Cold Weather Driving

[Doug_G]

LOL yeah a D would definitely help. I'd love to get one but that's not in the cards for now.

Good point about driving speed. It does get more complicated in cold temperatures. It may not be obvious, but the optimum driving speed for range in cold conditions is higher than in warm conditions. That's because of the impact of fixed draw over time - longer time equals more energy used.

It would be really helpful if Tesla would provide simple temperature readouts for the battery pack and drive train. A single gross number for each would do wonders for people trying to optimize winter driving range. Unfortunately we can't even get TPMS readout, so I'm not holding my breath on this one.

I rarely see the snowflake because I'm really big on preheating in the winter. On those extreme cold days I plug into the charging station at work so I can fully preheat on AC power. I have a loaner right now and I'm really missing the preheat! (Also my XIce3 tires... did I mention that the Pirellis are crap for winter? Really bad today.)

 

[andyro]

The Michelins rock Doug. Was doing donuts and drifts in an unplowed p-lot in Brantford yesterday. Traction control finally has aggressive bite, it's hard to fishtail the back, and it's way easier to steer out or steer through whatever squirrellyness was initiated- it's like a completely different car. I had no idea just how bad the Pirellis were until now

 

[Doug_G]

No kidding. Now switch back to a loaner car with Pirellis for a few days - which I did last week (even had a snowstorm) - and you'll appreciate the XIce3 even more!

 

[Doug_G]

jonnygoldstone - I've never had a problem with running out of charge. I suspect people who get into trouble are mostly rescued by Tesla Roadside Assistance and then learn not to make the same mistake again. I don't think EV rescue is going to be a sustainable business until there are many more EVs on the road.

Unregistered - today I drove a mere 30 km (19 miles) in three trips, with cold soaks between each trip. I used 159 rated km (100 rated miles). Some of that is due to extra wind resistance, etc., but much of it is due to pack heating and cabin heating. That's pretty much a worst-case scenario, but it goes to show how bad it can be. I'd guess one cold soak could result in an extra 50 rated miles consumption - but it really depends on the conditions.

 

[Aussie Bob]

Doug. Thank you for your very insightful report on how to drive the Tesla in the winter. Fortunately we spend as much of Canada's winter driving months as possible outside the country but for the occasions when we are here your info has been invaluable. This was our first time driving the Model S in winter conditions and I have read your site numerous times to learn the best ways to adjust to driving an electric car in winter conditions. We have also experienced a major range draw when parking the car numerous times throughout the city - actual distance is about 40% of rated range on several occasions.

We had a 12v battery problem that a Tesla ranger replaced last week. At that time he turned the range mode off. Now I know why!

One other issue we have noticed and wonder whether you have experienced the same problem is condensation on the inside of the car after pre-heating the car. We have noticed this many times . Also when we are away for awhile, we notice that white mould like stuff is on the leather. The ranger said he had never seen this problem before and took photos for his records.

Any views from anyone as to how to prevent this from occurring? The Model S is parked in an unheated garage. Thanks.

 

[mibaro2]

Thanks for the great blog. As this is my first winter with my model S, I found this very helpful

 

[Aussie Bob]

I'm curious what range loss one could expect.
Scenario: Minnesota, -20F outside, car in garage with 240v charging.
Drive xx miles and park outside 8 hours with no charging before returning home.

In "normal" weather xx would be ~120 miles for 85kwh battery.
Estimated xx on severe cold for round trip?

Thanks

I have been driving in cold temperatures in Ottawa area and find that I am getting anywhere from 40-60% of rated distance. The longer I am parked without charging the worse it gets. Temps have been as cold as -28C.

 

[Ecolimo]

I just picked up a 2013 S85 from the Lawrence Centre and this morning could not get the cabin heat working! With the temp controls on MAX and manually directing the air downwards, the cabin stayed very cold. I tried everything I could think of but shivered for 90 minutes driving at -24! Any suggestions before I call Tesla? Thanks, Alan

 

[Doug_G]

...call Tesla.

 

[andyro]

Have had some issues with ice and smart air not able to raise/lower in this last spell of -30c. Garaged the car in heated conditions, melted in very high, then dropped to standard. I've stopped parking the car in very high to avoid recurrence. Anyone else? Also, the new 'drive slowly to reach destination' is very alarming and imo too conservative. Still best to pay attn to consumption graph and mentally calculate distance, rated range and use common sense...

 

[Patrick W]

Thanks for posting Doug. I'm days away from ordering a Model S and just today asked the Tesla rep about winter driving (I'm in N. Utah). He said not to worry but I might want to sign onto this forum and check for comments on winter driving in an S. I did just that and your post was the first I saw. I feel much better about what I'll encounter next winter.

 

[KBF]

I feel I should chime in here just to reassure people about extreme cold temperatures. I've also had my S through 3 winters here in Manitoba. The week my car was delivered was so cold that the delivery truck's electronics shut down in Dryden, and by the time it got to my house at night it was so cold the lift took half an hour to get my car off (it was on the top row). But the S instantly, perfectly, smoothly drove off the truck without a glitch.

We hit -40 every winter, and while I keep my car in my insulated garage at home, I did end up at the cabin with only a 110V plug when it hit -55 with the wind chill one New Year's eve. A Tesla rep did say as long as it's plugged in it's not a problem, but I did have trouble with the connector freezing up. I had to take the cable indoors to defrost it for an hour or so and it started working again. Just to be on the safe side I put blankets over the car all around and then shovelled snow to "seal" it in, and the temperature of the car rose to a nice, toasty -19.

But that's the only time I've had issues - so while I strongly caution against having the car parked outside below -50, -40 doesn't worry me one bit

 

[Gregg_G]

Does anyone have experience with the 70D or 85D with the all seasons in the snow? I'm coming from an S4 and was hoping not to have to change out tires every spring and fall. I just ordered an S70D.

 

[KBF]

Does anyone have experience with the 70D or 85D with the all seasons in the snow? I'm coming from an S4 and was hoping not to have to change out tires every spring and fall. I just ordered an S70D.

I'd highly recommend winter tires even with AWD - I've owned several SUV's and while AWD helps with acceleration and somewhat with steering, there just is no comparison when braking on ice/snow. "All-Season's" only work down South (and even then, they're horrible during the rare snow days). They become like bricks when the temps near freezing. I know there are several "tire guys" on here that would back me up. Winter tires are worth the hassle of swapping and storing.

 

[Kevin Michaluk]

Great post, Doug. I live in Winnipeg (aka Winterpeg) and just ordered my P85D last week. Arrives in June.

Winter tips was clearly the first thing for me to research, so this is my first post on this forum.

I was about to order the Winter tire package from shop.tesla store, but given so the extra set of wheels would ship with my car, but given how bad the Pirellis are I'm wondering if there is a better alternative for me. Can I buy just the 19" wheels somewhere so I can then buy the tires of my choice and use those straight away?? Will try the recommended Hakkas or XIce 3s.

Thanks!

 

[RobertG]

Great information. Thanks to all for posting!

 

[GregoryWelch]

Great information, looking forward to my first winter with the 70D.

 

[ramblinrose]

I am a new Tesla owner (2015 Model S) so this will be my first winter. I live in Central Pennsylvania. This was very informative. Also, thank you about the information of the Range Mode.

 

[GreenCanuck]

Thank you! Just bought the 85D and these tips will save me lots of learning time. Much appreciated.

 

[NatalieHall]

Nicely organized blog post- thanks. And good point about cranking up the seat heaters instead of using so much cabin heating. I find it more cozy like that anyway. Please update if the car continues to perform well during this upcoming winter!