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First 1000 miles on my Model S - Q's and observations

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So I put in my first 1k miles (of pure joy! ;)) on my CPO/Used 2015 Model S 85.

Some things I found out:

1. Very efficient. I usually go from 80%-60+% on a given day and charging on a regular 100v outlet has been more than enough. In 1 month of ownership, I have used the super charger only 3 times (mostly to try it out) and a level 2 charging station once (again, just to try it out and get an account/experience).

2. I have been averaging about 299wh/mile (pic below) in my first month/1k miles (22,000 total miles on the car). Seems about average from reading in these forums. I fluctuate up and down lately as it is getting cold and close to winter (in the high 50's at night to high 70's during the day in LA).
IMG_20181126_152619.jpg


3. I have read somewhere that people were saying that engaging AP uses more wh/mile. In my experience though, engaging AP saves more energy. Drove a lot through LA traffic a couple of days ago using mostly AP and still got 228 wh/mile in the last 30 miles of driving (pic #2). Is there a truth to this or is this normal?
IMG_20181126_152146.jpg


Question for the forum experts:
With this being my first winter, I have seen a lot of posts about how winter affects range, supercharging, and charging in general. I am assuming most of these reviews/stories are from "real" winters. At what temperature should I start seeing these effects? Given that our winters are anywhere from the mid/high 50's to the high 60's/70s, is there even a cause for concern about winter?

Thanks all!
 
AP might be less or more efficient. It really depends on your driving style and how it compares to how AP is driving.

An average od 300 is pretty good. My average around LA is around the same but I consider myself a conservative driver.

There is no such thing as 'winter' in Los Angeles :) You won't see any significant difference in energy consumption here. Once it gets below freezing you will see the effects. The heater uses extra energy, the battery becomes less efficient, the battery heater uses extra energy and snow causes more drag. But here in Los Angeles 'winters' are so mild relatively speaking, you don't have to worry. I have been driving my Model S in LA for 5 winters now. No issues. When we go up o Wisconsin over Christmas I see the effects a lot.
 
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...AP uses more wh/mile...

For a hypermiler driver, manual driving is more efficient than AP in this scenario:

When I see a stopped car a block away, I can let the care glide and regen as much as possible rather than using a physcial brake to line up behind that car.

With AP, it aggressively speeds up to the 45 MPH speed limit then when it's about to hit the stopped car, it would use physical brake to slow down and stop behind that car at the last minute.

However, AP or even just plain dumb cruise is much more efficient in cruising a highway because it keeps the speed constant while manual driving can use lots of energy with a lead foot.


...mid/high 50's to the high 60's/70s, is there even a cause for concern about winter?...

That's not even winter. That's srping! I wouldn't worry about such mild temperature!
 
I see a definite difference in consumption in the mild winters winters here in Texas. Even 50° F temperatures make a significant difference for me in the first miles. Even with charging before departure and preheating the cabin while plugged in, I see a 10-20% increase in consumption, at least at first. Maybe it's just me.

As to AP using more power, as stated it probably depends on driving style, but somewhat on terrain. Hills are more efficiently handled by some flexibility in speed, rather than the strict adherence to an exact speed inherent in any cruise control but that is a cruise control difference, not really AP. I don't see how Autosteer would affect range significantly.
 
With this being my first winter, I have seen a lot of posts about how winter affects range, supercharging, and charging in general. I am assuming most of these reviews/stories are from "real" winters. At what temperature should I start seeing these effects? Given that our winters are anywhere from the mid/high 50's to the high 60's/70s, is there even a cause for concern about winter?
Winter is not referring to the time of year, but to freezing temperatures. You'll start losing regenerative breaking when your battery pack drops below 55F. The colder the pack gets, the less regen you get. As you drive, the pack will warm up. If it's really cold out, the car will turn on a heater for the pack as well. You'll also be temped to use the heater, which uses a lot of energy, but not enough to have an impact on your commute. If you don't take many road trips into colder climates, I wouldn't worry about "winter". The car was built for CA.
 
For a hypermiler driver, manual driving is more efficient than AP in this scenario:

When I see a stopped car a block away, I can let the care glide and regen as much as possible rather than using a physcial brake to line up behind that car.

With AP, it aggressively speeds up to the 45 MPH speed limit then when it's about to hit the stopped car, it would use physical brake to slow down and stop behind that car at the last minute.

However, AP or even just plain dumb cruise is much more efficient in cruising a highway because it keeps the speed constant while manual driving can use lots of energy with a lead foot.




That's not even winter. That's srping! I wouldn't worry about such mild temperature!

I did notice the faster acceleration with AP, but it seems to regen more as well - making it breakeven in my observations.

Haha, mild for most. The wife and I had to break out the heavy jackets last night as it was raining and dropped to the low 50's! :p
 
I see a definite difference in consumption in the mild winters winters here in Texas. Even 50° F temperatures make a significant difference for me in the first miles. Even with charging before departure and preheating the cabin while plugged in, I see a 10-20% increase in consumption, at least at first. Maybe it's just me.

As to AP using more power, as stated it probably depends on driving style, but somewhat on terrain. Hills are more efficiently handled by some flexibility in speed, rather than the strict adherence to an exact speed inherent in any cruise control but that is a cruise control difference, not really AP. I don't see how Autosteer would affect range significantly.

Good to know. This is interesting as this is pretty much the same weather we get most winter days here. I can take the 10-20% increase in the first few miles though. I rarely take short trips (distance-wise) as a typical drive is about at least 30 mins in any direction.
I was planning to pre-heat while plugged in as well. Read somewhere that this will help out some (by turning off heater and relying only on seat heaters upon driving).
 
Hah! Tell that to all the Ugg Boot wearing and scarf toting population all over LA right now ;):):D

Good to know that we are ok for day to day "winter" driving here in LA! Now my only worries will be our yearly roadtrips to Big Bear/Mammoth/Wrighwood for snowboarding.

For real winter driving I usually assume about 30% higher energy usage. Or subtract 1/3 of the range. I have driven in extreme cold winter conditions and that's my experience.
 
I too just recently put about 1000 miles on my used Model S (2016 70D). I feel really good about it!

I was driving too much to recharge on a regular little outlet so we installed a NEMA 14-50 and my range anxiety is gone. I visited superchargers about 6 times, also, but every single time the one that is most efficient to use (eg on my route) was 100% full and I had to wait. It was causing me some stress. I figure trickle charging COULD work for me with occasional supercharger use or weekend recovery (no driving for a weekend and just let the car charge). But I'm much happier now with the outlet. I drive about 50 miles a day.

For a hypermiler driver, manual driving is more efficient than AP in this scenario:

When I see a stopped car a block away, I can let the care glide and regen as much as possible rather than using a physcial brake to line up behind that car.

With AP, it aggressively speeds up to the 45 MPH speed limit then when it's about to hit the stopped car, it would use physical brake to slow down and stop behind that car at the last minute.

I noticed this right away. I honestly thought that AP (even AP1) would be 'smarter' than this and would slow down sooner. So my workaround has been to push the AP lever down as I notice the traffic coming. It goes down generally in increments of 5mph so it seems to gently slow as you approach the traffic. Then I leave the TACC at something like 20 or 30 mph while the traffic is jammed. Sometimes I can get it so good I'm not using the brake at all. It's a crude workaround and I'm still sort of testing to see if that's worth doing or not.

I don't really trust the autosteer around traffic. It seems to only sense the traffic lines and not the other cars. Plus, the steering wheel sensors actually require me to use more pressure on the wheel than I do normally, so it doesn't save me any hassle.