Tesla’s latest car is set to beat out its rivals in terms of efficiency. A user has shared an image of the sticker placed on the Tesla Model 3 Long Range edition, the $44,000 electric vehicle that entered production in July. Elon Musk’s company aims to attract new consumers with a cheaper model that’s still capable of reaching 310 miles on a single charge, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) rating suggests Tesla may have pulled it off.
The miles per gallon gasoline equivalent (MPGe) rating is used by the EPA to demonstrate the car’s energy efficiency. The EPA has determined that one gallon of gas has 115,000 BTUs of energy, which translates to 33.7 kilowatt-hours. The MPGe rating shows in simple terms how far a vehicle will run on the same charge as another one, a better metric than range as it levels out differences in battery size from car to car. This rating is placed on the Monroney sticker included with every new car.
A user on the Tesla Motors Club forum by the name of “nikeykid” uploaded a photo on Sunday of the Model 3’s efficiency ratings. It claims 131 MPGe for city driving, 120 MPGe for highway driving, and 126 MPGe for a combination of the two. That beats out the 2016 Nissan Leaf, which offers a combined MPGe of 112, as well as the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt, which scores 119 MPGe combined. It also beats the existing Tesla Model S and Model X vehicles.
View the image below:
The window sticker.
It’s impressive, but the Model 3 is not the most efficient rated electric vehicle. That accolade still belongs to the Hyundai Ioniq Electric, with a combined 135 MPGe. It’s more efficient, but the 124 miles of total range per charge pale in comparison to the Model 3 Long Range’s 310 miles.
Whether the upcoming standard Model 3 can achieve the same efficiency ratings remains to be seen. The $35,000 vehicle is set to enter production later this year, taking the crown as the cheapest car Tesla has ever produced. However, its 50 kilowatt-hour battery can only power the car as far as 220 miles, meaning for those that want a performance machine capable of tackling long journeys, the longer range model may be the best bet.
