...yes I know it should be birth!
My model 3 was an April delivery & since then a couple of Q3 people have kindly used my referral so as a thanks to them here are a few things that I've found especially useful.
(Before mentioning the apps, a bit of background.... Like a lot of other newcomers I set the car to display range in miles as I was anxious to see how close I would be to the EPA rating. However it didn't take long to realise that this is pointless. So many factors affect a journey - temperature, weather, gradient, car loading, speed, acceleration etc that it ceased to be of any use. I've since changed to %, similar to what an ICE car displays & if anything else is wanted there's an Energy display available with projected range in miles & numerous display options on screen. Using the trip meter 'card' (swipe right at the bottom corner of the screen) is also a useful way to see current kWh usage which we soon learn to use as 'our mpg')
Remote for Tesla app:
Range
The app replicates the things in the official Tesla app but adds much more, including Estimated and Rated range in miles if you need to see that. Rated is based on what the car itself would currently show if set to miles instead of % and Estimated seems to be close to the latest 30 mile average as on the Energy display I mentioned previously.
Charging
As well as having the means to save up to 3 trips (which I don't use) I find the app is particularly useful to set the charge limit more precisely than the Tesla slider bar, especially so when using the (Apple) watch to do this without needing to open the phone.
Temperature
The app displays both Inside & Outside temperature - helpful for deciding when to vent or close the windows (using either this app or the Tesla one)
Open Boot/Frunk
Whereas the Tesla app has a Frunk opening option on the main screen (Boot on a second screen), both are on the main screen on this.
NFC tags
I purchased a few NFC tags (white plastic disks about the size of a 2p coin) and as long as they are not placed on a metallic surface they send instructions to the car such as 'open charge port' 'stop charge' 'open trunk' - basically whatever you programme them to do. I used iPhone shortcuts along with the commands from this app to configure several - the most useful being two (by the front door & on the cars' front towing eye) for 'open frunk' & two more (under the charger flap & on the side of the car charger) for 'open charge port'
....The Remote app isn't essential but has been very useful for me
Other apps:
Zap-Map which displays charge points from every provider
Pod-Point which includes their numerous free 7kW chargers (extremely useful & only require you to log in via the app each charge session)
Voice Control Tesla Voice Commands which is not really an app, just a categorised list of voice commands that actually work. Tesla Voice Commands
ABRP route planner which seems to give pretty accurate range estimates for longer/more complex trips
....and if you use Octopus as your energy provider (most Tesla/EV drivers seem to)
Octopus Watch (great phone & even more useful on Apple Watch) with current & future rates, including a recommended start time for any device/length of use based on the cheapest blend of 1/2 hourly rates (ie car needs 4 hours to charge)
Bright - takes a while to set up but actually displays correct energy usage & tariff info for YOUR account. Seems to get the correct data more quickly and completely than my official Octopus login & far better than the almost useless IHD.
.....I rate both these apps as pretty essential although I know a lot of people also use & rate Octopus Watchdog (not sure what more it would give me).
If you are someone who likes detailed analysis and data about almost every aspect of your car (& others) then apps like TeslaFi, TeslaMate etc should ideally be downloaded and setup prior to collection. I've avoided them only because a) I learned of their existence too late & b) I would probably O/D with anxiety if I saw other like users with the same spec car achieving better battery performance, range etc. I prefer to remain blissfully ignorant of such things.
I'm sure there will be other longer standing Tesla & Octopus users with additional comments or recommendations but so far, for me these have all been great.
My model 3 was an April delivery & since then a couple of Q3 people have kindly used my referral so as a thanks to them here are a few things that I've found especially useful.
(Before mentioning the apps, a bit of background.... Like a lot of other newcomers I set the car to display range in miles as I was anxious to see how close I would be to the EPA rating. However it didn't take long to realise that this is pointless. So many factors affect a journey - temperature, weather, gradient, car loading, speed, acceleration etc that it ceased to be of any use. I've since changed to %, similar to what an ICE car displays & if anything else is wanted there's an Energy display available with projected range in miles & numerous display options on screen. Using the trip meter 'card' (swipe right at the bottom corner of the screen) is also a useful way to see current kWh usage which we soon learn to use as 'our mpg')
Remote for Tesla app:
Range
The app replicates the things in the official Tesla app but adds much more, including Estimated and Rated range in miles if you need to see that. Rated is based on what the car itself would currently show if set to miles instead of % and Estimated seems to be close to the latest 30 mile average as on the Energy display I mentioned previously.
Charging
As well as having the means to save up to 3 trips (which I don't use) I find the app is particularly useful to set the charge limit more precisely than the Tesla slider bar, especially so when using the (Apple) watch to do this without needing to open the phone.
Temperature
The app displays both Inside & Outside temperature - helpful for deciding when to vent or close the windows (using either this app or the Tesla one)
Open Boot/Frunk
Whereas the Tesla app has a Frunk opening option on the main screen (Boot on a second screen), both are on the main screen on this.
NFC tags
I purchased a few NFC tags (white plastic disks about the size of a 2p coin) and as long as they are not placed on a metallic surface they send instructions to the car such as 'open charge port' 'stop charge' 'open trunk' - basically whatever you programme them to do. I used iPhone shortcuts along with the commands from this app to configure several - the most useful being two (by the front door & on the cars' front towing eye) for 'open frunk' & two more (under the charger flap & on the side of the car charger) for 'open charge port'
....The Remote app isn't essential but has been very useful for me
Other apps:
Zap-Map which displays charge points from every provider
Pod-Point which includes their numerous free 7kW chargers (extremely useful & only require you to log in via the app each charge session)
Voice Control Tesla Voice Commands which is not really an app, just a categorised list of voice commands that actually work. Tesla Voice Commands
ABRP route planner which seems to give pretty accurate range estimates for longer/more complex trips
....and if you use Octopus as your energy provider (most Tesla/EV drivers seem to)
Octopus Watch (great phone & even more useful on Apple Watch) with current & future rates, including a recommended start time for any device/length of use based on the cheapest blend of 1/2 hourly rates (ie car needs 4 hours to charge)
Bright - takes a while to set up but actually displays correct energy usage & tariff info for YOUR account. Seems to get the correct data more quickly and completely than my official Octopus login & far better than the almost useless IHD.
.....I rate both these apps as pretty essential although I know a lot of people also use & rate Octopus Watchdog (not sure what more it would give me).
If you are someone who likes detailed analysis and data about almost every aspect of your car (& others) then apps like TeslaFi, TeslaMate etc should ideally be downloaded and setup prior to collection. I've avoided them only because a) I learned of their existence too late & b) I would probably O/D with anxiety if I saw other like users with the same spec car achieving better battery performance, range etc. I prefer to remain blissfully ignorant of such things.
I'm sure there will be other longer standing Tesla & Octopus users with additional comments or recommendations but so far, for me these have all been great.
