Can someone explain Range Mode?

[Cripps]

hi there
I am considering a Model S and comparing 100D and 75D. I wondered what effect range mode has and can't seem to find much written. I imaging 100D owners might use this feature less frequently than 75D owners.

a) what does Range Mode affect? As far as I can tell:
- Battery is heated to 40C rather than the usual 30C to improve efficiency; daytime running lights (DRL) are off when it's light; power distribution changes so that the front motor delivers most power.
b) Do you just leave range mode on or off or do you adjust this setting. When might you want it on/off?

Thanks
Andrew

 

[Tam]

...daytime running lights (DRL) are off when it's light...

Yes, that's in the owner's manual.

...power distribution changes so that the front motor delivers most power...

owner's manual:

"When turned on in a dual motor vehicle, torque distribution between the motors is optimized to maximize range."

I don't interpret that as most power for front motor. I understand that as optimization between both front and rear motors.

...Battery is heated to 40C rather than the usual 30C to improve efficiency

I didn't catch that in owner's manual so I am not sure of its accuracy without citing references.

...Do you just leave range mode on...

That is what I do if I want more range.

When I want more effective Air Conditioner or Cabin Heater, I would turn it off in exchange for shorter range.

 

[Buster1]

 

[jlund]

I mentioned in another thread a while ago but what I don't understand is how adjusting the battery heater output enables more range.

A cold battery behaves sluggish and regen braking is limited which leads to less range. Heating the battery takes energy which leads to less range. How does range mode counter this catch 22 situation? If range is improved, why is that not the default?

 

[Ande]

Yes increased battery temperature is a mystery to me as well.
Think of a 3hr drive in -15°C , more heat energy is lost from a warmer battery pack than from a less warm pack.
At a minimum, the elevated temperature should take ambient temperature into consideration.

 

[Tam]

...Heating the battery takes energy which leads to less range...

I don't agree with Bjørn Nyland's interpretation that Range Mode means preheating battery.

The purpose of Range Mode is to extend the range, not to reduce range.

Preheating the battery certainly depletes the range much faster so that defeats the purpose.

Without preheating the battery, the regen is limited but not eliminated.

In the picture above, your regen is still good up to 50 kW and you only lose any amount more than 50 kW at any instant.

My guess is: Range Mode would keep your battery cold longer and limited Regen longer until non-heater items such as motors would heat the battery up, and not battery heater itself.

The advantage is you don't waste the energy for battery heater. You only lose the energy to run motors and other electronic components that give out heat as a byproducts!

If you don't use the Range Mode, the opposite is true: Energy is wasted for the heater to heat up the battery faster thus depleting the range.

 

[bhzmark]

Informational videos are an inefficient way to convey information except for cooking or similar demonstrations.

Can anyone state in words what if anything this video says that is relevant?

My understanding was that range mode enables certain tradeoffs favoring battery efficiency:
1) optimized power allocation between motors for more efficiency, presumably at the expense of performance ( or perhaps longevity?)
2) reduced cabin HVAC effectiveness
3) reduced power used for battery temp control at the expense of battery performance (charge and discharge speed) and longevity

 

[3s-a-charm]

hi there
I am considering a Model S and comparing 100D and 75D. I wondered what effect range mode has and can't seem to find much written. I imaging 100D owners might use this feature less frequently than 75D owners.

a) what does Range Mode affect? As far as I can tell:
- Battery is heated to 40C rather than the usual 30C to improve efficiency; daytime running lights (DRL) are off when it's light; power distribution changes so that the front motor delivers most power.
b) Do you just leave range mode on or off or do you adjust this setting. When might you want it on/off?

Thanks
Andrew

Andrew, you mentioned about the DRL and your location shows as Victoria. If that’s Victoria BC (Canada) then your DRL will be on all the time during daylight and the headlights will come on automatically at dusk.
Not sure anyone really knows the algorithms used for Range Mode but in general people turn it on when doing long-distance driving to extend range when needed. I tend to turn it off if I’m road tripping and Supercharging regularly as I like the HVAC to act normally and not be reduced but if necessary I will turn it on. So the default is off and you turn it on when you need to stretch the range a little. At least that’s my experience.

 

[gavine]

Simple. When battery is cold with regen limited, and you’ll be hopping on the highway early-on in your trip, use range mode to turn off battery heating. No sense using energy to heat the battery when you won’t need regen anyway. You’ll be cruising down the highway with unnecessary battery heating on.

Another scenario where range mode on makes sense is if you’re driving down the street to pick you’re kid up at the bus stop. With range mode off, the battery heater will be running while you’re sitting there waiting and you don’t need regen for such a short trip so,that is a waste of energy.

 

[OlderThanDirt]

Personally I treat Range Mode as a "Plan C" or "Plan D" option. I feel the car gives you great tools to avoid falling to "Plan C or "Plan D" mode. That thinking probably comes putting a lot of miles on a much less capable EV than a Tesla. Now if I had to stretch a charge cycle where there would be a number of frequent stops I would use Range Mode avoid pointless battery and cabin conditioning. At this point though we've never used Range Mode despite a lot of long distance travel even in winter. This is with a 90D which in reality is not so far off range wise from the 75D being considered.

