In the Q3 2021 shareholder deck Tesla confirmed they were shifting all Standard Range vehicles to lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery packs.
The change came over a year after they first introduced LFP battery packs in Model 3s built at Giga Shanghai.
For Canadians and those in colder climates, the switch immediately brought up concerns about range, as the battery chemistry had a reputation for poor performance in cold weather.
Based on a recent cold weather range test on the highway in Norway by YouTuber Kris Rifa, those concerns may no longer be warranted.
On the day of the test, the road conditions were wet and temperatures ranged between -4°C and -7°C (25°F and 19°F).
At the start of the drive, the battery was at 99% state of charge. After driving for 237.8km (147.7 miles) at an average speed of 112.7km/h (70mph), the car was displaying 19% of remaining charge.
With a 60kWh battery, that works out to a consumption rate of 18.8kWh/100km (3.30 mi/kWh), the lowest rate compared to 12 other electric vehicles (EVs) that have been tested along the same route.
That includes a Model 3 with the previous NCA (nickel, cobalt, aluminum) battery pack, which achieved 20.3kWh/100km (3.06 mi/kWh).
Making it even more impressive, the Model 3 was also driven in the coldest conditions compared to all the other tests. (click to enlarge)
Rifa called the result “very, very impressive,” adding that you “can go further, longer, with this car than you can with the old car.”
You can watch the full test below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZLBkNdgRBA
