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Cold battery means not so super supercharge

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Yes, the car had been "cold" when I drove to the supercharger. It took me an hour to get 50 miles and because I was nearing 200 miles of charge
What were the distances to your destination (from the supercharger and from your original location) according to the nav?

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(unless I wanted to destroy my battery for some odd reason).
Anti-A zealot wanting a replacement?
 
One thought to add to this, since the OP mentioned she'd take her ICE next time:

How much do you value your time? Even if Supercharging took an hour longer than gassing up an ICE, but you saved $40 in fuel cost because Supercharging is free...then you effectively broke even if you value your time at $40 per hour. If you also went to the bathroom and/or ate a meal during that time, then it's not wasted time and you should subtract that from the total. If you were able to do those other things in 30 minutes of that hour, then you can really consider Supercharging as only "wasting" 30 minutes of that hour. So in that case, if you value your time at less than $80/hour, you came out ahead by Supercharging. If you value your time at more than $80/hour, then it would have been better to take the ICE.

Then there are other non-tangibles to consider (environmental stewardship, joy of driving electric, etc.).

In other words, the pure time it takes to refuel is not the only metric to consider. Unless, of course, you for some reason can't build that extra time into your travel schedule.
 
Jess: Is this a business trip you take often? Could you arrange for a 110V outlet next time just to keep pack somewhat warm? It wouldn't add any range likely in the cold but might keep pack warm.
 
My travel distance was about 100 miles by way of mostly expressway. Because it was cold & I was driving fast (80 mph), I got to my destination with 20 miles left (starting w/195).

I do value my time more than money, so I would take my ICE next time in order to save 45 minutes (30 minutes including charging the night I got into town).

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my Tesla & Tesla in general (having convinced 2 friends to purchase them). It is by far the best car there is. And their service is unmatched. I wouldn't part with mine for any price. I talk up Tesla so much my friends are tired of hearing about it :tongue: I was just really annoyed at the big delay I had not anticipated. Knowing now what I didn't know then, I'd have charged to full the night I got into town as it would've charged much faster & taken less time in the long run.My goal in posting my experience was to give a 'heads up' to folks so they wouldn't make the same mistake as I did.
 
I'm glad you posted this. Thanks. You probably posted this but you have 85kWh?
Anyway, it sounds like you did this but starting your trip with at least a 90% charge is worthwhile and like you said charging overnight if you can so you could even bypass the Supercharger would save a lot of time.
 
This will work itself out over time. It's always best to wait with supercharging until you really need it, because then the battery will have heated up, and the SOC is as low as possible, allowing for high power charging.

Today, it's understandable if one has to charge at the beginning of a trip, because there isn't a supercharger every 30 miles. That will change.

Destination charging is the second factor - this will also improve over time, until we reach the point where when you're parked, you're plugged in. (If you need the charge, at least.)

The third factor is range. With more range, less charging is needed. We might see a 120 kWh battery within 5 years, and those extra 100 miles will really help with longer trips.

The first adopters will simply have to live with some inconvenience until these issues get worked out.
 
Sorry if this is a dumb question (I take delivery of my Model S in 3 weeks), but I live in PA and could easily see this happening to me on a road trip...

Is it possible/a good idea to carry an extension cord with you, obviously would have to be rated for heavy duty use, but then run it from a motel room 120V, for example, to the curb where your car is parked in order to at least help keep the battery pack warm overnight in a situation like this?
 
I have used a 120v outlet for months. It works quite well even in subzero weather. I have parked at friend's home, plugged into 120v and gone to bed. Next day, I have 1 kWh or 3 miles per hour. Battery is semi warm. Much easier than going to a SC with a cold battery.

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Jess: Is this a business trip you take often? Could you arrange for a 110V outlet next time just to keep pack somewhat warm? It wouldn't add any range likely in the cold but might keep pack warm.

It will add range. 3 miles an hour or 1 kWh.
 
Sorry if this is a dumb question (I take delivery of my Model S in 3 weeks), but I live in PA and could easily see this happening to me on a road trip...

Is it possible/a good idea to carry an extension cord with you, obviously would have to be rated for heavy duty use, but then run it from a motel room 120V, for example, to the curb where your car is parked in order to at least help keep the battery pack warm overnight in a situation like this?

Yes, definitely. There is a thread on what to get for your new car. I'll try to find it.

I think this was the thread: Compiling a must-have accessories list
 
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Sorry if this is a dumb question (I take delivery of my Model S in 3 weeks), but I live in PA and could easily see this happening to me on a road trip...

Is it possible/a good idea to carry an extension cord with you, obviously would have to be rated for heavy duty use, but then run it from a motel room 120V, for example, to the curb where your car is parked in order to at least help keep the battery pack warm overnight in a situation like this?

Just make sure you get permission from the hotel front desk. Someone posted a story here about the manager getting very upset with them for doing this.
 
How many of us own cars in climates other than CA where a NORMAL winter is 30 degrees?
Laughed (maybe a bit too loud) on that...

Can anyone answer - how would battery feel after 3-4 months of continuous winter usage when temperature, mostly, is below 0(F)?
Don't really know how its battery's own climate-control works - if it has to heat itself - how much power does it drain?
I have a strong feeling that either battery would die after one such winter (as my laptop's battery did - forgot it several times in car at winter) or car has to be covered with some electric-powered blanket to keep warmth.
 
The Model S manual states temperature limits of -35°C to +60°C for no longer than 24h. If the car is plugged in, the battery management system will protect the battery from extremes.
The battery heater sucks 6kW. AC can draw several kW, too.