How are you faring in the cold weather?

[TM3PTN]

As the title suggests - how are your machines getting on with the recent cold snap? Any funky messages or reaction?

I get the low tyre pressure warning for my 20” Michelin’s, and my rear camera was suddenly blacked out yesterday morning (although I could see the white guide lines on screen - strange).

Any other quirks?

 

[wickeruk]

You can tell that this car was made in a Desert.... it thinks anything under 15c is 'cold'.

Had limited visibility on one of my cameras this morning.... also regen braking is usually sat between 25-50%. I don't charge at home currently so cant keep the battery warm.

 

[Alan J]

As the title suggests - how are your machines getting on with the recent cold snap? Any funky messages or reaction?

I get the low tyre pressure warning for my 20” Michelin’s, and my rear camera was suddenly blacked out yesterday morning (although I could see the white guide lines on screen - strange).

Any other quirks?

Definitely seeing some Range reduction and cold Battery warnings but not too bad.

 

[DamBuster]

For me, the biggest item of notice with the cold weather is how much using the heater chews up my battery!

I did a journey last night, the outward way I had the heating on AUTO (TeslaFi says my fan was an average of 3) and was struggling to get below 300Wh/mile. TeslaFi noted my efficiency around 75%

The return journey I switched of the heater and just had the seat warmers on (lovely!) to see how this would affect the journey and my consumption plummeted below 250Wh/mile, finally got around 225Wh/mile. TeslaFi noted a journey efficiency of 96%.

Outside temp was between 6-8degC for the journey, which was around 40 miles each way. No net height gain or loss for either journey.

 

[Yev000]

and was struggling to get below 300Wh/mile. TeslaFi noted my efficiency around 75%

Check elevation, if it's + one way and - the other way there is your difference.

I have + 100ft to work using 15% and -100ft home using 12%

Once the heater brings the car up to temp it does not consume much.

I did use conditioning for 30 min in the morning and that uses about 1Kwh. The other day I did max defrost and the car was like an over, that used about 3Kwh in 30 min. And basically if i don't pre-condition it will use that energy while I drive anyway.

 

[TestPilot]

Mostly fine, the rain makes a much bigger difference from my experience so far!

 

[Jason71]

For me, the biggest item of notice with the cold weather is how much using the heater chews up my battery!

I did a journey last night, the outward way I had the heating on AUTO (TeslaFi says my fan was an average of 3) and was struggling to get below 300Wh/mile. TeslaFi noted my efficiency around 75%

The return journey I switched of the heater and just had the seat warmers on (lovely!) to see how this would affect the journey and my consumption plummeted below 250Wh/mile, finally got around 225Wh/mile. TeslaFi noted a journey efficiency of 96%.

Outside temp was between 6-8degC for the journey, which was around 40 miles each way. No net height gain or loss for either journey.

This is going to make the lack of rear heaters on the SR+ an issue. it can afford the drop in range the least and yet if you have rear seat passengers you will need full cabin heat blowing all the way to the back. Sounds like the kids will be getting new coats hats and gloves for christmas this year, or maybe a Tesla branded blanket

 

[-DB-]

Not seen much range reduction yet, but it hasn't been particularly cold here.

I get "blindspot detection unavailable" regularly with the low winter sun. Saying that I've never seen it in action, it's never made any noises when signalling to change lanes with cars alongside me.

 

[Christiez]

My only real issue (other then range) is how quick the windscreen/windows mist up - pretty much have to have the blowers on full time.

 

[-DB-]

My only real issue (other then range) is how quick the windscreen/windows mist up - pretty much have to have the blowers on full time.

There was some sort of film/grime on my WS from the factory. Get some windscreen polish like autoglym glas polish. It's the only thing that worked after a few goes, none of my usual glass cleaners worked. Since then I get less (noticeable?) mist.

 

[Cowpring]

Are the heaters in the Model 3 electric then? Since in ICE cars the heat is generated by blowing air over the (hot) coolant pipes which is very efficient. Since those coolant pipes doesn't exist in the Model 3 as there's no engine I would imagine they are electrically heated?

