Uber Driver's Tesla Model 3 Battery Dies After 120,000 Miles In 15 Months

An Uber driver covered more than 300 miles a day six days a week in his 2019 Model 3 SR+, making two Supercharging stops per day.

There's probably no better way to convince people that electric vehicles are as good as internal combustion cars for every use case scenario than having EVs undergo tough trials, and ride-hailing vehicles have it tougher than most. So can a Tesla Model 3 handle that kind of punishment long-term?

Yes and no, according to Dobson, a Model 3 owner who has used his car for Uber duty for almost a year and a half now. YouTube creator Kim Java first featured him in one of her videos in July 2022, when he traded in his Toyota Camry for a slightly used 2019 Tesla Model 3 to use as an Uber car. He spent $53,000 on the Tesla – more than he had ever spent on a car – but he immediately started making savings in fuel and maintenance. The savings added up to $10,000 since he bought it, which is impressive. However, he was unlucky to make the purchase before the EV maker started cutting prices like crazy. Had he waited a few more months, he would have gotten a much better deal on his Model 3 Standard Range Plus.

Alas, that is not his main problem with the Tesla. Dobson covered 120,000 miles since July 2022, which is a lot for a regular user but quite normal for an Uber driver who drives six days a week, more than 300 miles a day, and supercharges twice a day.

The big problem is that the high-voltage battery pack of his Model 3 died recently, and he claims it's because Tesla didn't prepare the Model 3 for the daily grind a ride-sharing vehicle typically has to deal with. The battery died suddenly, Dobson says, and not through progressive degradation.

In a previous video shot when the car had covered 90,000 miles, the battery showed degradation of 11 percent, but after crossing the 110,000-mile mark, he began to see a quick drop in degradation and driving range – down to 170-180 miles at 100 percent SOC.

There may have been something wrong with the battery because a Tesla should lose only about 12 percent of battery capacity after 200,000 miles, according to the EV maker's 2022 Impact Report.

Dobson claims Tesla told him the degradation was attributed to regular wear and tear, but he didn't agree with that, arguing that the degradation was too rapid. It's not clear if the fact that he typically did two Supercharging stops a day, often charging to 90 or 95 percent state of charge, was a factor in the demise of the Model 3's battery.

A typical ride-sharing EV covers more miles in a week and goes through more charging cycles than most EVs for private use cover in months. Some claim that frequent Supercharging, especially when done over a recommended limit, can put significant stress on the battery, though a recent Recurrent study showed little to no difference in battery degradation between frequent fast charging and rare fast charging on Tesla EVs.

Whether or not Supercharging was to blame, one day the Uber driver charged the car overnight at home and had 170 miles of available range, but when he used a Supercharger later in the day, the range didn't go past 35 miles. At that point, he received a notification from Tesla to bring in the car for a check.

He took the car to Tesla Service for an evaluation and was later told that it would cost $9,000 to replace the battery. He accepted that, and he now limits charging to 80 percent at Tesla's recommendation, typically getting 160-170 miles of range from that.

Tesla gave him only a one-year warranty on the new battery, leading Dobson to suspect the battery was not new but refurbished. He also believes that because his car's fully charged battery theoretically offers 207 miles of range at 100 percent SOC, which is 14 percent less than what an identical Tesla Model 3 with a brand-new battery would get.

Dobson goes into great detail in the 34-minute video, so make sure you watch it so that you can get an idea of what exactly happened here. (We would have loved to get Tesla's side of the story about this case, but as you know, the EV maker does not maintain a PR department in the United States.)

I have the AI acquired source called Co Pilot that was asked about psi tire load of an electric vehicle. There was no mention of the EV tire load actually being excessive.

“The weight in psi of electric vehicle tires on the road surface depends on several factors, such as the tire pressure, the tire size, the tire construction, the vehicle weight, and the road surface temperature. There is no single answer to this question, but I can provide some general information and examples based on the web search results.

The tire pressure is the amount of air inside the tire, measured in pounds per square inch (PSI). The tire pressure affects the tire contact area, which is the part of the tire that touches the road. A higher tire pressure means a smaller contact area, and vice versa. The tire pressure also affects the tire stiffness, which is the resistance of the tire to deformation. A stiffer tire has less rolling resistance, which means less energy loss and better efficiency. However, a stiffer tire also has less grip, which means less traction and braking performance. Therefore, there is a trade-off between tire pressure and vehicle performance1.