One thing to consider is the fact it is more likely that you will drive more and longer distances once you have your Tesla. It's a very common result of owning one.

How's that saying go..... Enough range is good, more is better, too much is just right.

 

[jdw]

Range Mode:
1) Reduces battery heating when the battery is cold (via turning off or reducing battery heater)
2) Reduces battery cooling when the battery is hot (via allowing the battery to operate at up to 40C instead of 30C)
3) Allows torque sleep in D models (allows motors to alternately sleep)
4) Reduces climate system power draw
5) Turns off DRL's, where legal

Range mode is particularly effective when doing a number of short hops in very cold weather, preventing unnecessary battery heating/cooling cycles. The effect on highway cruising at operating temperature is minimal, mostly from climate and torque sleep.

 

[Cripps]

Thanks for all the information. That's helpful to me as it seems not to be a significant consideration for those who've posted so far.
Thanks to 3s-a-Charm for Canada DRL information! Victoria BC is home, yes.

 

[Muzzman1]

I could not find the post, but someone reputable on the forums was watching the CAN data and observed the battery heating turning on to warm the battery pack to slightly increase range over the duration of the charge.
It was determined on that thread that the net loss of power over a full charge was negligible, but if you have range mode on at all times, you would be wasting power while doing short hops to the market etc.
It did not used to do this many firmware versions ago, but for about 12-18 months now this has been the case. (same with the DRL) they used to stay active even on range mode.

I think @David99 became a Range Mode Expert. Maybe he can chime in to help set the record straight.

Edit: I found the thread:
Interesting finding about Range Mode

 

[ccharleb]

I would really like a way to enable/disable Torque Sleep without having to mess with Range Mode.

 

[gavine]

but if you have range mode on at all times, you would be wasting power while doing short hops to the market etc.

Did you mean range mode off? When on, the battery heater will be wasting energy for those short hops. If off, the battery heater is disabled which saves energy on those short hops.

 

[Muzzman1]

Did you mean range mode off? When on, the battery heater will be wasting energy for those short hops. If off, the battery heater is disabled which saves energy on those short hops.

Yeah, so I see the confusion. I actually meant "on" because here in socal, it's never cold. So our batteries are wasted heating up the pack on 80 degree days with range mode on.
So confusing.

 

[tnt1971]

I generally use range mode in two circumstances, and for the same reason. I am a hockey dad, and I frequently take my son to tournaments. Usually, these tournaments are 20-50 miles from a supercharger. I charge up to 90% at the supercharger before the tournament and drive to where the hotel is. Then I have a bunch of short trips, back and forth to the rink, restaurants, etc. From the time I get to the hotel till when I check out, I have range mode on. I do this to conserve battery, save on the battery heating, and cabin heating for short trips. I find it keeps the usage pretty close to the expected range, outside of extreme temperatures.

I do it for the same reason when home on a cold weekend, like we just had. If I am making short trips (gym, supermarket, etc.) in the cold for the same reasons as above. Other than described, I keep range mode off.

I notice when it is on the AC/Heat is reduced and the car does not get its regen back. Also, and I believe I saw this in the manual, I do notice the drive motors are louder with range mode on. Nothing crazy, but if you listen for it you can hear a difference. The motors make the same type of noise when it is extremely code. You will also notice the rated range comes up a few miles, but nothing crazy. I think on my car (85D) it is about 5 miles on a full charge.

 

[jdw]

Yeah, so I see the confusion. I actually meant "on" because here in socal, it's never cold. So our batteries are wasted heating up the pack on 80 degree days with range mode on.
So confusing.

Range mode "on" does not actively heat the battery with the battery heater, it merely allows the battery to operate at a higher temperature ( 40 degrees C instead of 30) before using energy to cool it. Range mode "off" allows the battery heater to come on, if needed, below about 8 degrees C.

In all cases, waste heat from the inverter and motors may heat the batttery.

 

[Muzzman1]

Range mode "on" does not actively heat the battery with the battery heater, it merely allows the battery to operate at a higher temperature ( 40 degrees C instead of 30) before using energy to cool it. Range mode "off" allows the battery heater to come on, if needed, below about 8 degrees C.

In all cases, waste heat from the inverter and motors may heat the batttery.

Strangely it’s been found that your statement is incorrect.
Interesting finding about Range Mode

 

[jdw]

Strangely it’s been found that your statement is incorrect.
Interesting finding about Range Mode

Key words are "does not actively heat the battery", meaning it doesn't use the battery heater to heat the battery. When it's cold, the waste heat from the motors and inverter is diverted to the battery, whether range mode is on or off. Range mode on increases both the amount of passive heating and the maximum allowable temperature the battery is heated to. In warm weather, with range mode on, the battery is allowed to run at a higher temperature before the chiller comes on to cool it.