A couple little issues with new car

[Nevada Jen]

First, I LOVE THIS CAR!!! I am having a couple of issues. First, it is not getting the mileage that it says it should. I feel like it’s off by like 50%. It’s hot here in AZ. The ac is running continuously when I am driving with the fan at 7. Could that be what is causing the battery drain? Is there something else new owners typically do wrong that causes excessive battery drain?
The second thing that is driving me nuts is that the car automatically locks in my garage. Is there anyway to fix this? Every time I have to get something out of the car I have to take my phone out there and the car starts up and starts draining battery.
Lastly, the my supercharging balance does not match how much I used. At most I used 300 miles (probably more like 250) and says I have used 425 miles. Am I missing something here?

 

[P85_DA]

Speed kills range as well as wind ..AC not so much ..not sure what 3 you have or what your driving conditions are but those are main factors on battery , the heater also uses more energy than AC but since you are in AZ probably not an issue

 

[Artax]

The second thing that is driving me nuts is that the car automatically locks in my garage. Is there anyway to fix this? Every time I have to get something out of the car I have to take my phone out there and the car starts up and starts draining battery.

Yes, irritating. I asked Tesla about this... they just shrugged it off and said it does not support an option to block auto-lock when parked at home. Reason I was given is that it can't recognise if it is in the garage or outside (with 8 cameras on board, it can't recognise it is inside a garage...).

It does support blocking Sentry Mode when parked at home (Rel 2019.16.2).

Tesla... give us the option to block locking doors when at home. If owner chooses to use that block option, then it is on them if they forget to lock the doors for the night.

 

[jjrandorin]

First, I LOVE THIS CAR!!! I am having a couple of issues. First, it is not getting the mileage that it says it should. I feel like it’s off by like 50%. It’s hot here in AZ. The ac is running continuously when I am driving with the fan at 7. Could that be what is causing the battery drain? Is there something else new owners typically do wrong that causes excessive battery drain?
The second thing that is driving me nuts is that the car automatically locks in my garage. Is there anyway to fix this? Every time I have to get something out of the car I have to take my phone out there and the car starts up and starts draining battery.
Lastly, the my supercharging balance does not match how much I used. At most I used 300 miles (probably more like 250) and says I have used 425 miles. Am I missing something here?

Just like an ICE (internal combustion engine) car does not get its stated range unless there is a specific set of circumstances, neither does an EV. ESPECIALLY for new EV drivers, they tend to hammer the acceleration pedal because its intoxicating. That will kill your range. So does lots of short trips, just like an ICE car.

Also, speed really drives down range (just like an ICE car). Traveling at 70 on the freeway is quite a bit different than 60, and 75 is worse etc. I dont believe its linear either, driving at 75 MPH is a LOT worse than driving at 60.

The biggest mistake new EV owners make is focusing on that battery range indicator, and assuming something is wrong if they are not getting what the stated range is. Swap to percentages instead of miles, and drive for a month before you even start thinking about whether your car is getting its stated range. After a month, your foot will have acclimated to the acceleration, you wont be jackrabbit starting as much and will have a better idea of how things work with the EV.

THEN you can start looking at your range.

Of course, I say that, and almost no new EV owner does that (including me when I got my car new last december).. and I had read that advice here previously and ignored it. I wish I had followed it though, would have caused me a lot less stress.

The "lock in garage" thing I actually like but there are plenty that complain about that... no fix for that yet that I am aware of other than possibly turning off the automatic locking feature all together. I dont remember if you can do that but I think so. I have never looked into turning that off because I want my car locked all the time /shrug.

 

[Nevada Jen]

Oh. I’m definitely pounding the accelerator. I drove a Prius before this. The speed is thrilling. Anyone experienced the supercharger miles used not matching what Tesla says?

 

[Hkbruin]

Oh. I’m definitely pounding the accelerator. I drove a Prius before this. The speed is thrilling. Anyone experienced the supercharger miles used not matching what Tesla says?

