Ask before supercharging

[shahryaran]

There should be an option to select when supercharging is connected to allow the battery to warm up (preconditioning) using the connected supercharger instead of using the battery's energy to precondition the battery. Mainly because the battery doesn't get to the preconditioning point if you are not far away from the supercharger. I rather wait 5-10 minutes more at the supercharger and avoid lithium plating than get to the supercharger with battery not being ready for supercharging.

 

[E90alex]

The battery will heat up more as it’s charging. There’s no point to sit there just heating up the battery to charge faster when you can just start charging slower and probably finish charging at about the same time either way.

 

[gearchruncher]

1) Tesla does not want you waiting longer at superchargers, this is bad for buisness and supercharge efficency
2) In 99% of cases preconditioning is about maximizing charge rate, not limiting lithium plating. Batteries don't plate at room temperature if the current is appropriately controlled. But they can charge faster at higher temps, which is what preconditioning does.
3) If you are so cold you can't charge at all (cold soaked below freezing), it won't charge until it's warm enough, and it will pull power from the supercharger to do so. This is what was happening in Chicago recently.
4) Why do you not trust Tesla here to manage you battery appropriately and charge it as fast as possible without damage?
5) If you believe the battery plates at normal temps, then let me tell you about regen....

 

[Tronguy]

Um. I think you're overthinking this.

First off: The battery charges faster when it's at its optimal temperature for charging. Which is warmer than its optimal temperature for driving around.

Second: No matter what the weather, if one is driving around, the temperature of the battery is being controlled. In the summer, it may be cooled. In the winter, it'll be warmed. Cooling is done through the coolant and refrigerant that hangs out by the superbottle up front; heating is done by at least three ways of which I'm aware: waste heat from the battery, heat from the heat pump, normal power dissipation in the motor, and forced power dissipation in the motor.

That last one, "forced power dissipation in the motor" has been around since day 1 on Teslas: the purposely run high current through the motor to heat the coolant.

When one shows up at a supercharger without the preconditioning, it just means that the battery's colder than its optimum charging temperature. If it's low enough, the car may not charge at all until the temperature is raised. If it's just low, the car won't charge very fast until it does warm up.

Having been chasing around the eastern half of the US since 2018, running into an SC with a pre-conditioned battery gets out out of there within a half hour; less, if it's a 250 kW charger. Waltzing into an SC with a cold battery (did this inadvertently in South Carolina one year) and it'll be 45 minutes to 80% when it's around 70F out; when it's cold out, longer.

 

[KenC]

There should be an option to select when supercharging is connected to allow the battery to warm up (preconditioning) using the connected supercharger instead of using the battery's energy to precondition the battery. Mainly because the battery doesn't get to the preconditioning point if you are not far away from the supercharger. I rather wait 5-10 minutes more at the supercharger and avoid lithium plating than get to the supercharger with battery not being ready for supercharging.
View attachment 1011607

That's exactly what happens when you get to the supercharger and the battery is not up to temp. The pedestal will heat up your battery first.

 

[gearchruncher]

I just want to throw out there that the lowest temperature ever recorded in Orange County, CA, was 25F.
They write articles when it gets down to 50F in January: Record-breaking cold hits Anaheim, Newport Beach, other spots in LA and Orange counties

So while I assume the people in Chicago and Norway appreciate OP's concern, I'm not they have a lot of sympathy for OP's concerns here

 

[CyberGus]

Does the pre-conditioning only occur when navigating to a Supercharger? What if I'm going to an EA station? (hypothetically, of course, since I would never do that intentionally lol)

 

[E90alex]

Currently no, since EA stations are not listed in the charging tab of the navigation.

Theoretically if/when it includes third party DCFC stations in the navigation, it should also trigger preconditioning.

 

[rrolsbe]

Currently no, since EA stations are not listed in the charging tab of the navigation.

Theoretically if/when it includes third party DCFC stations in the navigation, it should also trigger preconditioning.

Can you use a SEXY button to allow traction battery preconditioning prior to NONE Tesla DC fast charging? Since cabin preconditioning warms the cabin and traction battery if it is below around (50f?), can you use a SEXY button to enable preconditioning for just one or the other?

 

[E90alex]

I don’t know what functions are available with the buttons.

The cabin preconditioning only warms the battery if it’s below freezing to just above freezing. That will make no difference for supercharging because that requires the battery to be over like 90°F for maximum speed.

 

[rrolsbe]

I don’t know what functions are available with the buttons.

The cabin preconditioning only warms the battery if it’s below freezing to just above freezing. That will make no difference for supercharging because that requires the battery to be over like 90°F for maximum speed.

Thanks for the reply. Did you happen to verify the temp using SMT or the service menu screen? Warming the battery to just above freezing makes some sense because you will have reasonable acceleration. I have read many forum posts where posters indicated 50F which did not make much sense to me.

 

[E90alex]

There was another post on here somewhere that detailed it but I can’t seem to find it at the moment.

 

[3sr+buyer]

Can you use a SEXY button to allow traction battery preconditioning prior to NONE Tesla DC fast charging? Since cabin preconditioning warms the cabin and traction battery if it is below around (50f?), can you use a SEXY button to enable preconditioning for just one or the other?

S3XY Buttons Functions says that this function is beta.