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Cold weather stopping all charging... Not sure how to deal with this.

Discussion in 'Model X' started by JakeTM, Feb 15, 2021.

  1. JakeTM

    JakeTM Member

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    Hey, I'm new here though I've had my model x for a while. Long story short, it's currently averaging 10F degrees here, and it won't charge at the supercharger. I don't have access to a personal charger, and this is a new experience for me... for some context, yes, I've had my tesla for a few winters now, but I live in Central Texas. Fort Worth to be precise. It (usually) doesn't get THIS COLD here, so I've never run into this sorta problem before. I live in an apartment so I don't have access to a home charger, and I'm just trying to keep my car charged, considering it has used 150 miles worth of charge in 8 hours of being parked. No idea what to do... silver lining though, this is the first time I've seen snow in 6 years!
     
  2. hcdavis3

    hcdavis3 HCD3

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    Sentry mode on? Apps polling the car? Smart summon off? 150 miles in 8 hours is not normal.
     
  3. JakeTM

    JakeTM Member

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    Sentry mode and smart summon are both off. I don't know what you mean by "apps polling" the car though.
     
  4. hcdavis3

    hcdavis3 HCD3

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    Apps like Teslafi not in proper sleep mode.
     
  5. JakeTM

    JakeTM Member

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    I have no idea. I've never even heard of that honestly...
     
  6. hcdavis3

    hcdavis3 HCD3

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    Go to Teslafi.com. Take a look. But if you’re not using it, something is wrong here.
     
  7. ModelNforNerd

    ModelNforNerd Active Member

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    I bet it's cold-soaked. Run the heat on high or put a supercharger as your destination into nav and you'll probably get some of that range back
     
    • Like x 2
  8. JakeTM

    JakeTM Member

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    Ok, didn't think to put it as my destination, but I did try running the heat. Had all vents on high temp and full power for about an hour while trying to charge. During that hour I lost charge. Kept saying zero gain.
     
  9. hpartsch

    hpartsch Member

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    Let it charge. Don't run the heat/waste energy. The car will do what is right to get it charging. Were you constantly opening your Tesla app? That would constantly wake the car/prevent it from sleeping and use quite a bit of power when cold.
     
  10. JakeTM

    JakeTM Member

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    As for the heat, if I turned it off, it would say "charging unavailable at this time" and disconnect the charger. And no, honestly I haven't opened the app in whats probably been weeks.
     
  11. Les236

    Les236 Member

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    I had this happen last winter in N.H. Tried several different chargers at one site, and no one else was having the issue. The ring around connector kept changing to red. No one else was having a problem. I drove 20 miles to another charger and that worked fine. When it is cold, and even at 45F, set destination as charger and the car will start pre-warming/prepping the battery for faster charging. Charging is definitely slow when cold and not pre-warmed. I also had it refuse to charge at my home in a cold garage once, but I just kept trying and it finally started.
     
  12. njhtran

    njhtran Member

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    @JakeTM i feel you. I drove up there earlier last week (not in my X) and had to leave Sunday because the storm was too much. It was so friggin cold that at many fuel pumps I was unable to fill my vehicle up (with diesel) everything was malfunctioning. The drive home was no piece of cake, I'll tell you.
     
  13. InternetDude

    InternetDude Member

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    Maybe your battery heater has failed? I had all kinds of no charging situations when cold and that was why. I never got any warnings it just wouldn’t charge in cold unless I drove for a while to warm up the battery.

    one time I left it at the supercharger in -31C for over two hours but nothing.
     
  14. hpartsch

    hpartsch Member

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    I think something is wrong with your car... I'd consider getting it checked out. The supercharger will heat the battery until it can charge. You should not have to run heat to enable charging. Get some videos/time stamps of this occurring.
     
    • Like x 1
  15. Hebert

    Hebert Member

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    I wonder if the issues with the Texas power grid could be a part of what is going on here. There are rolling blackouts due to iced up wind turbines and gas generation facilities. Not enough supply on the grid could explain the behavior and error message.
     
  16. dmurphy

    dmurphy Woof.

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    Good thought. If the incoming power isn’t a decent enough sine wave, the car won’t charge. I tried this with my portable generator; it reported the correct amperage and voltage but still said “0 mi/hr” ... it just didn’t like the unclean output.
     
  17. bigroo42

    bigroo42 Member

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    Thought this may be a good place to ask this -cars at the house, plugged in but we have no power. It's reading 35 degrees and plenty of battery. Should I worry about the internal temp getting TOO cold? I can turn on the climate to warm it up a bit but wasn't sure if that was needed. Thanks for any guidance.
     
  18. dmurphy

    dmurphy Woof.

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    #18 dmurphy, Feb 15, 2021
    Last edited: Feb 15, 2021
    Not needed; it’ll be just fine. The car will cycle the coolant pump if need be.

    You can just ease your mind and take care of yourselves in the mess. Stay safe out there!! Really feel for you folks. We’re used to that kind of cold now and again here in the northeast but not usually for this long and we at least have treatments for it. No sand, no salt, no plows - you guys are in a world of hurt for a while. Be safe!
     
    • Like x 2
  19. drtimhill

    drtimhill Active Member

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    Battery is cold .. set supercharger as your destination. Drive there BUT drive a very indirect route so it takes 30 mins to get there. Car will say preconditioning on the way. Should charge normally when you arrive.
     
    • Like x 2
  20. SigNC

    SigNC Active Member

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    if the battery is below freezing it has to warm it up to above freezing or close to it before it will charge. On route battery warming will help but even better if you can turn the climate on remotely via the app, this will start the battery warming up to 50f before you even get in the car if you give it time. Once in, then select the supercharger as your destination for continued warming on route. Also, if you just sit there, with the car plugged in eventually it will get warm enough to charge, it's just better if you do it before you get there.
     

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