Are you sitting in the car with the AC blasting while charging? Do you have Sentry mode on and Cabin overheat protection on while charging? Perhaps it’s draining the battery as you’re charging because those auxiliary functions are on?

 

[Uncle Paul]

Think you answered your own question. If you pound the accelerator, you will not get the rated mileage.

You need to drive smoothly and conservatively if you want to get the posted mileage and range.

Sounds like you are really enjoying your new Tesla.

 

[Nevada Jen]

Yes! I am sitting in there with the a/c blasting while super charging. I wouldn’t think that would account for 100 supercharger miles though. Next time I supercharge I will try to survive with it off and see if it tracks exactly. My 2 miles round trip that I just drove gently used up 5 miles of charge. tomorrow shall be the test. I have a full day with a 30 mile interstate drive each way at the end of the day. If I can’t get through that with 210 miles of charge I have a problem.

 

[P85_DA]

Yes! I am sitting in there with the a/c blasting while super charging. I wouldn’t think that would account for 100 supercharger miles though.

No need to turn off AC ... unless you are driving at 100mph that commute is no issue

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

First, I LOVE THIS CAR!!!

Great! Which specific type of Model 3?

First, it is not getting the mileage that it says it should.

For the AWD/P3D, when traveling, you need to see the trip meter (left hand pane of the screen below the car, swipe to leftmost page ) read about 230-235 Wh/mi to “get the mileage”. For the other cars (SR/SR+/LR RWD) it might be closer to 220Wh/mi (I don’t know) - you need to be below this value to get the rated range.

That is for when you are driving.

Is there something else new owners typically do wrong that causes excessive battery drain?

You should expect to lose ~3 miles per day of range without using the car. So if you don’t drive much you’ll see higher % loss from this compared to other people. It can be much higher due to the following:

Cabin overheat protection with AC
Sentry Mode (20+ miles per day)
Third Party Apps resulting in car not sleeping
Some other bug with car not sleeping (rare).

If you hear the car “clunking” when you come back to it, then it has been sleeping for sure (those are the contactors connecting the HV battery).

Lastly, the my supercharging balance does not match how much I used. At most I used 300 miles (probably more like 250) and says I have used 425 miles.

Not really sure - maybe if you are blasting AC while supercharging? Anyway, if possible, get home charging set up (or just use 120V from an outlet in good condition) and reserve Supercharging for road trips or days when you do a lot of driving. It’s a pain to rely on Supercharging for your regular charging.

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

My 2 miles round trip that I just drove gently used up 5 miles of charge.

The start of a trip will be worse efficiency because the AC has to work overtime (if the car has been sitting in the sun). Same (but worse) in winter time - but you won’t really have to worry too much about that.

I would look at the trip meter for your last trip (should still be visible if you don’t put the car in drive again). You can also scroll up and down to look at “since last charge” usage. That will give you an idea.

The miles can click up and down pretty readily so I wouldn’t read too much into a 5 mile change for a 2 mile trip. You are very subject to rounding error for such a short trip. But if the Wh/mi is 400Wh/mi or more (I doubt it), that would explain the result.

 

[Nevada Jen]

I have the sr+ with 18 inch Aero wheels. But I was just reading another thread and I see I am doing to regen wrong. I bet that is a big part of the problem. Home charging goes in Thursday and then I won’t be so worried. Just need to be able to get through my 100 mile Monday’s with enough charge to get home. I feel better now. Sounds like I was doing just about everything wrong! Thanks for being patient with me!

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

Great, with the SR+ try to keep that trip meter average below 220Wh/mi and you will get 240 miles out of a 100% charge.

If you only have 100 miles of driving in a day I would only charge to 90%; you should be totally fine. The only issue is getting fully recharged overnight (at 120V 12A you’ll get maybe 5 miles an hour, so maybe 60 overnight) - be sure to use a good outlet, not one that is loose or old, even though you’ll be going to high power charging shortly.

