Energy Graph with (!) Indicator Appears Intermittently

[virtualsmack]

Hi all,

On my S60 dash, I have driving stats (charge, miles, etc) on the left side and music on the right side. I've had this set up for a couple of weeks (S is 2 months old) and this past week, the energy graph with a (!) shows up intermittently on the right for a few seconds, and then goes back to the song title. It's happened 3 times so far:

- once it showed up when I got in the car @ around 5 AM, and it was a bit colder than normal
- two other times, it showed up while I was driving on an uphill (same spot, 2 different days)

I have been taking the same route to work for the past 2 months so it happens some times but not the others. I have to double check but my wh/mi was about 300 at the time, I think. and it only shows up briefly and then disappears. when i switch to the graph permanently, the ! indicator is not there.

I also did some searching around and it isn't the tire pressure indicator - that shows up right above the right hand side display. This is a ! in a triangle that shows up right to the top left corner of the energy graph and looks like it is part of the graph display vs. some other indicator.

I tried looking around and reading but could not find any info on this. Does anyone have this happen to them and can they share experiences... mostly interested if this is just me accelerating up the hill or if the cold weather impacts this, or if this is something I should call service about.

Thanks!
Gabe

 

[mblakele]

The one in cold weather was probably warning you that you wouldn't have full power until the battery came up to operating temperature.

I'm not sure about the inclines.

 

[LVGhost]

Hi all,

On my S60 dash, I have driving stats (charge, miles, etc) on the left side and music on the right side. I've had this set up for a couple of weeks (S is 2 months old) and this past week, the energy graph with a (!) shows up intermittently on the right for a few seconds, and then goes back to the song title. It's happened 3 times so far:

- once it showed up when I got in the car @ around 5 AM, and it was a bit colder than normal
- two other times, it showed up while I was driving on an uphill (same spot, 2 different days)

I have been taking the same route to work for the past 2 months so it happens some times but not the others. I have to double check but my wh/mi was about 300 at the time, I think. and it only shows up briefly and then disappears. when i switch to the graph permanently, the ! indicator is not there.

I also did some searching around and it isn't the tire pressure indicator - that shows up right above the right hand side display. This is a ! in a triangle that shows up right to the top left corner of the energy graph and looks like it is part of the graph display vs. some other indicator.

I tried looking around and reading but could not find any info on this. Does anyone have this happen to them and can they share experiences... mostly interested if this is just me accelerating up the hill or if the cold weather impacts this, or if this is something I should call service about.

Thanks!
Gabe

I'm not sure if this is what you mean but I see the exclamation on my car only when I'm full charged and there is no more room for the energy being made from the regenerative braking. Although that might not be applicable to your car since a fully recharged 60 still has room.

 

[virtualsmack]

these are helpful tips. re: regen, i'm def not full on the incline since this part is about 35 miles into my commute.

if there is no way for energy to be created from regen, is it normal for the display to auto-switch? i'm wondering why they would feel the need to notify you in those cases.

but thx for responses so far.

I'm not sure if this is what you mean but I see the exclamation on my car only when I'm full charged and there is no more room for the energy being made from the regenerative braking. Although that might not be applicable to your car since a fully recharged 60 still has room.

 

[mmccord]

That also happens when power is limited. Usually this is due to low charge level but can also be due to temperature (too high or too low) or a combination of the two.

 

[democappy]

I started seeing this for the first time this week as it started to get cold. When you see the (!) in the yellow triangle do you also see yellow dashed lines blocking off part of your regen showing a reduced ability to accept it? That is what I see and it is definitely due to the battery being cold in the morning before I go to work.

 

[Brass Guy]

It is probably either a re-gen or power limitation. If it is cold, it's probably a re-gen limitation. If you're already driving and the triangle ! appears later, I doubt cold would explain it; unless it was a delayed indication.

In my "classic," there's a dashed yellow line that shows you your maximum allowable re-gen and it is very obvious. The same goes for a maximum power limitation. If the battery is very cold, there is no regeneration at all. I see a message that states so, again obvious.
I found this image with a search. The design of the display has changed a great deal since this was taken, but our "classics" still have a similar energy display.

I've seen screenshots of an AP equipped car's energy app showing an energy limit. It only showed the outside circle partially dashed. If you're not looking for it, you won't even notice it. It is a design miss in my opinion.

 

[Max*]

If you're not looking for it, you won't even notice it.

I don't agree. It's very noticeable, IMO. It's dashed, and it's yellow.

 

[Brass Guy]

I don't agree. It's very noticeable, IMO. It's dashed, and it's yellow.

Ok, I didn't see it in person. But there was definitely no radial line in the image I saw.

 

[Boatguy]

It can't be cold weather, the OP is in Southern California where cold means it's dipping into the high 50's at night or low 60's during the day.

The OP asked why Tesla would warn about regen, it's because it changes the driving dynamics. You take your foot off the go pedal and it doesn't slow down as quickly as you expected; like having the brakes work differently, it's a potential safety issue. But that's not likely the case 35mi into your daily drive.

