120V Charging in the Cold

[cinergi]

My garage is around freezing right now. I've got the car on 120V charging and the console says it's doing 2 km per hour, i.e. about 1 mile per hour. I'm assuming it's putting a fair bit of power into heating the pack. What are people in warmer climes seeing?

(I'm plugged into 120V because it helps keep the pack warm. Tomorrow morning I'll top it off at 240V 70A before I head off on a road trip. Hopefully this will no longer be necessary once we get that iPhone app.)

We need to know your software version, projected miles vs. rated miles, and whether you have it set to show ideal or rated (or projected it not 4.x). These affect the MPH charge rate you'll see.
I saw up to 3 MPH on mine (showing a rated-range number on pre-4.x).

 

[Doug_G]

We need to know your software version, projected miles vs. rated miles, and whether you have it set to show ideal or rated (or projected it not 4.x). These affect the MPH charge rate you'll see.
I saw up to 3 MPH on mine (showing a rated-range number on pre-4.x).

Software is 4.1 but not the latest minor version (i.e. .29 not .31). I use rated range (km). I'm talking charge rates so it shows rated, not projected, AFAIK.

 

[efusco]

So, I plugged in at work on a 120v outlet yesterday, and the approximate time to a standard charge was 4.5 hours, and sure enough charging had stopped by the time I got out of work 9 hours later. Was considering using range mode to extend the charge time but didn't know if the trade off re: potential battery life with range mode vs a cold soak battery was worth it. Today I had the brilliant idea to dial down the amperage draw from 12amps to 6 amps which showed me a 12+ hour charge time (which seems a bit long since it was just 4 1/5 hours at 12 amps), but since I have no need for a full charge I'm hopping that this "trick charge" will keep the battery a bit warmer for my trip home this afternoon.

 

[Johan]

I know European pricing is set to be significantly higher than here in the US, but still, it's a hell of a deal if the body panels on cars shipped over there will be Au instead of Al. :wink::biggrin:

Should be a big help with corrosion problems, too.

[...don't sweat it, Johan, I knew what you meant: just pulling your leg a little...]

I'm going for the ultimate custom paint job... The car will be known as Goldmember.

 

[cinergi]

Software is 4.1 but not the latest minor version (i.e. .29 not .31). I use rated range (km). I'm talking charge rates so it shows rated, not projected, AFAIK.

My charging evidence on 4.x says otherwise - it shows projected mph charge rates despite the setting. Seems likes bug or at least confusing.

 

[Doug_G]

My charging evidence on 4.x says otherwise - it shows projected mph charge rates despite the setting. Seems likes bug or at least confusing.

Possibly... I'm suspecting the number is meaningless until the car has been charging for a while.

Being a Roadster owner I'm used to just going by amps anyway.

 

[montgom626]

Today I had the brilliant idea to dial down the amperage draw from 12amps to 6 amps which showed me a 12+ hour charge time (which seems a bit long since it was just 4 1/5 hours at 12 amps), but since I have no need for a full charge I'm hopping that this "trick charge" will keep the battery a bit warmer for my trip home this afternoon.

I am excited to know how it works out at the lowered amp level.

 

[efusco]

I am excited to know how it works out at the lowered amp level.

It worked beautifully! Outside temp 8 1/2 hours after I started charging was 22F, the Tesla was charged to 230 miles and still taking more charge when I got to it. There were no dashed lines on the speedometer limiting my regen or acceleration at all. I consider that very successful and intend to make it standard practice during the cold weather when I can. 6 amps seemed to be perfect for the ~9 hours of my shift.

 

[montgom626]

It worked beautifully! Outside temp 8 1/2 hours after I started charging was 22F, the Tesla was charged to 230 miles and still taking more charge when I got to it. There were no dashed lines on the speedometer limiting my regen or acceleration at all. I consider that very successful and intend to make it standard practice during the cold weather when I can. 6 amps seemed to be perfect for the ~9 hours of my shift.

Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!!!!

Sounds like a great workaround. Now, when can we get a the MS computer to accept our recipe for charging??????

 

[Lloyd]

Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!!!!

Sounds like a great workaround. Now, when can we get a the MS computer to accept our recipe for charging??????

A charge timer with 'finish charge by xxxx time" would be perfect. It should also heat the cabin for you by that time also!! Toyota does this. for the Rav 4 EV

 

[montgom626]

A charge timer with 'finish charge by xxxx time" would be perfect. It should also heat the cabin for you by that time also!! Toyota does this. for the Rav 4 EV

So does the Chevy Volt. Sounds like a simple firmware upgrade for Tesla.

 

[PattyChuck]

So does the Chevy Volt. Sounds like a simple firmware upgrade for Tesla.

A charge timer with 'finish charge by xxxx time" would be perfect. It should also heat the cabin for you by that time also!! Toyota does this. for the Rav 4 EV

Why this isn't in the software already is a mystery, especially since it's already listed as a feature on the car:
"The touchscreen can be used to create a customized charging schedule that enables you to charge when electricity rates are lower during off-peak hours."

 

[montgom626]

Why this isn't in the software already is a mystery, especially since it's already listed as a feature on the car:
"The touchscreen can be used to create a customized charging schedule that enables you to charge when electricity rates are lower during off-peak hours."

It will happen. Where did you find the feature listed?

 

[brianman]

It will happen. Where did you find the feature listed?

Model S Features | Tesla Motors

CHARGING
PLUG IN ANYWHERE

Model S comes standard with everything you need to plug into the most common 240-volt outlet, standard 120-volt wall outlets and public stations. Using a high-amperage 240-volt outlet, Model S can be recharged at the rate of 100 km range per hour. A fifty-percent charge in thirty minutes can be achieved with a Tesla Supercharger.

Ask Tesla owners how long it takes to charge and they'll say just a few moments. Like they do with a cell phone, most Tesla owners plug in at night. By morning, their battery is completely recharged. The touchscreen can be used to create a customized charging schedule that enables you to charge when electricity rates are lower during off-peak hours.

 

[montgom626]

Thanks for the link. It is nice to see that the feature will becoming with updates.

 

[efusco]

Just wanted to add another data point for my dialed down trickle charge technique.

At work I've been using a 120V outlet. My drive to work is just 14 miles, so at a full 12 amps the projected time to full charge is 4.5 hours, around 8 hours at 6 amps, and my shifts are scheduled for 8, but I get there 1/2 hour early and sometimes stay as long as 60-90 minutes after the scheduled end to wrap up patients and charting. So I need closer to 10 hours of charge time to maintain a continuous charge to keep the battery warm the entire time. I ended up dialing back the amperage to 5 amps which reports about 10.5 hours to complete a standard charge which is great since I don't really care if it's completely topped up or not, I just want the battery to keep warm.

Last night I worked a midnight to 8am shift and used the 5amp charge technique. Outside air temps dropped to 14F by the time I walked out to the car this morning. The Dashed line of limited regen (DLLR) was present and set between 30-45kW. It obviously would have been below 15kW if I hadn't used the prewarm/trickle technique, but the 5 amps isn't enough to maintain full temp at those more extreme temperatures. When I can, going forward, I may just set it to 6 amps and see how it does.

 

[jomo25]

Perhaps the iOS/Android apps will enable the function to "set charge to complete by" time.