The most under-reported aspect of driving a Tesla is how severely topography impacts range.<p>Under normal conditions, I use 350 Wh/mi (watt-hours per mile). This is 17% more than "rated range" because -- and this is a technical term -- I drive like a madman.<p>However, when driving to Tahoe (7000 feet higher), I end up using <i>850</i> Wh/mi: over 2x higher electricity consumption, because mountains.<p>All this talk of tires and wind resistance is a red herring for topography, which does more to limit/extend range than any other factor.<p>What's more, this could be so easily addressed with software: when I input my destination into GPS, the car should tell me my expected range. It knows the topography. Use the force, car!<p>Taken one step further, since Tesla is constantly transmitting telemetry to home base, Tesla HQ likely knows the average battery consumption of <i></i>all other drivers<i></i> who have ever driven that route. This would allow non-topographical variables (traffic lights, potholes, road conditions) to be factored into the range calculation as well.<p>Edit: Mistakenly used kWh/mi instead of Wh/mi units. Hat tip to Tarrosion for the correction.