Winter without a garage

[cinergi]

We've also been getting an absurd amount of snow so I hope that this won't keep up.

We've got ANOTHER foot on the way tonight. I'm less concerned about the car than I am about being able to see around the snow piles when I turn onto roads, especially in this tiny car!

Is the place you "garage" your Roadster for storms within walking distance? That's an interesting idea. I'm not sure I'd do it cuz I'm too lazy to walk that far to my car

 

[cinergi]

I have to give kudos to people with Roadster and no garage (also where it snows). You're really showing what's possible with an EV so thanks.

I keep forgetting to mention that's part of why I'm doing it. I know people think I'm crazy and probably want to yell at me when I "complain" about it because the Roadster isn't really designed for this (although Tesla persistently states it's an all-season/winter supercar). I'm doing it so Tesla, the general public, and I can learn from my experiences.

I think in general, Tesla's ESS has NO problem with the cold and their powertrain is pretty good (there's some work to be done with junk getting into the ABS sensors -- mine keep getting clogged up). I think it clearly answers that the Model S (which will be much better off sitting in the snow as well as driving through it since it's not so low to the ground, plus getting in & out without getting dirty, etc) is going to shine in the winters. New England (US) only had purchased 26 Roadsters when I bought mine. I wonder how much of that low purchase rate is people fearing how the Roadster does in the cold New England weathers.

Feel free to ask questions or even ask me to try something out -- I'm more than happy to!

 

[user497]

Is the place you "garage" your Roadster for storms within walking distance? That's an interesting idea. I'm not sure I'd do it cuz I'm too lazy to walk that far to my car

Yes, it is very close. It's basically 3 "houses" away so it's very convenient (I would about a 2 minute walk - about that long to get the car in and out - although getting out is a little trickier because I have to do an 8-point turn to turn around). They are open from 8-6 so a few times I have picked it up at 8am and dropped it off at 5:45pm same day. But usually if I take it out I will want to keep it in my driveway at least overnight to charge it so that it gets charged at least every few days. If it's not snowing I'll keep it in my driveway all the time. But it feels like its been snowing about twice a week every week so its been in storage more than I thought it was going to be. I am also not worried about driving it in the snow because I have the snow tires but I am more worried about someone hitting me or even parking it at work when it snows because the plows drive like maniacs.

I also bought a custom outdoor car cover which I haven't used yet but I'll take some pictures of that once I do. It supposedly has something special for the vents and the charge door.

 

[vfx]

I also bought a custom outdoor car cover which I haven't used yet but I'll take some pictures of that once I do. It supposedly has something special for the vents and the charge door.

I have the Tesla car cover and am very interested in what you are doing. Please take many pictures of the car and the doors, box, egress and security. Thanks in advance.

 

[PopSmith]

I would, but I'm in a tightly-packed condo association which won't allow that sort of thing.

Would they allow you to use a tent? :biggrin:

Well, I guess that's not designed for outdoor use but it was worth the thought!

"Q: How much protection does it provide from the sun? For example, what if I live in Phoenix? Does your material have the strongest UV ratings?
A: The Touchless Car Cover was designed for indoor use or LIMITED outdoor use.
It is not to be used as a temporary garage."

 

[user497]

I have the Tesla car cover and am very interested in what you are doing. Please take many pictures of the car and the doors, box, egress and security. Thanks in advance.

I'll try to take pictures of the cover this weekend (I haven't actually taken it out of the box yet so I hope there aren't any suprises). I talked to Tesla first about the cover but they said they only sold indoor covers. Did you ever use that one outside or did they have an outdoor cover at some point?

 

[vfx]

Yes I have the officially approved (five holes) Tesla cover that I use outdoors. I went to the company and picked it up and had a custom flap added for checking the miles reading.
It was an extra 10 bucks.

I'm curious about your storage facility "garage" idea.

 

[Jaff]

I bought the Tesla car cover as well, but have not used it yet (garage)...is it ok to charge the Roadster with the cover on...I seem to recall reading somewhere not to charge with a car cover on the vehicle (although they may have been referring to a generic, non-vented car cover.

 

[vfx]

Well you may not even looked at this then. The thing is like the proverbial swiss cheese it has so many vent holes in it for charging.

 

[Jaff]

Sorry, can't see anything V...what is it?...a picture of a white Roadster wearing a white car cover in a snowstorm? :biggrin::wink:

 

[user497]

I assume that the Tesla covers you guys are talking about is the one here: http://shop.teslamotors.com/collections/miscellaneous/products/tesla-roadster-car-cover. I was told from Tesla that was an indoor car cover only. Apparently some people put the cover on even when the car is in a garage to avoid dust (I can't wait to learn all these tricks when I have a garage ). I had to go to a third party to get a custom one built specifically for outside. I'm not pimping the company yet since I haven't actually tried it on yet but I plan on doing that this weekend and taking pictures so other interested can contact them then.

 

[vfx]

I use this one for outdoors:
Car cover thread. http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/2825-Roadster-car-cover?highlight=car+cover
It is made for the roadster and approved by Tesla. Ask for the extra flap if you want to check you miles without pulling off the whole cover.

There are more holes in the current version than the one pictured here.

 

[cinergi]

For what it's worth --

I used an air gun from my air compressor to get that snow out (had another foot or so last night). I made sure the fan blades turned freely. I then turned the heat & A/C on (it's 30F outside). Didn't take long for some water vapor to start pouring out of that area (I could feel the heat coming from the radiator). After several minutes, the fans cycled on (for about 10 seconds) and all seems well.

 

[strider]

I'm curious about your storage facility "garage" idea.

When I first moved to California I lived in an apartment complex with no garage. At the time I was commuting by motorcycle so I rented a 10x20 space from a Public Storage facility that was ~200 yds from my complex for my car. You're not really supposed to use it as a garage but it worked great for me - even had a 120V plug off the light if you needed power. They did have limited hours so I had to plan ahead if I was going to need the car but it was a lot better than leaving outside.

 

[user497]

You're not really supposed to use it as a garage but it worked great for me - even had a 120V plug off the light if you needed power.

It's funny because when we asked about storing a car in the unit they were like "Sure, and you don't even have to empty the gas tank". I told them that wouldn't be an issue

 

[vfx]

They did have limited hours so I had to plan ahead ....

A bit like going on a long EV trip.