Range mode, shore power, pack and cabin cooling

It's understood that those of us that live in cooler climates should turn range mode off when charging during the fall, winter, and early spring if we want the pack to heat, because with range mode on, even if plugged in, pack heating is limited.

When it was cool my wife and I were being very careful about always turning range mode off when we parked at home and plugged in, and then turning it back on when we departed (to get the benefits of torque sleep on our P85D.) As it warmed up in the spring, pack heating became less of an issue, and we generally left range mode on all the time.

But now that it is getting quite warm, I'm thinking we probably want to go back to our winter practice of turning range mode off when we park and plug in, for at least one, and possibly two reasons. The first reason is that I've found that when it's warm, driving with range mode on, and the car's HVAC set to "LO" sometimes isn't really cool enough for me. But if I pre-cool the car on shore power, with range mode off, I believe I am getting the car cooler to start, and it's then easier for the HVAC in range mode to keep me comfortable.

The other, more important reason to turn range mode off would be if pack cooling, like pack heating, works better, even when on shore power, if range mode is off. This is the question that I don't know the answer to, and am seeking input on. Clearly it's important, for the health of the pack, to have it cooled when necessary during the summer, and especially while charging. If range mode is reducing pack cooling at all, the way it reduces pack heating, then we'll want to make certain we always turn off range mode when parking at home and plugging in.

Thoughts?

jerry33 said:

For me, range mode hasn't done that much for me in the summer (Texas). In the winter I do the same as you. Over room temperature (21C): range mode off. Charging: range mode off. Driving when cool: range mode on. I understand that for long trips range mode makes little difference warm or cold as long as the car is preheated before driving.

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Johan said:

FWIW I've driven the car now two winters and two summers. Here in Norway the climate is very different in different seasons. I never use range mode. It doesn't do anything for me, neither in the summer nor winter. I can't be sure if maybe I could squeeze out another 10-20 km from the car on long drives in the winter with range mode on but I rather just stop 2-3 more minutes at a supercharger or drive 1-2 km/h slower and not worry about being cold, fogging on the windshield etc.

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Thanks for the replies.

Neither of you are considering what I mentioned about torque sleep and how range mode impacts torque sleep on the Ds. We have been told very clearly that the positive effects of torque sleep are most significant when range mode is enabled. So many of us with Ds are driving with range mode on all the time, to get the benefit of the increased range. The question for me is not whether or not to continue doing that--I'm going to continue doing that. The question is, is there benefit, in the summer, to disabling range mode when plugged in. I'm guessing there is, and unless someone can prove definitively there is not I am likely to keep doing it, in spite of the fact that it is a little inconvenient to have to try to remember to change it at the beginning and end of every trip.

I realize that people not driving Ds may have little reason to use range mode in the summer. That's fine. I think this thread would remain more useful if it didn't become a discussion on the general pros and cons of range mode, but rather if we could keep it to a discussion of the impact of range mode, if any, on pack cooling and cabin cooling when on shore power.

Thanks.