How Many kWh to Charge a Tesla Model Y?

Tesla revolutionized the automotive industry by introducing (or technically reintroducing) electric cars to the masses.

Teslas, like most EVs, are powered by batteries, which are, in turn, charged up via a home EV charger or a public charging station.

Kilowatt-hours (kWh) refer to how much power batteries or appliances consume over a period of time. This article at Electrly will explore how many kWh it takes to charge a Tesla Model Y and why it'll require more than the amount your batteries will receive.

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How Many kWh in a Tesla Model Y Battery Pack?

Currently, new Tesla Model Y cars come with one of the following battery packs:

• 60 kWh (Tesla Model Y Standard Range - SR)
• 75 kWh (Tesla Model Y Performance)
• 81 kWh (Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD)

The Model Y's battery comprises hundreds of small cells (usually 2170-type or prismatic). A few American-made cars might come with Tesla's new 4680-type cells.

Charging Inefficiencies

Nothing is 100% efficient. This includes charging your Tesla. Energy is 'lost' at certain points in charging your car, known as "charging losses". This happens for various reasons but includes thermal and "transmission losses" (the latter being the energy you naturally lose by transferring power through materials and plugs).

Some charging power is diverted to keep the battery at an optimal temperature. As such, you'll typically lose between 5% and 15% in inefficiencies. Environmental temperatures are one of the most significant factors in this. Living in a colder climate makes you more likely to see higher charging losses.

For the remainder of this article, we'll take 10% as a general number.

How Many kWh to Fully Charge a Tesla Model Y?

You'll find a 75 kWh battery pack in a Tesla Model Y Performance. But it'll take more than 75 kWh to charge it up!

Theoretically, if you were charging from empty to full, you would need 75 kWh plus the charging losses. At an approximation of 10%, this equates to 83.3 kWh you'd need to pay for at the charge point or at home.

Expect to use about 67 kWh to fully charge your 60 kWh SR Model Y battery and 90 kWh for the 81 kWh Long Range model.

How Many kWh Per Year to Run a Tesla Model Y?

Calculating the approximate power you'll need to charge your Model Y for an entire year is a much more useful figure. To get an answer here, we'll take some further estimates.

The average American drives about 14,000 miles per year. Each Tesla uses between 0.24 kWh/mile (Standard Range) and 0.30 kWh/mile (Performance). We'll use these figures to calculate the capacity you'll need to run your Tesla Model Y for a year.

In general, expect the following:

• Tesla Model Y Standard Range: 14,000 miles* 0.26 kWh/mile = 3,640 kWh/year. Accounting for 10% charging loss: 4,044 kWh/year.

• • Tesla Model Y Performance: 14,000 miles* 0.30 kWh/mile = 4,200 kWh/year. Accounting for 10% charging loss: 4,667 kWh/year.
• • • Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD: 14,000 miles* 0.28 kWh/mile = 3,920 kWh/year. Accounting for 10% charging loss: 4,356 kWh/year.

Of course, these figures will vary depending on your driving style, local climate, how far you travel, etc.

Check your local electrical utility rates or take the national average of about $0.14 per kWh to calculate your yearly cost.