1400 mile below freezing Model Y LR Road Trip

[soumak]

Hey Guys,

I'm going to be driving on Tuesday and Wednesday about 700 miles from Denver, CO to Fort Scott, KS. I've never done this before in the winter (and only done this drive once before in September when the temperature was warmer) so this would be an adventure to say the least. I'm planning on staying I-70 all the way rather than taking any smaller roads incase there are any issues I can get some support.

The drive Tuesday we'll have about 19 degrees for a low. Wednesday should be high of 32 and low of 20s. I'm okay with these temperatures as it seems like the car should be fine but any tips and suggestions for the long drive? I've read up on pre-conditioning and setting the departure times so that the car is warm by the time I head out. I also read up on decrease in the range so I should probably keep a 20% arrival buffer just incase rather than 10% which I did in September? Is there anything else I should be on the lookout for during the drive?

The bigger question I have is that while i'm there, the temperatures on Thursday and Friday will be -10 at night and 2 as a high with snow. I'm staying at a hotel that has a destination charger so I can plug it in there. I'm assuming I should leave it plugged in as much as possible at night (Hopefully no one else is there in their tesla..its kansas after all). Should i be worried about the 12 volt battery? doors getting stuck, windows getting stuck? Ect? Has anyone been in these conditions that can offer some real life experience in these conditions?

 

[LoudMusic]

I drove from Denver to Tulsa across Kansas with the temperatures at around 4° during my drive. There was also quite a bit of headwind (Kansas, woohoo!). Expect to spend a lot more time at the chargers. I think our shortest visit was probably 45 minutes. But the vehicle could definitely make it between charging stops without a problem.

Definitely definitely definitely plug in overnight if you can. That is always the rule regardless of weather conditions or where the vehicle is being stored. Make sure you reset the maximum charge to something reasonable so that it doesn't sit at 100% overnight. If the car is plugged in the 12 volt battery will be fine. It should be fine even if it's not plugged in.

So long as you don't get much precipitation the car should be fine and easy to get back into. The door handles seem to move okay though you may have to bang the ice off of it. Open the door slowly so that you don't break the window on any overhanging ice from the door frame.

 

[andaconda]

When I stay at a hotel with a destination charger, what I do is — Charge to 90% and then about an hour before I leave bump it up to 100% and set your departure time so that it is preheated.

 

[ajstan]

The following recommendations and link were in a e-Newsletter I received from Tesla last week:

• Start your trip with a warm cabin and an optimal charge with Scheduled Departure
• Defrost surfaces and open icy doors remotely with the Tesla app
• Pre-condition your battery for faster Supercharging with Trip Planner
• Track your vehicle's energy consumption in real time on your touchscreen

Winter Driving Tips | Tesla Support

Your Tesla vehicle has several features designed specifically for cold temperatures. Learn how you can enhance your cold weather driving experience by following tips such as staying plugged in and preconditioning your battery before each trip.

www.tesla.com

Two of the more valuable tips on the web page were regarding wipers and mirrors:

• If you’re expecting snow or ice buildup, place your wipers in the service position and deactivate mirror auto-fold to help prevent icing.
  • Wipers in service position: Select ‘Controls’ > ‘Service’ > ‘Wiper Service Mode’ > ‘On.’ (My note: If you have the heaters for wipers, maybe this doesn't matter so much?)
  • Deactivate mirror auto-fold: In all new vehicles, select ‘Controls’ > ‘Mirrors’ > ‘Mirror Auto Fold.’ In Model S produced between 2012-2020 and Model X produced between 2015-2020, select ‘Controls’ > ‘Vehicle’ > ‘Mirror Auto-Fold.’

Also, for reference as to range loss and battery consumption, in warmer temperatures (60 degrees and above), I typically use 260-280 Wh/mi going 70-75mph. On a 240 mi RT in November (that I also take in the Summer) where the temperature was around 22 degrees, my consumption at the same speed was 380-390 Wh/mi.

For driving around town this past weekend (45mph and less) where the temperatures were in the high 20's, a typical 220 Wh/mi trip is closer to 240-250Wh/mi.

 

[jcanoe]

Have a backup plan in case the destination charger is unavailable. Download the Plugshare app onto your phone to locate available charging stations.

Enter your trip into A Better Route Planner including assumptions about your highway speed, temperature, wind and road conditions. Note the charging stops that ABRP recommends, do charge for the recommended times at those locations. (Be sure to enter each, next Supercharger location in the Tesla Navigation system so that the Tesla Model Y Preconditions the battery for Supercharging while on route.)

 

[boulder.dude]

I’ve only drive I-70 (Denver <> Dayton, OH) in summer. In winter assume you’ll need to stop at every SC and charging will be slower than ideal, but otherwise you should be totally fine! (Some of those KS SCs are v2 without many stalls so on a holiday weekend there could be a wait! Grab a CCS adapter if you can to double you’re charging options.)

 

[SSonnentag]

I've done quite a bit of long-distance cold-weather driving in my S. I've learned that the first hour will use significantly more power as the battery and interior are heating up. But after the initial hour each day is through, the remainder of the drive is fairly comparable to summer driving. You shouldn't see more than a 5% hit in range compared to summer driving. The first hour you may see a 25% efficiency hit. So plan on charging a little early for your first charge of the day and then its just normal after that.

TIP: Be sure you charge at the end of the day, and don't wait until morning to charge. Your battery will charge quickly after a day of driving, but would be really slow to charge once cold soaked in the morning.

