Model S Driving/Charging modes

[strider]

Haven't seen anything on this so posting a new thread. Feel free to merge if it's been covered before...

As I was driving my Roadster today I got to thinking about the multiple driving/charging modes (Standard, Performance, Range, Storage) and wonder if they're going to simplify it for Model S?

I view the Roadster as a nerd/enthusiast car and I actually like all the options and complicated nature of it (though I wish Performance came after Standard as I hate having to cycle through when a bike or sports car pulls up alongside) - I like that Tesla gives me the freedom to make my own decisions about how to use everything. But as Model S will be my wife's car it needs to be simple - she's not going to want to have to push a button to get peak performance.

As I think more about it I would just like them to do away with Performance mode and just have Standard, Range, and Storage with full power output available in Standard. So 2 driving modes and 3 charging modes - I can see a reason for each of those.

Anyone heard anything from Tesla about this or have thoughts?

 

[Doug_G]

I asked that very question at the factory event. The response was that they hadn't decided yet.

 

[Lloyd]

I asked that very question at the factory event. The response was that they hadn't decided yet.

+1 I asked the same question.

 

[Robert.Boston]

What is Performance mode?

I'd like an "Extended" mode that fits between "Standard" and "Range":

Standard: 10% to 90% SOC
Extended: 5% to 95% SOC
Range: 0% to 100% SOC

where "0%" and "100%" are the ends of the Range mode, not the extremes technically achievable on the battery. With the huge battery packs of the Model S, there's a meaningful gap between the 300-mile Range and 240-mile Standard ideal miles. Getting a 270-mile Extended range would allow me to avoid stressing the battery too much while adding a non-trivial additional range.

 

[dsm363]

I was able to see the developer screen on the 17" screen and they had only standard and range modes. I was told they would be moved out to the regular customer screen later in development but that would probably be the only modes available to make it simpler since the car will be in 'performance mode' all the time (whatever that means).

I believe performance mode allows the battery to heat up more than normal and increases the power delivered. I may have the wrong though.

 

[strider]

Yeah, in the Roadster, Performance mode gives you 10% to 100% SOC and lets the batteries charge and discharge at a higher temperature which increases performance but slightly decreases battery life.

This is good news that they're only going to have Standard and Range mode. That is what I was hoping for.

Robert, it doesn't hurt the batteries very much to charge to 100% if you drive immediately afterwards. It's the sitting at 100% that hurts them. So if you're going to possibly need the extra range you could go ahead and charge in range mode just before you leave and you'll be fine.

 

[stopcrazypp]

Something I learned in UI design is to have a small number of simple preset options available upfront to the standard users, and have custom options available to power users hidden in a deeper menu.

Tesla should have standard, range (maybe storage mode) as presets and then another mode that allows you to set your custom min/max SOC.

 

[Eberhard]

With the liquid-cooled controller and motor, there is no restriction with standard/performance/range. The max. current may depend on the SOC only. But depending on the battery size there must be more flexibility with the max SOC for charging. If you do little daily miles, around 60% SOC would be optimal for the battery health. Higher SOC will only be necessary, when more miles/day are needed or a longer trip will be done.

 

[Lloyd]

So perhaps the car will be asking you: "How far will you be driving tomorrow?" and "What time to you plan to leave?" in order for the car to optomize the charge cycle for you!