off!
. I got stuck in traffic for more than two hours after reaching SoCal