Cold Weather

alc · Jan 23, 2014

Hi folks. I do not currently only a Model S (my dad does though after convincing him it's the best car he can buy). So I'm curious how people in New England feel their Model S is taking the bitter cold? I commute about 30 miles to work, leave my car parked outside all day and then drive home. The same 30 mile drive at night can take well over an hour sometimes (like on Tuesday during the snowstorm). Even with a big reduction in range due to the storm, this commute would be fine. That being said, I'm curious what kinds of reduction in ranges people have been experiencing.

Thanks in advance. Looking forward to the day I can own a Tesla.

mknox · Jan 23, 2014

I live near Toronto, Canada and so we do get New England - style winters. The bottom line is that the range reduction is lower the further you drive. My commute is about 40 to 45 miles each way, and I'm seeing about a 20% penalty even at temps below zero F. Power consumption is (literally) off the charts when you start off, but level down to near Rated Range numbers over time. This averages out to the + 20 % I'm seeing. Short trips are a whole other story. On the weekend when I make multiple short trips out and back I may see energy consumption 300% higher than summer. This is because you're heating, then cold soaking the battery multiple times.

Doug_G · Jan 23, 2014

I'll +1 what mknox said.

The best way to preserve range is to preheat the car using the phone app while it is still plugged in. That warms both the cabin and the battery pack, greatly reducing the extra power required when you first start driving.

If you have the car prewarmed, the worst-case range loss you'll see in highway driving is about 20%.

If you do a bunch of short trips with cold soak in-between you'll see massively more consumption; however, it's pretty darn hard to use up the range of the car in a day by doing that! I've always had more than enough juice for in-town driving, no matter what the conditions.

Robert.Boston · Jan 23, 2014

Remember that slow traffic (but moving) traffic actually helps your Wh/m. Unlike an ICE, the car uses relatively little power idling. In any case, 60 miles is absolutely no challenge for the Model S, even uphill both ways Ina blizzard.

mckemie · Jan 23, 2014

Doug_G said:
The best way to preserve range is to preheat the car using the phone app while it is still plugged in. That warms both the cabin and the battery pack, greatly reducing the extra power required when you first start driving.

I find it pretty irritating that the Tesla turns off the heat after an hour or so. Wouldn't it be nice to really "wam soak" the car for several hours while plugged in? Or be able to sleep through the night in the car while charging?

Here is an experience I had with the heater turning itself off:
http://www.austinfarm.org/homegrown/tripreport.html

Doug_G · Jan 23, 2014

mckemie said:
I find it pretty irritating that the Tesla turns off the heat after an hour or so. Wouldn't it be nice to really "wam soak" the car for several hours while plugged in? Or be able to sleep through the night in the car while charging?

Half an hour with the remote app. And yes, from personal experience when you get stranded charging in the car, the heat turns off too quickly. Should stay on if weight is on the seat.

mckemie · Jan 24, 2014

Doug_G said:
Half an hour with the remote app. And yes, from personal experience when you get stranded charging in the car, the heat turns off too quickly. Should stay on if weight is on the seat.

I was sleeping in the driver seat. It would completely shut down every hour or so. Or, maybe every half hour and it took the cold another half hour to wake me up. Maybe it is a result of the new "deep sleep battery saving mode"; maybe that is switchable. I'll look into that.

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Cold Weather

alc

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mknox

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Doug_G

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Robert.Boston

Model S VIN P01536

mckemie

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Doug_G

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mckemie

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