With new premium electric SUVs hitting the market, Tesla is seeing some competition, but that competition is also highlighting Tesla’s incredible lead when it comes to efficiency.
Now a third-party range test against Audi e-tron and Jaguar I-Pace is confirming that the rest of the industry is behind when it comes to efficiency.
The range and efficiency test
German electric car rental company nextmove conducted the test between the three premium electric SUVs.
The company used a pre-series Audi e-tron since they haven’t started deliveries officially, a Tesla Model X 90D with a 90 kWh battery pack. and a Jaguar I-Pace, which is also equipped with a 90 kWh pack.
The test was performed with all three vehicles driving in parallel on a 87 km stretch of the Autobahn between the Munich airport and Landshut in Germany at an average speed of 120 km/h (75 mph):
The results for the Tesla Model X, Audi e-tron, and Jaguar I-Pace
According to nextmove’s test, the Model X came out on top with an impressive lead over the two competitors:
“In direct comparison, the Tesla Model X (drag coefficient: 0.25) performed best. The consumption was 24.8 kWh per 100 km ((39.9 kWh/100mi). The Audi e-tron (drag coefficient: 0.27) showed a 23% higher consumption of 30.5 kWh/100 km (49.1 kWh/100mi). The Jaguar I-Pace (drag coefficient: 0.29) had the highest consumption of 31.3 kWh/100 km (50,37 kWh/100mi). and required 26% more than the Model X. The significantly higher consumption of the I-Pace compared to the Model X confirms previous nextmove tests on the motorway.”
The numbers clearly show that Tesla needs a lot less energy to power its SUV:
They used a Model X 90D to have a more comparable battery size with the I-Pace and e-tron, but the vehicle is no longer available for sale.
For context, nextmove also used the Model X 100D in the range comparison for what is available today:
Electrek’s Take
We already noted the disappointing efficiency in our reviews of the Audi e-tron and Jaguar I-Pace, but it’s interesting to have a direct comparison on the same road at the same time.
Also, it’s especially impressive when we consider that the Model X is bigger than both of those vehicles and therefore, it shouldn’t be more efficient.
We even noted in our review of the I-Pace that we wouldn’t even compare it to the Model X because it is more of a sedan than a SUV.
As for Audi, I think that they are intentionally giving up their efficiency in order to protect the battery pack and get a higher charge rate.
They clearly have a large buffer for their battery pack, which has a capacity of 95 kWh, but I don’t think you get access to more than 85 kWh out of it.
That’s how they manage to achieve an impressive charge rate of over 150 kW and maintain it for so long since the battery is not actually as full as you’d think and it also enables a lower average state-of-charge, which could be good for the longevity of the pack.
The disadvantage of it is that you are carrying around 15% more battery than you are ever going to use and that’s what kills the e-tron’s efficiency in my opinion.
What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below.
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