A Tesla Hong Kong spokesman responded to CarSifu’s questions on the Model S.
1. Does the giant centre display suck up a lot of power?
The display brightness can be manually set to your liking. However, the 17-inch display actually uses minimal amount of energy relative to the drivetrain. To put things into perspective, a regular notebook has 6-8 Li-ion cells, Model S has over 7,000 of these cells in its battery pack.
2. The official range of the RWD Model S 85 is 426km but it gives a reading of 494km at full charge as shown on the centre screen. Why the difference?
The estimated range on our website is based on the EPA test cycle, which subject the car to a set series of driving situations to obtain the final figure. In practice, the driving range of the car can vary depending on your driving habits just like a tank of gas won’t get you to the same distance every time. For example, more aggressive acceleration with regenerative braking turned off, could lead to a shorter range. You can view the estimated range in the car based on your usage at the touchscreen.. The Model S offers a driving range rivalling conventional cars with a tank of gas; the variance shouldn’t affect your driving lifestyle significantly.
3. Would it be correct practice to charge the Li-ion battery at only up to 85% charge on daily commutes to ensure the battery lasts? And only charge to full when planning long trips.
Yes. That is our recommendation.
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