 

[Stirfry]

I've done quite a bit of long-distance cold-weather driving in my S. I've learned that the first hour will use significantly more power as the battery and interior are heating up. But after the initial hour each day is through, the remainder of the drive is fairly comparable to summer driving. You shouldn't see more than a 5% hit in range compared to summer driving. The first hour you may see a 25% efficiency hit. So plan on charging a little early for your first charge of the day and then its just normal after that.

Interesting. Sadly that has not been my experience. Granted it's only a sample size of 2 trips (1000 km each, similar weather conditions):

• 2 x 1000km (500km there and back x 2)
• Warm garage start (15C/60f)
• 98% Highway (100 km/hr, 62mi/h)
• Avg outside temp -20C/-4f
• Int fan speed avg 2 @ 18C
• Average efficiency 55%
• Elevation gain 300m

 

[outdoors]

Did across Canada last year highs -10F Sometimes -30F at nights for like five or 6 days.

Went through the tractor protests and such. Ramming snow drifts not so much fun. Sound of snow crunch can be very strange at -30. Sleeping in the car like what an adventure.

You will be fine. Watch the tire pressure.

 

[soumak]

Thanks guys for all the information, tips, tricks, and support! I'll keep you all posted on my trip and write up an experience review at the end.

 

[drtimhill]

Hey Guys,

I'm going to be driving on Tuesday and Wednesday about 700 miles from Denver, CO to Fort Scott, KS. I've never done this before in the winter (and only done this drive once before in September when the temperature was warmer) so this would be an adventure to say the least. I'm planning on staying I-70 all the way rather than taking any smaller roads incase there are any issues I can get some support.

The drive Tuesday we'll have about 19 degrees for a low. Wednesday should be high of 32 and low of 20s. I'm okay with these temperatures as it seems like the car should be fine but any tips and suggestions for the long drive? I've read up on pre-conditioning and setting the departure times so that the car is warm by the time I head out. I also read up on decrease in the range so I should probably keep a 20% arrival buffer just incase rather than 10% which I did in September? Is there anything else I should be on the lookout for during the drive?

The bigger question I have is that while i'm there, the temperatures on Thursday and Friday will be -10 at night and 2 as a high with snow. I'm staying at a hotel that has a destination charger so I can plug it in there. I'm assuming I should leave it plugged in as much as possible at night (Hopefully no one else is there in their tesla..its kansas after all). Should i be worried about the 12 volt battery? doors getting stuck, windows getting stuck? Ect? Has anyone been in these conditions that can offer some real life experience in these conditions?

If you have a model 3/Y, read up on how to un-stick the doors if they ice up (hint, you thump the fat end with your fist). I would also make the first few "legs" to an SC very conservative so you get a feel for the actual power consumption before chancing letting the car reach 10%/20% charge. ABRP is also your friend to help plan SC hops.

 

[SSonnentag]

Here is my efficiency information for the past 100,000 miles or so. I believe the reference value for 100% efficiency is 294 Wh/Mile.

View attachment 886913

 

[SSonnentag]

Interesting. Sadly that has not been my experience. Granted it's only a sample size of 2 trips (1000 km each, similar weather conditions):

• 2 x 1000km (500km there and back x 2)
• Warm garage start (15C/60f)
• 98% Highway (100 km/hr, 62mi/h)
• Avg outside temp -20C/-4f
• Int fan speed avg 2 @ 18C
• Average efficiency 55%
• Elevation gain 300m

I haven't driven in an sub-zero temps so far.

 

[soumak]

If you have a model 3/Y, read up on how to un-stick the doors if they ice up (hint, you thump the fat end with your fist). I would also make the first few "legs" to an SC very conservative so you get a feel for the actual power consumption before chancing letting the car reach 10%/20% charge. ABRP is also your friend to help plan SC hops.

Have you or anyone here used deicer for this purpose? Would that help? I did use ABRP but does ABRP use temperature as a gauge on range?

 

[JonB65]

Definitely charge when you arrive at your destination. If you try to charge in the morning with a cold-soaked battery you may be spending an extra 30 minutes waiting for the battery to heat up before charging begins.

Don't forget to watch the wind carefully. It may help you going east, but may also cost you going back west.

The Energy Chart feature on your car is a huge help! Use it to keep an eye on reality of your power consumption.

 

[Stirfry]

I haven't driven in an sub-zero temps so far.

Lol sub zero f is not fun. Good data set though, I saw it for a few minutes.

Yep, when the C and f temp scales start aligning you know it is bad

-39C/f here right now with wind chill

These temps are much lower than the OP is anticipating though so their consumption should be much better than what I was getting.

 

[Dennisis]

Have you or anyone here used deicer for this purpose? Would that help? I did use ABRP but does ABRP use temperature as a gauge on range?

ABRP has a variety of settings you can use and "use real time weather" is one. Not sure how exactly it computes the impact on range but you can run planning scenario's on different days/times to gauge its accuracy. I recommend going through all the settings before you start the planning process as they can be very helpful. For instance, I go to a fairly remote area of southern UT with a destination charger. I like to ensure I have sufficient charge for my activities before I settle in for the night so I set the arrival state of charge higher to account for that then charge as needed overnight.

 

[boulder.dude]

Have you or anyone here used deicer for this purpose? Would that help?

Eeek – I would worry about the paint, which on Teslas is weak to begin with.

Apparently turning on climate for a bit can reduce door handle icing.

 

[jcanoe]

Tesla combats frozen door handles with clever new in-app feature

 

[drtimhill]

Have you or anyone here used deicer for this purpose? Would that help? I did use ABRP but does ABRP use temperature as a gauge on range?

Yes, ABRP tries to adjust for weather etc but again YMMV. There are detailed directions in the Tesla owner manual on using WD-40 to help stop the locks freezing up (you can also google for this, but Tesla are quite precise about how to do this so I wont try to report the steps here).