Same for Air Con (but compressor is electric rather than driven by the engine)?

Surely far less efficient than a conventional ICE car.

 

[TM3PTN]

You can tell that this car was made in a Desert.... it thinks anything under 15c is 'cold'.

Had limited visibility on one of my cameras this morning.... also regen braking is usually sat between 25-50%. I don't charge at home currently so cant keep the battery warm.

Yeah I charge at home via 3-pin plug until my 32A commando is wired up so I can’t really pre-condition as I’m already on the back foot with the charging. Started the week with 250mile range and let it charge for 6hours each evening before I go to sleep as I can’t leave it plugged in overnight for security purposes (would have to leave the garage door unlocked to feed the lead under). This adds around 50miles but with heating as well as driving I’m using around 60miles of range a day my commute is 37miles round trip!

Once commando is fitted I should be able to charge overnight and it’ll be much faster to 80/90% and will mean I can precondition for a good 30-45mins before I leave the house.

My camera is back working now. Have a service appointment next week so have made a list of a few things I want to mention while I’m there. They can have a look while the car is with them.

Tyre pressures are annoying. It seems like there is no tolerance in the sensors - it’s 40psi and that’s it! My tyres were at 39 all around this afternoon yet I still had the warning annoying.

 

[Jason71]

Are the heaters in the Model 3 electric then? Since in ICE cars the heat is generated by blowing air over the (hot) coolant pipes which is very efficient. Since those coolant pipes doesn't exist in the Model 3 as there's no engine I would imagine they are electrically heated?

Same for Air Con (but compressor is electric rather than driven by the engine)?

Surely far less efficient than a conventional ICE car.

Yes. The heaters are electric, Some EV's have heat pumps which are arguably more efficient but the M3 is just an electric heater.
It's not fair to say that this is "less efficient" than an ICE car. Less convenient maybe. ICE's are only 20-40% efficient so for every litre of fuel 60-80% is wasted mainly as heat. the upside to this process is that if you happen to need some heat there is effectively an unlimited amount spare.
EV's don't have this luxury. the motors and batteries generate a bit of heat but they are 90%+ efficient so nothing like an ICE car so you have to generate your own heat as and when you need it. So really the EV is much more efficient but the difference generating heat reduces range on an EV so you notice where as on an ICE you don't.
AC is different. on an ICE it runs of the engine so increases engine load and thus fuel consumption i.e. its not free but it's such a small part of a big inefficient system that you barely notice. On the EV being more efficient the impact of the AC is more noticible but much much less than the heater.
The best way to heat an EV seems to be with max heated seats and minimum cabin heater i.e.heat the people not the air.

On the plus side though an ICE cannot heat or cool the cabin when the engine is not running. With an EV you can have it the temp you want when you get in not 15 minutes later.

So its swings and roundabouts and part of the new reality we will all have to get used to until battery technology gets to the point where its good enough that no one has to worry about things like range and running out anymore you know like where we are are with phones now.... oh wait

 

[xdcthedoc]

Yeah I charge at home via 3-pin plug until my 32A commando is wired up so I can’t really pre-condition as I’m already on the back foot with the charging. Started the week with 250mile range and let it charge for 6hours each evening before I go to sleep as I can’t leave it plugged in overnight for security purposes (would have to leave the garage door unlocked to feed the lead under). This adds around 50miles but with heating as well as driving I’m using around 60miles of range a day my commute is 37miles round trip!

Once commando is fitted I should be able to charge overnight and it’ll be much faster to 80/90% and will mean I can precondition for a good 30-45mins before I leave the house.

My camera is back working now. Have a service appointment next week so have made a list of a few things I want to mention while I’m there. They can have a look while the car is with them.

Tyre pressures are annoying. It seems like there is no tolerance in the sensors - it’s 40psi and that’s it! My tyres were at 39 all around this afternoon yet I still had the warning annoying.

