No danger of harm. That's why the car limits regen power in the cold (because these batteries don't like to charge when they're cold), and if it gets cold enough it will also limit the acceleration power. The car takes care of itself.
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No danger of harm. That's why the car limits regen power in the cold (because these batteries don't like to charge when they're cold), and if it gets cold enough it will also limit the acceleration power. The car takes care of itself.
colinb
Member
When the car is cold you also use a lot more energy for the first few km's while it heats up the battery and the car. Today I was pushing 400+ Wh/km coming out of the Burlington Go Train Station after the car spent the afternoon in the parking lot.
I did a short trip today at -20C and got nearly 700 Wh/km. When I got back to the office I put it on the charger. We left about an hour later and it was nice and toasty, full regen! Makes a huge difference to the power consumption if you can prewarm it.
Yesterday was a nightmare for traffic on many of the roads and, as others mentioned, it was very cold. It took me an hour and a half to do what I normally can do in 20 minutes.
All that "idling" with heat going and not traveling much distance caused the Wh/km to look really bad.
I did 2 errands and my usual 18km trip to and from work and actually started to get range anxiety without ever leaving west Toronto.
I ended with 89km ideal and 39km estimated left in the tank.
All that "idling" with heat going and not traveling much distance caused the Wh/km to look really bad.
I did 2 errands and my usual 18km trip to and from work and actually started to get range anxiety without ever leaving west Toronto.
I ended with 89km ideal and 39km estimated left in the tank.
Wow! Even worse than me. -28C this morning. Started from my heated garage. Got a scary 69km projected range while I left my office (interior garage at -10C today). I only drove a total of about 25 km. When I arrived home I had 90km of range. I would swear my Roadster was not consuming that much energy in cold weather - actually very far from that.
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Car hard just finished charging about an hour before leaving. In heated garage at 18C.
No issues heating the cabin, actually really comfortable. Car performed well - actually better than when there's snow on the road.
mknox
Well-Known Member
Was that starting out with a full charge? You drove 18 km and only had 89/39 km remaining? I have a 140 km (round trip) commute between Brampton (where I live) and Cambridge (where I work) and traffic was horrible (and cold) on the 401 yesterday too. Would I be able to make it in these circumstances? I'm starting to get range anxiety too, and I don't even have the car yet.
Actually on longer trip you recoup some more range. I think worst case for a real trip (highway) in very cold would be around 170km in std charge.
Vger
Active Member
I think one reason that the Model S battery is more susceptible to cold (at least it takes a lot of energy to warm it), compared to the Roadster, is its flat form factor. It has a huge surface exposed to the exterior. The Roadster battery, by contrast, has a much higher volume to surface area ratio, and it is nestled deep in the car with no surfaces directly exposed.
Tesla might have been more forthcoming about the energy overhead of keeping the battery warm in extreme cold, but I am sure people can adapt. When I visited SK last fall, I noticed that there are 120V outlets EVERYWHERE for block heaters. The Model S just has a different kind of "block" to heat! :wink:
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I have noticed this too. I did this in the garage at the condo I stayed at while skiing in Whistler a couple weeks ago. If the car is charging, even at 120V, it is much better equipped to roll out onto frozen tundra.
I haven't been able to start each day on an absolutely full charge because I am using 110V to charge most of the time. I am waiting for Tesla to get me a Roadster charger to Model S adapter cable that I ordered in November.
I am occasionally running a #6 wire extension cord from a dryer outlet in the house and charging the car back to full at 25 Amps. I had to do that after yesterday's major battery drain.
So, not sure what the starting KM range was (will the App give us access to this history?) but it should have been an easy day of travel rather than a nail biter.
Again, I don't think it was the distance travelled, it was the unusually long periods of time in stop-and-go traffic in the car with the heater going and the battery being cold that seemed to take its toll on my range.
I am occasionally running a #6 wire extension cord from a dryer outlet in the house and charging the car back to full at 25 Amps. I had to do that after yesterday's major battery drain.
So, not sure what the starting KM range was (will the App give us access to this history?) but it should have been an easy day of travel rather than a nail biter.
Again, I don't think it was the distance travelled, it was the unusually long periods of time in stop-and-go traffic in the car with the heater going and the battery being cold that seemed to take its toll on my range.
You have to remember that there are two things going on here. When the battery is very cold the car underestimates its range. Also the pack heating takes a big chunk if you start out with a cold pack. Both things get better as you drive the car, so things would get better on a longer trip.
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I converted my Roadster HPC to J1772. Now I have to use the adapter with my Roadster but I can charge the Model S at 70A if I need it. Unfortunately the cable doesn't reach so I have to park it in the driveway.
Luckily we also have a 70A J1772 at the office. My usual pattern has been to charge at 110V at home, so I'm still charging in the morning and the pack is toasty. Then I top it up at the office.
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I converted my Roadster HPC to J1772. Now I have to use the adapter with my Roadster but I can charge the Model S at 70A if I need it. Unfortunately the cable doesn't reach so I have to park it in the driveway.
Luckily we also have a 70A J1772 at the office. My usual pattern has been to charge at 110V at home, so I'm still charging in the morning and the pack is toasty. Then I top it up at the office.
RichardC
Cdn Sig & Solar Supporter
mknox, I would be surprised if you were to have a problem. The highway miles are much more efficient. My roundtrip commute is around 100 km and I believe that I have always had over 250 km of ideal range when I arrived home. I am charging in Standard mode and starting with between 420 and 440 km of ideal range. However, I park indoors downtown, which likely helps a fair bit.
mknox
Well-Known Member
I hope so! I have to park outdoors and don't (yet) have anywhere to plug in. Yesterday, those "highway" miles were more like stop-and-go city miles due to the snow and black ice conditions. Normally, I count on an hour each way, but there have been days (thankfully, not too often) when an accident and highway closure can push that as high as 3 hours. When the 401 is closed, all that traffic is routed on to the single lane country roads. I was counting on that "480 km battery" to easily handle my 140 km commute, even after a few years with some battery degradation.
Anyone went to the Salon de l'auto de Montreal to show up their S? The guy from Roulez Électrique program said that a couple of owners came to show their S. His words were: "Troublant" could be translated by disturbing and "pourquoi payer pour une CLS550, E63 ou M5 quand au même prix tu peux avoir de meilleure perfomance sans payer l'essence"
Found it interesting.
NB They said they would adjust the program to the Tesla reality, they simply need time: HPWC, UMC charging technologies for the program reimbursement
Found it interesting.
NB They said they would adjust the program to the Tesla reality, they simply need time: HPWC, UMC charging technologies for the program reimbursement
So I should keep my bill for the NEMA 14-50 install I had done last week? :smile:
Roughly translated: "Why pay for a CLS550, E63 or M5 when, for the same price and with better performance, you can purchase [an electric vehicle] without ever buying gas?"
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