I live in Pennsylvania, and my current car has a sun roof. In the winter, cold air oozes from that glass panel with ease, and its only a sunroof section of the roof, not the entire roof. This would worry me that there would be a significant amount of additional energy used in keeping cabin warm through winter drives. I think this would be amplified in colder climates such as Massachusetts, Canada, etc. Anyone else have a slight concern for this too?
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JoeCoolMan24
Member
JoaoD
Tech Enthusiast
Checkout reviews of Model S with all glass roof in countries with cold climate or try to test drive one.
kosarfan
Member
I live in Indiana and took delivery of a model S 90D in late January. All glass roof and no issues - I like it a lot and am glad I didn't go solid roof or pano. It's not cold and is tinted enough that it isn't hot either. I never opened my old sunroof anyway.
I was in Peoria Il in February and my car interior got to 18 degrees (F) overnight. I opened up my app before heading out that morning, turned on the heater and it was 70 deg in 7 minutes.
Go all glass roof - you won't regret it!
I was in Peoria Il in February and my car interior got to 18 degrees (F) overnight. I opened up my app before heading out that morning, turned on the heater and it was 70 deg in 7 minutes.
Go all glass roof - you won't regret it!
Look at Bjorn's videos on YouTube. He's from Norway and has done extensive coverage of the good and the bad with Tesla. He had a fairly early Model S with the sunroof and has done at least one video about it and it's limitations. He did put some foam insulation up there in the winter to help keep in the heat a little better.
He has a Model X now, but look at his archive and look for videos where he talks about the roof.
Personally I prefer the solid roof and got one on my S, but it's no longer an option on the S and I don't think the solid roof will be an option on the 3 either, which I consider a flaw. But while there will be some extra heat loss in the winter from the glass roof, it can be mitigated like Bjorn did with his Model S.
I did have a loaner with a sunroof last winter and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The glass is fairly well insulated and the extra light from above wasn't annoying like I thought it would be.
He has a Model X now, but look at his archive and look for videos where he talks about the roof.
Personally I prefer the solid roof and got one on my S, but it's no longer an option on the S and I don't think the solid roof will be an option on the 3 either, which I consider a flaw. But while there will be some extra heat loss in the winter from the glass roof, it can be mitigated like Bjorn did with his Model S.
I did have a loaner with a sunroof last winter and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The glass is fairly well insulated and the extra light from above wasn't annoying like I thought it would be.
JeffK
Well-Known Member
The question is, did the early Model S have an IR reflective coating on it. We know the new glass does and one would think that radiative heating and cooling would be greatly reduced because of this without the need for additional insulation.
While I don't have experience with severe cold as I live in Phoenix, after seven months of ownership I love my S' all-glass roof (not a pano). On my black car it is hard to tell that there is a glass roof from outside -- the tint is that dark. Frankly, it's mostly noticed by back seat passengers and I have heard only compliments from them. Some owners writing in this forum have commented on wind noise, but I think that may be related to the front lip of the glass being poorly installed on some cars as I never have noticed it.
Since the glass roof isn't really noticeable in the front seat, I probably won't pay extra for it on my new commuter car, Model 3. But if it fits in your budget it is a nice extra.
Since the glass roof isn't really noticeable in the front seat, I probably won't pay extra for it on my new commuter car, Model 3. But if it fits in your budget it is a nice extra.
Jason Bourne
Member
I live in PA and frankly this didn't occur to me. But I plan to get the all-glass roof in my Model3. My current car has a standard sunroof and I generally keep the sliding shade closed in winter to help keep the car warmer. But I think the fact that the all-glass roof doesn't open will help in that seams will be tight since it's not designed to open. As mentioned by others, I think the fact that you can pre-warm your car will make a big difference too.
The color makes a difference for heat absorption and heat loss. The IR coating helps, but they can't really do anything about the color. A light color absorbs less heat and radiates less heat back when it gets cold than a darker color. A white solid color roof will absorb less in the summer and radiate less in the winter.
If you want to see this in action walk down a street with a lot of cars parked outside just as dew is collecting or just as frost is forming. The light colored cars will be dry/frost free longer than darker cars. Eventually all cars will have dew or frost, but it will be delayed with the lighter cars.
If you want to see this in action walk down a street with a lot of cars parked outside just as dew is collecting or just as frost is forming. The light colored cars will be dry/frost free longer than darker cars. Eventually all cars will have dew or frost, but it will be delayed with the lighter cars.
Chicago -- all glass roof. Not a concern. It gets cold in the Chi. Biggest issue is the delta windows. They let in actual wind and for some reason my feet are very cold in the S even with the heat. Also, the S's PTC heater uses energy like there is no tomorrow. My LEAF heated far far far more efficiently and effectively. Tesla needs to get a heat pump ASAP (though I would be fairly surprised if they implemented that in the 3 and left the S with an inefficient resistive only heat system).
Ultim8Fury
Member
Thanks for all of the reply's. Great ideas and feedback. Temps where I am don't get below 15 degrees often, so it seems most don't have any major problems when temps are higher than that. It may be less of a worry than I initially thought. Seems as though the benefits will outweigh the negatives. We'll see which roof I choose(if there is choice)
Garlan Garner
Banned
Jason Bourne
Member
There will definitely be a choice of roof configurations for the Model 3; it's just a question of when. It's possible that the options may become available even before Model3s are queued for production for PA customers.
Not so much concerned about air/thermal leakage, but have wondered a bit about possible condensation issues: In the event of Snow/Ice on the roof, the potential for dripping condensation "drizzle" might be present. That would be a hassle. Guess scraping the windows might be more of a job on the Model 3.
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