The tire size is the dimension of the tire, usually expressed in terms of width, aspect ratio, and diameter. The tire size affects the tire contact area, as well as the tire load capacity, which is the maximum weight that the tire can support. A larger tire size means a larger contact area, and vice versa. A larger tire size also means a higher load capacity, and vice versa. Therefore, there is a trade-off between tire size and vehicle performance1.

The tire construction is the design and material of the tire, such as the tread pattern, the rubber compound, the inner liner, and the sidewall. The tire construction affects the tire rolling resistance, which is the force that opposes the motion of the tire. The tire rolling resistance is influenced by the tire deformation, the tire hysteresis, and the tire slip. The tire deformation is the change in shape of the tire due to the road surface and the vehicle weight. The tire hysteresis is the loss of energy due to the repeated deformation and recovery of the tire. The tire slip is the difference between the actual and the intended movement of the tire. A lower tire rolling resistance means less energy loss and better efficiency. However, a lower tire rolling resistance also means less grip, which means less traction and braking performance. Therefore, there is a trade-off between tire construction and vehicle performance2.

The vehicle weight is the mass of the vehicle, including the passengers, the cargo, and the battery. The vehicle weight affects the tire load, which is the force that the tire exerts on the road surface. The tire load is proportional to the vehicle weight, assuming a uniform weight distribution. A higher vehicle weight means a higher tire load, and vice versa. A higher tire load also means a higher tire contact pressure, which is the ratio of the tire load to the tire contact area. A higher tire contact pressure means more stress on the tire and the road surface, which may lead to more wear and tear1.

The road surface temperature is the heat of the road surface, which may vary depending on the weather, the season, and the location. The road surface temperature affects the tire temperature, which is the heat of the tire due to the friction and the deformation. The tire temperature affects the tire pressure, the tire stiffness, and the tire grip. A higher tire temperature means a higher tire pressure, and vice versa. A higher tire temperature also means a lower tire stiffness, and vice versa. A higher tire temperature also means a higher tire grip, and vice versa. Therefore, there is a trade-off between road surface temperature and vehicle performance3.

As an example, let’s consider a typical electric vehicle tire with a size of 215/55R17, a pressure of 35 PSI, and a load capacity of 1,356 lbs. Assuming a uniform weight distribution, each tire supports 25% of the vehicle weight. If the vehicle weight is 4,000 lbs, then each tire load is 1,000 lbs. The tire contact area can be estimated by dividing the tire load by the tire pressure, which gives 28.6 square inches. The tire contact pressure can be estimated by dividing the tire load by the tire contact area, which gives 35 PSI. This means that the weight in PSI of the electric vehicle tire on the road surface is equal to the tire pressure in this case. However, this is only an approximation, and the actual weight in PSI may vary depending on the tire construction and the road surface temperature41.

I hope this information helps you understand the weight in PSI of electric vehicle tires on the road surface. “

I asked Copilot about Tesla tite pressure.....
The recommended tire pressure for a Tesla vehicle depends on the model, the tire size, and the tire construction. However, a general range of 40 to 45 PSI is usually recommended for most Tesla vehicles, including the Model 3, X, and S123. The tire pressure should be checked and adjusted when the tires are cold and the vehicle has been stationary for over three hours4.

The tire pressure affects the tire contact area, the tire stiffness, the tire rolling resistance, and the tire grip. These factors influence the vehicle performance, safety, reliability, and efficiency. Therefore, it is important to keep the tires inflated to the pressures shown on the tire and loading information label, which is located on the center door pillar and is visible when the driver’s door is open4.

You can also view the tire pressures on the touchscreen in the cards area on the car status display, or by touching Controls > Service. The touchscreen also displays your vehicle’s recommended cold tire pressures so you can easily determine how much to inflate your tires. You can choose whether you want to display tire pressures using Bar or PSI by touching Controls > Display > Tire Pressure. You can also view tire pressures in the Tesla mobile app5.”

Co pilot is pretty amazing
“

I asked Copilot about Tesla tire pressure.....

“The recommended tire pressure for a Tesla vehicle depends on the model, the tire size, and the tire construction. However, a general range of 40 to 45 PSI is usually recommended for most Tesla vehicles, including the Model 3, X, and S123. The tire pressure should be checked and adjusted when the tires are cold and the vehicle has been stationary for over three hours4.

Co pilot is pretty amazing
“

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