Call the SvC, the car is thinking something is wrong when it's not clear that there should be anything abnormal.

 

[Zeromus-X]

I'm in NorCal, it hasn't been that cold and mine's been doing this for the past few days too. I drive from Sacramento to Oakland, about ninety miles, and yesterday I was getting the triangle when going through the hills near Lynch Canyon, which is a good fifty miles of driving at about 55 degrees. I'd have expected the batteries to be quite warm by that point, but I definitely was getting the warning when punching it or when going up some of the steeper hills and accelerating.

 

[Boatguy]

I'm in NorCal, it hasn't been that cold and mine's been doing this for the past few days too. I drive from Sacramento to Oakland, about ninety miles, and yesterday I was getting the triangle when going through the hills near Lynch Canyon, which is a good fifty miles of driving at about 55 degrees. I'd have expected the batteries to be quite warm by that point, but I definitely was getting the warning when punching it or when going up some of the steeper hills and accelerating.

Yes, I got it this the last two morning when the car has been parked outside (45F - 50F overnight) with the battery at between 10-50%, definitely not full. It disappears almost immediately, but I have no idea why it appears at all.

Maybe the OP has checked with the SvC? I've sent an inquiry to ServiceNA.

 

[virtualsmack]

FYI all - appreciate all the comments and insight. I emailed as well and am waiting to hear back... will post whatever reply I get and please do the same.

I think I noticed (this morning) that the warnings I'm getting are different... the one in the morning is about regen, I think, since the (!) shows up at the bottom right and has the dashed lines much like you guys have referenced.

The (!) that happens during my drive doesn't have dashed lines and the (!) shows up in the top left and definitely when I accelerate. I took note when it showed up today and it was about 50 degrees outside and it showed up twice @ 120 and 160 miles left on the battery indicator.

 

[Boatguy]

I got a reply today as follows:

"The notification you are seeing is indicating regenerative braking is limited. Regenerative Braking may be limited if the Battery is already fully charged or if the ambient temperature is low. In this case the battery temperature seems to be cold. Once the battery warms up to ambient temperature, regenerative braking will return to its normal functionality and the notification will clear. To try and prevent getting this notification, try to precondition your vehicle. Turning on the heating or air conditioning remotely from the mobile app 20 to 30 mins before starting your vehicle will not only heat the cabin but will also start to heat the battery as well."​

To refresh memories, I got the warning when my SOC was about 10% so I have to say that I'm pretty surprised that they shut down regen when the outside temperature is 50F overnight, though the regen limitation was removed after about 2-3 minutes of driving.

With regard to the OP, the second (!) warning is not regen limitation, something else is wrong.

 

[Brass Guy]

That really seems like a power limitation, not a regen limitation.

 

[Zeromus-X]

That really seems like a power limitation, not a regen limitation.

Agreed -- same thing I'm seeing. Regen gives me dotted yellow lines in the regen area of the energy meter on the dash, and a little hazard sign at the bottom right. I get that when it's cold or the battery's full, but for the first ~30 minutes of my drive I'm getting it when punching above 200 on the graph. I'd take a picture/video but that's not exactly an easy time to do it

 

[silentsnow31802]

I get this indication if I do a full throttle start from a dead stop (ludicrous and max battery active) or if I use the "Performance" Easter egg to lower the performance of the car. It only shows up for a couple seconds on both occasions.

 

[GTIceman]

I have had this appear when driving and then speeding up randomly. I asked Tesla about it and they didn't know and never got back to me. I need to try and capture a picture next time it happens but it goes away so fast.

 

[DDD4EV]

Hi all,

On my S60 dash, I have driving stats (charge, miles, etc) on the left side and music on the right side. I've had this set up for a couple of weeks (S is 2 months old) and this past week, the energy graph with a (!) shows up intermittently on the right for a few seconds, and then goes back to the song title. It's happened 3 times so far:

Thanks!
Gabe

I contacted Tesla with the exact question. They told me that this occurs when the battery is cold and is a warning that the acceleration and regenerative braking are reduced until the battery warms. When this occurs in my Model S 90D, it disappears quickly. As mentioned previously, you can turn on the heat with your phone app a few minutes before you get into your car. This will not only warm up your cabin but also preheat the battery and avoid a brief reduction in acceleration and regenerative braking.

 

[silentsnow31802]

I contacted Tesla with the exact question. They told me that this occurs when the battery is cold and is a warning that the acceleration and regenerative braking are reduced until the battery warms. When this occurs in my Model S 90D, it disappears quickly. As mentioned previously, you can turn on the heat with your phone app a few minutes before you get into your car. This will not only warm up your cabin but also preheat the battery and avoid a brief reduction in acceleration and regenerative braking.

Im still not sure thats what that means. I know the dotted lines mean this but not the exclamation point. I do not get this in cold weather specifically. I get this after hard accelleration or when switching the "performance" to a lesser model.