I hear you about the tyre pressure - starting to wind me up. If they are all within 1 PSI of each other the alert needs to go off!

Having said that - since your mileage is a bit tenuous just now... why not pump em up to 45 all round? You will lose a bit of soft comfort - but efficiency should see a measurable bump up.

 

[Adopado]

why not pump em up to 45 all round? You will lose a bit of soft comfort - but efficiency should see a measurable bump up.

I've found that running 45 psi has a minimal effect on comfort with the SR+ so that's worth experimenting with, though perhaps the performance models on those 20 inch rims and lower suspension might well be different.

 

[TM3PTN]

I hear you about the tyre pressure - starting to wind me up. If they are all within 1 PSI of each other the alert needs to go off!

Having said that - since your mileage is a bit tenuous just now... why not pump em up to 45 all round? You will lose a bit of soft comfort - but efficiency should see a measurable bump up.

Yeah its a good shout. I don't mind about ride comfort as most of my previous cars have been sports cars with sports suspension, etc. and the seats in this car are a millions times more comfortable
My commute is around 37miles but I do other driving (well - when I don't need to worry about charging anyway) so i could do 50-100miles on any given day.
I'll give it a go though. The machine is going in for its first proper 'bath' on Friday (Autoglym approved safe-wash hand car wash) so I will head to a pump after it has been made shiny again.

By the way - I don't think I will ever get tired of leaving other cars behind at traffic lights, and the jaw-dropping acceleration leaves me like this every time! I wanted to catch up to a McLaren 720S that I saw in the distance earlier this afternoon, and I went from 50-90 in the blink of an eye! Then swiftly got back down to 60 when I realised how fast I was going but that's the beauty of this car - you could be going at warp speed but the car is so sure-footed and easy to handle that it doesn't feel like anything over 50!

Incredible.

 

[adsheff]

Yeah I charge at home via 3-pin plug until my 32A commando is wired up so I can’t really pre-condition as I’m already on the back foot with the charging. Started the week with 250mile range and let it charge for 6hours each evening before I go to sleep as I can’t leave it plugged in overnight for security purposes (would have to leave the garage door unlocked to feed the lead under). This adds around 50miles but with heating as well as driving I’m using around 60miles of range a day my commute is 37miles round trip!

Just a thought on this - I have a garage door which has a rubber strip at the bottom of it. It can easily be closed on top of the charging cable so that you can lock the door. Maybe that's worth a try. Alternatively, you could just cut a small notch out of the bottom of the door with a hacksaw. Only needs to be about half an inch diameter.

 

[Artiste]

The most noticeable thing to me in cold and rain is the big hit on range. I never expected to achieve anything near the 348 miles (WLTP) stated on the website for the M3P in warm weather, but on the other hand I never expected to get less than 200 miles in cold weather when I’ve charged to 100%. And that was going easy with the right foot!

 

[adsheff]

The most noticeable thing to me in cold and rain is the big hit on range. I never expected to achieve anything near the 348 miles (WLTP) stated on the website for the M3P in warm weather, but on the other hand I never expected to get less than 200 miles in cold weather when I’ve charged to 100%. And that was going easy with the right foot!

What journey was that and what was the weather?

 

[Artiste]

What journey was that and what was the weather?

I posted this in another thread after a drive last Friday:

Yesterday I did a 156 mile round trip to the Yorkshire Dales, the whole drive in heavy rain. Two thirds of the drive was on the motorway. Going there I averaged just under 70, and on the return it was probably under 60mph. There were three people in the car, and the temperature was about 8C. I started out with 98% battery, and had 22% left when I got back. I wasn’t particularly heavy with my right foot. That gave me a range of less than 200 miles in an M3P. HVAC will have made a significant difference. On the way there we didn't use heated seats and the temperature was set to 20C. After more than four hours of walking in heavy rain, though we were all cold and wet, and on the way home we had three heated seats at level 2 and heating at 22C.