New Model 3 owner with a few questions

[xreyuk]

Hi All

I've recently taken delivery of my Model 3 and had a couple of questions surrounding it if anyone wouldn't mind answering for me.

When using the 'auto' climate control, I've seen that the Tesla wants to use the A/C very often. Is there a way to set it to Auto without using A/C? If not, am I likely to see much range difference between using auto with A/C, low fan speed vs with say setting the temperature and setting the fan speed to 2 manually?

From what I understand, the in built Spotify App doesn't stream at anywhere near as high quality as the phone via bluetooth. Am I better off using Spotify via my phone with bluetooth vs using the in car app?

When going on long journeys and the car recommends charging places along the way, does it base this off the car's standard known range, or does it use the statistics from the energy app as you're driving?

Thanks all, and love the M3 so far!

 

[Jason71]

I would not worry about the energy usage of AC. Compared to heating its negligible.

Charging is based around a realistic expectation of range for the specific journey

 

[Adopado]

From what I understand, the in built Spotify App doesn't stream at anywhere near as high quality as the phone via bluetooth. Am I better off using Spotify via my phone with bluetooth vs using the in car app?

Don’t take anybody’s word on that one when you can easily check if the quality is good or not for yourself!

 

[Chanser]

Better off using bluetooth or use Tidal.

 

[init6]

When going on long journeys and the car recommends charging places along the way, does it base this off the car's standard known range, or does it use the statistics from the energy app as you're driving?

From the manual:

Predicting Energy Usage​

When navigating to a destination, Model 3 helps you anticipate your charging needs by calculating the amount of energy that remains when you reach your destination. When navigating, the map displays this calculation next to the Battery icon on the turn-by-turn direction list (see Navigating to a Destination). When the turn-by-turn direction list is compressed, touch the top of the list to expand it.
The calculation that predicts how much energy you will use is an estimate based on driving style (predicted speed, etc.) and environmental factors (elevation changes, wind speed and direction, ambient and forecasted temperatures, air density and humidity, etc.). As you drive, Model 3 continuously learns how much energy it uses, resulting in improved accuracy over time. It is important to note that Model 3predicts energy usage based on the driving style of the individual vehicle. For example, if you drive aggressively for a period of time, future range predictions will assume higher consumption. Also, if you purchase a used Tesla vehicle, it is recommended that you perform a factory reset (Controls > Service > Factory Reset) to ensure the predicted energy is as accurate as possible.
Throughout your route, Model 3 monitors energy usage and updates the estimate of energy remaining at the end of your trip. A popup warning displays on the turn-by-turn direction list in these situations:

 

[WannabeOwner]

When going on long journeys and the car recommends charging places along the way, does it base this off the car's standard known range, or does it use the statistics from the energy app as you're driving?

Not the answer to your question, but in case you are not aware of it ABetterRoutePlanner allows you to plan a route - can be useful if you want to test out trips that you do occasionally - e.g. Skiing in the Alps, and choosing alternative routes to where you might have lunch / stay overnight and so on, or visiting distant Relies, and comparing / trying Summer / Winter conditions,

 

[GRiLLA]

From what I understand, the in built Spotify App doesn't stream at anywhere near as high quality as the phone via bluetooth. Am I better off using Spotify via my phone with bluetooth vs using the in car app?

I would have a listen and see if you can tell. The built in Spotify has been observed to stream at 128kbps, 160kbps and sometime 240kbps,I don't think anyone understands the logic. Spotify Bitrate Measured at 160kbps. …and 128, and 256, and… well, let’s talk about it!

Bluetooth is 240kbps if your app is supplying music at that rate, The spotify app set to high quality is 160kbps and Very High is 320kbps.

Tidal in the car can download at their High Quality, but you have to predownload the music rather than stream it.

I guess there would be a financial benefit if you pay for Spotify already and can then not purchase the Premium Connectivity on the car.

 

[iDroidGuy]

Not the answer to your question, but in case you are not aware of it ABetterRoutePlanner allows you to plan a route - can be useful if you want to test out trips that you do occasionally - e.g. Skiing in the Alps, and choosing alternative routes to where you might have lunch / stay overnight and so on, or visiting distant Relies, and comparing / trying Summer / Winter conditions,

I second this. The app takes away any worry about charging as it plans pretty well and you can input your starting range as well to be more accurate. The UI is a bit weird but great app. I’d also recommend checking out PlugShare as it shows other chargers than just Tesla.

 

[WannabeOwner]

I’d also recommend checking out PlugShare as it shows other chargers than just Tesla.

Personally I prefer the user interface of PlugShare, but I use both that and Zap-Map for 3rd party chargers. I'm only interested in whether recent visitors have had problems, or not, and they might upload to one-but-not-the-other, so I check both.

But I stick to Supercharger in 99.999% of instances

 

[iDroidGuy]

It’s honestly the whole reason I’ve waited until this month to get my first Tesla. The infrastructure for Superchargers, at least where I’m at, is pretty extensive and I felt safe making the jump.

 

[xreyuk]

Thanks for all comments. I have Zap Map as work have supplied a 'fuel' card (this is a company car) which I can use at certain chargers that accept that payment method.

I'll look into the other route planner.

The big one for me was Spotify, I was struggling to tell the quality difference to be honest, does the tesla immersive sound work on bluetooth connected devices, or just apps?

As you say, I already pay for Spotify but have unlimited data on my phone, so would probably do the other trick where people use connecting to the car bluetooth as a trigger for my iPhone to advertise personal hotspot.

 

[BitJam]

am I likely to see much range difference between using auto with A/C, low fan speed vs with say setting the temperature and setting the fan speed to 2 manually?

TL;DR: don't worry about it.

The car uses (very) roughly 15 to 20 kW for moving on the highway. This will go up quickly with speed both because of wind resistance and because you're putting in more miles per hour. The A/C uses about .5 kW which is roughly around 3% of the total. if the A/C were on constantly then you would lose about 3% of your range. if it were on half then time then you'd lose 1.5%.

For more precision, time a leg of your journey and use the change in kWh (in the battery) to find your kW while driving. You could also use the time, distance, and reported Wh/mile. In addition, the energy consumption app will tell you directly what percentage of energy was used for the A/C.

Another way to look at it is the heat can be used to keep the car warm for days (2 or 3) while the time between charges is a few hours. And as others have said the A/C uses less power than the heat. A ballpark guess is the heater uses about 1 to 2 kW which is on par with a normal household space heater.