450 WH/mile?

[Jeff Miller]

Something very odd happened to me today and I'm wondering if other people have experienced the same thing.
It was quite cold today in Chicago, in the low thirties, our first cold day of the season. On my round trip to
work (~13 miles each way), I used an astonishing 450 WH/mile. Last winter, on days when it was even colder than today, I'd typically use only around 370. A lot of the energy was used to heat the battery. I got a message when I got in the car this afternoon after having left it outside all day saying that 'the battery is heating' and that full power was not available. This message was on for about 20 minutes as I drove. What's very odd is that I never saw a message like this last winter. I'm wondering if this due to a software update? I'm still on version 4.5. Has anyone else noticed a difference between their energy use in cold weather this year and last year?

 

[elecblue]

I think the message has to do with the newer software that we are running which is why we didn't see it last winter. 450Wh/mi is not unusual for relatively short trips where you're running the heater.

 

[Jeff Miller]

I think the message has to do with the newer software that we are running which is why we didn't see it last winter. 450Wh/mi is not unusual for relatively short trips where you're running the heater.

Thanks Todd - that's kind of what I figured - new software giving the message. But still, I definitely never got nearly as high a WH/mile last winter on the same 13 mile each way commute that I did today, even on days that were much much colder than 32 degrees. So it's still kind of strange.

 

[jerry33]

Don't forget to adjust your tire pressures. That will help. Hasn't gotten cold enough here for me to say anything about the battery.

 

[elecblue]

Another possibility is that with the new software the batteries are being kept a bit warmer than they were last year - does anyone know if this is the case? That could explain more energy use (compared to prior software versions).

 

[mknox]

It was colder than that in Toronto, and I have never seen that message. My re-gen started out limited to about 5 kW.

In the summer, on my 90 mile or so commute, I'd regularly get 300 Wh/mi or less at the end of the day. With temps now in the high 20's, I'm seeing 400+ myself.

 

[efusco]

I'm seeing some similar uncommonly high numbers too. I'm blaming my alignment off since getting new tires put on, but maybe it's more a firmware issue...cold weather, new tires, new firmware--makes it hard to sort out.

 

[aaron.s]

Guys

Preheat your cars for 20 minutes before leaving - that will get the battery pack warmed up

Aaron

 

[ckessel]

In winter, in Portland, OR, ~425 Wh/mile is pretty much my norm. Wet, cold, hills. The trifecta of battery suck.

 

[efusco]

Guys

Preheat your cars for 20 minutes before leaving - that will get the battery pack warmed up

Aaron

Yes, it will, but it hasn't impacted my energy usage much. Still over 400 Wh/mi with a 20 min warm up (using short power), yesterday morning I was plugged in and charging off of a 120v/12amp line for over 2 hours and still was around 370Wh/mi on a short segment I usually get ~260-270Wh/mi. But look, it is very hard to sort out what is causing the most impact when it's this cold out, but with a year of seat time and almost 21,000 miles in this car I'm pretty comfortable identifying the etiology of various negative and positive factors that impact my energy use. Right now I'm in a quandry and haven't been able to completely sort it out. I've adjusted tire pressure. I've preheated. I haven't had my wheels rebalanced (which I don't think would be a big efficiency issue) or had an alignment (which could be a big energy issue).

 

[brianman]

In winter, in Portland, OR, ~425 Wh/mile is pretty much my norm. Wet, cold, hills. The trifecta of battery suck.

Yup.

Just another data point...

426 lifetime, and fairly stable at that.

 

[ElSupreme]

I was over 400 Wh/mi on my trip to work this morning. It was ~26F. I had the heat blasting, and I might of been running a little late, so was sitting around 85 on the interstate on the way in.

 

[jayman]

I'm here in chicago as well. I preheat my car for 20 min before I leave every morning and I too am seeing high numbers, > 400 Wh/mi. Since I bought this car in June I thought it was normal with the cold temperatures we are having but now I am envious of the numbers people were getting last year...

 

[yobigd20]

don't ask how fast I was going.

 

[atlg8or]

Same here in Atlanta today with temps 20-45F. >400 Wh/mi
First time I've seen this high, so assumed it was just due to the cold temps & running the heater.

 

[RDoc]

Based on last winter's discussions, it seems like the range in the winter is about 200 mi. People were suggesting then that the seat heaters vs the cabin's heat pump helped.

 

[roblab]

It's the heater.

I was doing a conservative run to a Supercharger and was amazed that I was getting Wh/mi (Whammy?) over 400. Cool day, fan on 1, temp set at 70, not thinking about heat at all. But the S was pulling in 59 degree air and heating it.

On the second supercharger jump, I figured it out. Put temp to LO, turned off fan. Windows did not fog (desert air). Cold enough to need a lap blanket and gloves, BUT the whammy went down to below 285, the magic "300 miles per charge" number.

It's the heater. I never use any heat if I can help it. My lifetime whammy is sitting at 308. I live in the hills and don't often worry about low numbers, but it is what it is.

 

[Beavis]

I just don't get it. It's not like Colorado is a warm fall/winter weather state. My 11 month energy stat is 308 Wh/mi and I'm not driving like my granny. This morning, it was 249 (down hill) and 349 this evening coming back (up hill). I think it must be because I commute 50 miles round trip so the battery heating evens out in the Wh/mi calculation and I park indoors both at home and work.

Oh, one other thing. It rarely rains here so I drive on dry pavement. I have noticed that when it does rain, my energy usage goes way, way up.

 

[shark]

Guys

Preheat your cars for 20 minutes before leaving - that will get the battery pack warmed up

Aaron

28 F: preheated car for 40 minutes (lost 5 miles) with regen limited to 40 kW, went away 3-4 miles into 7.5 mile 20 minute suburban drive: 370's wH/mi
32 F: no preheating with regen limited to 20 kW, did not go away for the entire drive: 380's Wh/ mi

harder to experiment with the effect of charging right before as my attached but unheated garage is around 50 F and I don't have charging options at work.

 

[PhilBa]

Something very odd happened to me today and I'm wondering if other people have experienced the same thing.
It was quite cold today in Chicago, in the low thirties, our first cold day of the season. On my round trip to
work (~13 miles each way), I used an astonishing 450 WH/mile. Last winter, on days when it was even colder than today, I'd typically use only around 370. A lot of the energy was used to heat the battery. I got a message when I got in the car this afternoon after having left it outside all day saying that 'the battery is heating' and that full power was not available. This message was on for about 20 minutes as I drove. What's very odd is that I never saw a message like this last winter. I'm wondering if this due to a software update? I'm still on version 4.5. Has anyone else noticed a difference between their energy use in cold weather this year and last year?

I saw that message about a week ago. It persisted for about 10 miles. I was regen limited for about 15 miles. Temps were in the low to mid 40s. Car currently has FW 4.5. I've noticed that my wh/mi are up though more like 380-400 (vs 330 ish). Wonder if my battery is degrading...

By the way, pre-heat was not an option.