Paris-Lyon in a Tesla Model Y on a single charge, is it feasible?

The Tesla Model Y Long Range RWD boasts a WLTP range of 600 km flat. On paper, that’s enough, but what about in reality?

No ill intentions here, but for this test, we’ve decided to have our Tesla Model Y Long Range RWD make the journey between two iconic football stadiums, the Parc des Princes in Paris and the Matmut Stadium in Gerland, Lyon. No expected degradation and no hooliganism on the agenda, just the desire to test the Tesla on this pleasant route emblematic of the beautiful game.

The data has been entered into Waze and Google Maps, both indicating 468 km of road, which is 78% of the Tesla’s displayed range. It should be achievable on one charge, especially considering that the journey includes 440 km of motorway where we’ve decided to limit our speed to 125 km/h on 130 km/h sections to maximize our chances, and strictly adhere to all limits elsewhere. We’re planning an early departure to avoid heavy traffic, and now it’s time to see what the route planning apps think.

With Abetterrouteplanner, not a chance

Abetterrouteplanner is adamant. Regardless of the route options selected, we will be missing 40% of our battery. So, would we need 840 km of range to cover 468 km? Unless “Papie Tartine with a heavy foot” is behind the wheel, that’s a bit excessive. According to the planner, a 25-minute stop at a Supercharger in Beaune or Avallon would be sufficient for our journey between the two stadiums in 4 hours and 50 minutes. As is often the case with this app, the downtime seems rather long compared to the energy to be recovered and the capabilities of the car.

For Chargemap, we are close

Chargemap sets the reference consumption of the Model Y at 17.60 kWh. This is very optimistic, but we won’t change this parameter. The route is entered, and we receive a response with a travel time of 4 hours and 40 minutes at a respectable average speed of over 100 km/h. Without stopping? Unfortunately not. The planner requires a 10-minute stop at 7% battery on a TotalEnergies charging station at 300kW to recover 30%. It looks good on paper, but it’s uncertain that we will make it to Lyon!

The word from Tesla

All that’s left is to consult the Tesla planner without any constraints, just to get its opinion, and it’s clear. A 20-minute stop at the Avallon Supercharger and we’re done in 4 hours and 42 minutes. Right in between Abetterrouteplanner and Chargemap. So congratulations to the latter two with whom you can travel with peace of mind.

Match summary

You’ll understand, the WLTP range is not the real range on the motorway, far from it. If you follow electric vehicle news a bit, you already know this. Therefore, proving it wasn’t the goal of this article. We just wanted to show you that it’s possible to complete a 470 km journey with a stop time in line with road safety recommendations, that is, 15 minutes every 2 hours. Certainly, the Tesla Model Y Long Range RWD is a remarkable machine, and few cars can boast of even coming close to its range. But even with 400 km, you can make this journey with a little extra bathroom stop. A bit of time lost but money saved and no emissions.