After seven years and more than 105,000 miles, a Tesla owner showed exactly how much range his Model X still had — with a perhaps surprising result.
What's happening?
In a YouTube video, posted to his What's Inside? Family (@whatsinsidefamily) channel, the Utah man showed his 2017 Model X's onboard charger, which indicated a maximum range of 240 miles. To test how accurate that still was, he drove steadily at 70 miles per hour on the freeway.
After driving 111 miles, the car showed it had 107 miles remaining, but that remaining range was optimistic. By the time the battery ran out, the man had driven 202.8 miles.
This Model X had an advertised range of 295 miles, meaning that the car lost nearly one-third of its range in seven years. The dual-motor car is also supposed to run on 100 kilowatt hours of energy, but it used just 72.3 kWh before the battery died.
Why is this Tesla performance concerning?
Some may view this as another piece of bad news for Tesla in a year in which it has experienced many difficulties.
In 2025, it saw its sales numbers drop precipitously, and it faces a potentially transformational class-action lawsuit in California from owners who claim the company's "Full Self-Driving" claims are misleading.
But more than that, this could fuel people's concerns about the long-term viability of electric vehicles and their batteries.
If a prospective EV buyer believes their car will lose considerable range in a few years, it could dissuade them from making the switch away from a polluting gas-powered car to a cleaner EV.
What's being done about EV battery longevity?
Fortunately, EV battery technology has shown great improvements in recent years.
A 2024 analysis showed that newer EV batteries could last 20 years without much degradation, and a 2025 study showed that many EV batteries could last about one-third longer than forecasted.
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For sure 💯 Companies have also made great strides in solid-state battery technology, which promises longer ranges and faster charging in a smaller, lighter battery.
Still, despite the loss of range, the man in this video said he was pleased with how his Model X performed over time.
"Some probably say, 'You're doing pretty good,'" he said. "We've loved this car. It's been great."
That review is unsurprising, as the vehicle would have saved the driver a lot of money over the length of ownership. Recharging a battery with electricity is much cheaper than filling a gas tank, and because EVs have fewer moving parts, they need much less maintenance.
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