R2 Highway Efficiency Test: 80 MPH vs 70 MPH Changed Everything

[blipit]

Honestly, if that's the case that's really really bad. My Lyriq gets about 250ish going 80 in Texas. Anything less than that in a 2027 vehicle is a poor showing.

I routed a 800mile trip I take once a month. According to ABRP the R2 is barely 15min quicker than my Lyriq I use to have and it charged like a turd.

I still dont understand how in 2026 we are still releasing cars at 300 miles of range. Although I'm still getting the R2 average speed limits in Texas highways are between 70-85. Most are 75 and some all the way to 85.

I have been on the Texas freeway you are referring to with 85mph speed limit. People drive constant 90+ in Corollas. It is a toll road, so traffic usually doesn't exist...people are move-in.

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[twisted2769]

I did a "full charge" run from Sarasota to Orlando and back this past weekend and averaged around 72 mph for the whole trip. Pulled in to my driveway with 72 miles left (as opposed to the 50 that the planner had estimated). Some of that was due to traffic jams but I think there's a lot of wisdom when it comes to sticking close to the speed limit for optimizing mileage.

What efficiency did you average?

 

[Qamera]

Note that range is proportional to battery and vehicle life. Batteries are generally good for 1000-1500 charge cycles until their capacity is reduced to 70% of original capacity. Assuming 1000 cycles, a 250 mile range will have an expected life of 250K miles

Remind me how you define a cycle? Would one charge of , say, 20-40 be considered a cycle?

 

[VandalSibs]

Remind me how you define a cycle? Would one charge of , say, 20-40 be considered a cycle?

To my knowledge, a 'cycle' is a fully 100% to 0% drain & re-charge. Any fractional use (say, drain from 70%-60% then recharge back to 70%) is a fraction of a cycle.

Battery experts, please correct me if I'm wrong!

 

[Jeremy3292]

To my knowledge, a 'cycle' is a fully 100% to 0% drain & re-charge. Any fractional use (say, drain from 70%-60% then recharge back to 70%) is a fraction of a cycle.

Battery experts, please correct me if I'm wrong!

This is correct.

 

[sfvR1S]

Not necessarily. Lots of folks on here buying their first ever EVs may not. ICE cars are so inefficient that you don't really notice the efficiency hit for going a bit faster.

Everyone who's owned an EV knows this and it also applies to ICE vehicles and MPG.

It's like people who claimed to have "discovered" something after trying it for the first time. You didn't "discover" it, you've just never experienced it before....plenty of others have.

 

[jrmbadger]

Everyone who's owned an EV knows this and it also applies to ICE vehicles and MPG.

It's like people who claimed to have "discovered" something after trying it for the first time. You didn't "discover" it, you've just never experienced it before....plenty of others have.

You're arguing against something I didn't say.

I specifically said people buying their first EV may not know this yet. Saying "everyone who's owned an EV knows this" isn't a rebuttal, those are different groups.

I also never claimed anyone "discovered" anything. My point was simply that many people coming from ICE vehicles aren't used to paying attention to the speed/mpg tradeoff because, while the same physics applies, the impact is generally much less noticeable in day-to-day driving. In an EV, a 5–10 mph change can have a much more obvious effect on trip planning and whether you make the next charger.

That's why it's useful information for new EV owners, even if it's old news to experienced ones.

 

[sfvR1S]

This dumbing down of society. You know why the obvious doesn't need to be stated? Because it's obvious.

I'm glad you found out something new, but you probably could've just googled it since EV's have been around a while now.

 

[ksurfier]

Seeing more test data coming in, here is my current best guess for range and efficiency at 70 f:
R2 performance (21”)
80 mph - 2.25 to 2.33 MPK (200 to 205 miles)
70 mph - 2.75 MPK (242 miles)
60 mph - 3.3 to 3.5 MPK (290 to 308 miles)
50 mph - >4 MPK (~350 miles)

 

[ksurfier]

As it relates to MY comparison:

Around 50–55 mph, R2 is essentially tied with MY in total range.

The current assumptions place the range crossover at roughly 50 mph. Below that, the R2’s larger battery can slightly outweigh its efficiency disadvantage; above that, the Model Y’s aerodynamic advantage increasingly dominates.

The strongest conclusion is that the R2 appears to deliver about 15–25% better real-world efficiency than the R1, depending on tire configuration, and this point supports approximately 300 miles of mild-weather mixed-route range from the 88 kWh battery.

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