 

[Brian's ReX]

I have a 4 mi round trip commute to my local latte stand. Driving this 'commute' equates to approx 525 Wh/Mi. However, driving my 34 mile one-way trip to work, I average 299-325 Wh/Mi. Short commutes will skew your numbers. Lots of stop-and-go, which eats up 'milage'.

IMO, just ignore your short commutes, and pay attention to longer trips. Then your rated miles will appear more in tune with what Tesla says.

But, truly, just drive the crap out of your car and enjoy!!! Quit worrying about 'range'.

 

[derotam]

Let me preface this with I really don't know but...the free supercharger miles might not be based on actual miles driven, but miles based on rated energy per mile(or miles per kW). What that means is if you are hammering the acceleration then you are using up more energy per mile.

I would hope that Tesla would have a disclaimer about this somewhere but I have no idea.

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

Let me preface this with I really don't know but...the free supercharger miles might not be based on actual miles driven, but miles based on rated energy per mile(or miles per kW). What that means is if you are hammering the acceleration then you are using up more energy per mile.

I would hope that Tesla would have a disclaimer about this somewhere but I have no idea.

Yeah, I have no idea either.

I assume someone on here knows the answer to this specific question. I would assume that Tesla charges you per kWh (in the locations where that is allowed, that is what they do), and that kWh total includes: (miles added (using Wh/rmi constant appropriate for your car) + DC charging losses + accessory use while supercharging).

Since I never supercharge, I have no idea, but would be nice to know from someone familiar:
1) Is the above list of charges correct?
2) What's the Wh/rmi constant that appears to be used for your vehicle, and what vehicle is it? (rmi is displayed rated miles)

There has been other discussion on this, but (in the discussions I've seen) we still lack a definitive answer to these questions for the per-kWh charging model. Really need all the data from a few charging sessions with appropriate variable changes, and then hopefully it will become clear. A link to any definitive thread explaining how this works would be good for the OP here.

 

[coleAK]

The second thing that is driving me nuts is that the car automatically locks in my garage. Is there anyway to fix this? Every time I have to get something out of the car I have to take my phone out there and the car starts up and starts draining battery.

That made me nuts also. Turn off the “walk away lock” in the settings.

 

[Nevada Jen]

So I just supercharged again. My car went up 130 miles in the tank and it charged me for 350. And this time I was away from the car with everything off. Gonna have to use the chat with Tesla to see what is going on. And I don’t trust the plug in my garage. It’s loose and not reliable. Last night the hose got locked in the Tesla hole and no light was lit in the port at all. So it’s super charging until I get my 14-50 and the adapter.

 

[mswlogo]

AC is pretty good but it can be set poorly and use more energy than desired.

Make sure Recycle is on. If it’s off your constantly cooling fresh air.

Sometimes you have to shut recycle off if things start to fog up. But that shouldn’t be much of a problem in AZ.

Make sure you have correct tire pressure.

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

So I just supercharged again. My car went up 130 miles in the tank and it charged me for 350. And this time I was away from the car with everything off. Gonna have to use the chat with Tesla to see what is going on. And I don’t trust the plug in my garage. It’s loose and not reliable. Last night the hose got locked in the Tesla hole and no light was lit in the port at all. So it’s super charging until I get my 14-50 and the adapter.

That is odd. Did you happen to take a picture of the supercharging event (you could post it here)?

For the plug, yeah if it is loose don’t risk it. The Tesla plug can get locked in the charging socket (requiring the manual pull release), with a RED Tesla T logo, if the charging gets stopped in various unusual ways (I’ve seen it only when using J-1772 and I quickly disconnect and draw an electric arc out of the charge port). Normally happens with the J-1772 adapter though, which you are not using.

However, much more common for the Tesla plug to get stuck when the car is sleeping (no lights at all). This appears to be a hardware limitation as it has never been fixed AFAIK. You can not remove the Tesla plug if the car is asleep. If you open one of the doors, or just press a handle without actually opening until you hear some clicking, it will unlock the charge port. Of course it can also be done from the app, but that is pretty fiddly.