Consumer Reports takes delivery of their Model S

[FlasherZ]

I guess he's still thinking in ICE terms where you don't fill till empty.

You know, I was amazed -- after talking to hundreds upon hundreds of people at the St. Louis Auto Show, just how many people had preconceived notions about how to treat batteries. The number of people who assumed you had to run the battery down to near-empty before you could charge is staggering. I had to give my "battery talk" about 100 times!

[Chas F]

You know, I was amazed -- after talking to hundreds upon hundreds of people at the St. Louis Auto Show, just how many people had preconceived notions about how to treat batteries. The number of people who assumed you had to run the battery down to near-empty before you could charge is staggering. I had to give my "battery talk" about 100 times!

It is amazing how deeply rooted that thinking is in our collective pscyhie. I guess most boomers spent much of their consumer electronic lifetimes with NiCad batteries. Li-on will be the experience of a younger generation.

[dsm363]

Definitely. I don't think anyone under 30 years old remembers the whole 'memory' effect and charging games of the older batteries.

I agree that much of the 40+ crowd (people more likely to be buying the Model S) would likely listen to what Consumer Reports says, even if they don't subscribe to the magazine so a positive review certainly wouldn't hurt.

[CapitalistOppressor]

Definitely. I don't think anyone under 30 years old remembers the whole 'memory' effect and charging games of the older batteries.

I agree that much of the 40+ crowd (people more likely to be buying the Model S) would likely listen to what Consumer Reports says, even if they don't subscribe to the magazine so a positive review certainly wouldn't hurt.

Omg.. Growing up my father was a sheet metal contractor and I would work for him all the time as a teenager. He was uber militant about discharging batteries from our power tools after each use, and actually built and attempted to patent a device to plug all of the companies batteries into at the end of the day to discharge them.

To this very day I still have an almost uncontrollable urge to discharge my iPhone or other devices before I charge them. It literally seems unnatural to me.

[Martini]

You know, I was amazed -- after talking to hundreds upon hundreds of people at the St. Louis Auto Show, just how many people had preconceived notions about how to treat batteries. The number of people who assumed you had to run the battery down to near-empty before you could charge is staggering. I had to give my "battery talk" about 100 times!

A "genius" at the apple store gave this same advice to my MIL for her MacBook,and he was just a youngster. Tough meme to break.

[ElSupreme]

A "genius" at the apple store gave this same advice to my MIL for her MacBook,and he was just a youngster. Tough meme to break.

There is still some benefit to doing this for Li-ion cells is consumer electronic devices. It isn't for the battery, but the battery level calculation in the device. The device gets a much better (and faster) baseline to rate percent battery left in the device.

[strider]

There is still some benefit to doing this for Li-ion cells is consumer electronic devices. It isn't for the battery, but the battery level calculation in the device. The device gets a much better (and faster) baseline to rate percent battery left in the device.

+1. Apple calls this "battery conditioning". They have you fully discharge the device, let it sit for several hours, and then fully charge it. May also be their way of forcing cell balancing too.

It's also been recommended by Tesla for Roadsters that have packs that are out of balance. Not a discharge to 0 and let it sit, but a deep cycle nonetheless.

[SUN-day Driver]

+1. Apple calls this "battery conditioning". They have you fully discharge the device, let it sit for several hours, and then fully charge it. May also be their way of forcing cell balancing too.

The documentation for my 2012 Mac laptop recommends to do this deep discharge monthly.

[ZestyChicken]

i HATE Consumer Reports.

i truly truly do.

an old relic of journalism best suited to test microwave ovens and dishwashers, NOT cars.

whether CR gives the Model S a glowing, red-circle review or a crippling, black-circle review, it will not change my opinion of the car i'm about to receive even one iota.

F Consumer Reports...

I think CS is the best source for auto reviews. They do in-depth, detailed reviews - especially with used cars. Their safety testing is top notch. I've always bought CR rec cars and never regretted it. If you love super pricey, low value cars that look great and are often in the shop, you probably aren't gonna like CR telling you are a dumbass.

[hershey101]

Does anyone know how long it takes Consumer Reports takes to complete testing? When should we expect an update on the Model S review? Its been over 2 months since they took delivery!