It takes a lot of energy to preheat the battery in the morning, maybe I shouldn’t?

[gottagofast]

I turned on the climate to heat the interior of the car this morning but it also said it was going to pre condition the battery, I think I lost 6 miles of range in 20 minutes

I think it would be better to drive the car for a few mins then turn on the climate and turn it off after it’s warm enough

 

[DBeckwith]

You won't get as much regen but if you can't preheat plugged in it is less compelling.

 

[bernal.dennis@]

Exactly. I preheat every morning before my commute, but I installed a level 2 at home. If not plugged in, maybe just preheat for 5 min before you leave??

 

[Benito1283]

Unless you have a really short commute, the energy will not be wasted. Warmer battery will give you more regen and you will make up that lost range with increased driving efficiency. If you like the cabin warm, just precondition and don’t worry about it.

 

[tga]

It is not necessary to pre-condition the battery for normal driving. The car will limit discharge/charge (acceleration/regen) as needed to protect the battery.

I pre-warm the cabin (for my comfort, not the car's), then leave.

 

[gottagofast]

You won't get as much regen but if you can't preheat plugged in it is less compelling.

is there a way to make it just pre heat the interior and not the battery?

 

[tga]

is there a way to make it just pre heat the cabin and not the battery?

No, it will heat the battery if it wants to, but the cabin warms quickly enough that 5 min or so of "unnecessary" battery heating isn't a big deal.

 

[mpgxsvcd]

I turned on the climate to heat the interior of the car this morning but it also said it was going to pre condition the battery, I think I lost 6 miles of range in 20 minutes

I think it would be better to drive the car for a few mins then turn on the climate and turn it off after it’s warm enough

Where exactly did it tell you it was “preconditioning the battery”?

 

[gottagofast]

Where exactly did it tell you it was “preconditioning the battery”?

In my phone app, I forgot where I saw it maybe it was in the notification soon after it started

 

[mpgxsvcd]

In my phone app, I forgot where I saw it maybe it was in the notification soon after it started

Notifications in the display or on your phone?

 

[Benito1283]

Notifications in the display or on your phone?

It says it in the app. Something like “warming the battery for optimum performance”. It used to just have the three bacon strips but now it says it explicitly.

 

[E90alex]

It only preheats the battery if it’s below freezing.

Ideally preconditioning should be done while plugged in.

If you don’t precondition the cabin, you will use the energy anyways when you turn on the HVAC when driving.

But honestly just enjoy the car and its features and comfort. Between this thread and your other thread, it seems you are trying to save every single Watt possible as if electricity is something super scarce and super expensive. It’s just really not going to make that much of a cost difference. Why sacrifice your comfort and enjoyment of the car to save a few cents? If you really wanted to be an energy miser you should have gotten the RWD rather than the Performance. The RWD is far more efficient.

 

[mpgxsvcd]

It says it in the app. Something like “warming the battery for optimum performance”. It used to just have the three bacon strips but now it says it explicitly.

There are two different forms of “preconditioning the battery”. One is preconditioning for efficiency. The other is preconditioning for Supercharging.

From my experience I can’t tell the difference between the two in the app. However, I monitor battery temperatures through the S3XY buttons so I can tell the difference there.

The heating and cooling system can use an AMAZING amount of energy when heating the battery for Supercharging. I have seen up to 12 KW when preconditioning the battery for Supercharging as the picture below shows.

 

[KenC]

It may just be me, but since my car lives outside as I have no garage, I go out fully dressed for Winter. When I get in my car, I don't undress, so I don't want the cabin to be warm and toasty. I just turn it on Manual, 69°f, fan setting 2, heat seater 1 or 2. As it warms, I take off my hat and gloves, but generally, I drive fully-dressed for Winter.

 

[vogz]

It only preheats the battery if it’s below freezing.

That's not true. My car sat at work the other day and the lowest ambient temp was 37F. Drove home and charged from 70-80% SOC and it sat in my heated garage overnight (55F). In the morning when I started pre-conditioning the car, it heated the battery for a few mins too. Battery definitely wasn't below freezing and the ambient temp was nowhere close.

 

[Izzyz28]

"Gottagofast" is concerned about 20 cents worth of electricity and is willing to drive around in a freezing cold car?

 

[ChooseFreedom]

Pre-conditioning the battery is for the health of the battery. It operates/charges better at optimal temp. So it's a good thing.
That said, unless you're trying to defrost ice from the glass, 5-10 minutes should be plenty of time to get the interior warm.
Only ICE drivers would preheat for 20 minutes!

 

[Unclepaul]

Best practices suggest owners pre heat very cold vehicles batteries and interiors while still plugged into a 240V outlet.

This allows the vehicle to start out with a efficient battery and comfortable interior.

 

[dakhlkt22]

It only preheats the battery if it’s below freezing.

Ideally preconditioning should be done while plugged in.

If you don’t precondition the cabin, you will use the energy anyways when you turn on the HVAC when driving.

But honestly just enjoy the car and its features and comfort. Between this thread and your other thread, it seems you are trying to save every single Watt possible as if electricity is something super scarce and super expensive. It’s just really not going to make that much of a cost difference. Why sacrifice your comfort and enjoyment of the car to save a few cents? If you really wanted to be an energy miser you should have gotten the RWD rather than the Performance. The RWD is far more efficient.

People want to know how the car works and how to optimize their experience based on what's important to them. I say go for it. People like to tinker, and that includes energy tinkering.

 

[gottagofast]

It only preheats the battery if it’s below freezing.

Ideally preconditioning should be done while plugged in.

If you don’t precondition the cabin, you will use the energy anyways when you turn on the HVAC when driving.

But honestly just enjoy the car and its features and comfort. Between this thread and your other thread, it seems you are trying to save every single Watt possible as if electricity is something super scarce and super expensive. It’s just really not going to make that much of a cost difference. Why sacrifice your comfort and enjoyment of the car to save a few cents? If you really wanted to be an energy miser you should have gotten the RWD rather than the Performance. The RWD is far more efficient.

I can have fun on weekends with the performance but for everyday driving to work or traveling want to get every mile I can

Esp since I’m only charging from a 20 amp outlet atm until the electric gets connected to my house