A short weekend 2019 Tesla Model 3 range test and lunch!
Posted By RichC on August 18, 2026
One hundred dollar hamburger lunches are done in small planes (a “staying current” aviation tease), but Brenda and I sort of did the same this past weekend. Instead of hamburgers at airports, 
we drove “her” 2019 Tesla Model 3 to Fazoli’s and back on Sunday afternoon … leftover from her pick for a birthday lunch (and thanks for the gift card, Gigi).😉
It wasn’t all that exciting of a drive, but we did enjoy the pasta and breadsticks reflecting on our very early years of marriage and going to the inexpensive $1.99 meal at the Red Barn in Streetsboro, Ohio … and then years of going out to Spinning Fork with and without our kids in Fairfield, Ohio (so sad closed and the new one is no longer there or the same).
Anyway, after checking out a range test between a couple of EVs by a YouTuber OutOfSpecReviews primarily comparing the real world 70 mph range test between a 2026 Rivian R2 and a 2026 Tesla Model Y, I thought it would be interesting to know what my “real driving” (more than 70 mph) was on the recent 58 mile round trip.
The battery is now 7 years old and on the smaller 54 kWh (gross) with about 50 kWh (usable) “when new” so we’re at least 15% degraded from the quoted 240 mile range BUT in real world situations can’t plan for even 200 miles from a full charge (I still need to “push” test this).
Using this past weekend as a test though, the efficiency during a 58 mile round trip drive and stop to eat was 4.14 miles/kWh or 241.4 Wh/mi.
And since I snipped the “back of the napkin” comparison that was quickly written down by the guys running the Rivian R2 vs Model Y test from the video by the @Out_of_Spec guys, I’ll include it below:
Comments