Hello all - I just bought a new Model S 75 and I live in upstate NY where the average temps this time of year are between 15-40F. Although I haven not driven the car more than a few hundred miles, I'm noticing that the range I'm getting is around 200 miles on a full charge. In addition to driving at a "normal" speed (not easy) and limiting heating my cabin temperature - is there any other advice you can give to extend the range in the freezing cold? I've heard that CHILL mode may help as well? ANY input is greatly appreciated!
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NY winter / average range in Model S
- Thread starter Vaz222
- Start date
Rather than using your battery to do the preheating, I would preheat the car/battery in the morning while plugged in before leaving for the day and if you are able to plug in while at work, I would preheat the car/battery before you leave work. Use the seat and steering wheel heaters to heat the car. It consumes less energy than the cabin HVAC.
Hey 200 miles is actually pretty good! If it makes you feel better I'm getting around 175 miles here during winter (Montreal). I have a RWD P85+.
EVNewbie gave very good tips. Personally I just drive normally and if I ever need to charge then I stop and supercharge but on the last 3 winters I've only had to stop to supercharge once (one day where I did 200 miles) unless I'm leaving on an extended road trip.
EVNewbie gave very good tips. Personally I just drive normally and if I ever need to charge then I stop and supercharge but on the last 3 winters I've only had to stop to supercharge once (one day where I did 200 miles) unless I'm leaving on an extended road trip.
The car uses a lot of battery power up front at the beginning of your trip to heat the battery, heat the cabin, etc, which is why preheating while still plugged in is a good idea, as mentioned. Even if you preheat though, there is still some heating it needs to do while driving which is done at the beginning of your trip. If your trip is long enough, this all evens out to a relatively average wh/mile, but for short trips (less than 10-15mins) on a cold-soaked car, repeatedly day after day, in single digit Fahrenheit temps without preheating and with the heat blasting, I've seen my average go over 850 in a worst-case scenario.
I didn't really mind as these were all short trips, and if you take longer ones (45m - 1hr), where you may be more concerned about range, it evens out better. Although you will always get less in the winter, it's not enough of a difference to keep me up at night, heh.
I didn't really mind as these were all short trips, and if you take longer ones (45m - 1hr), where you may be more concerned about range, it evens out better. Although you will always get less in the winter, it's not enough of a difference to keep me up at night, heh.
Best thing you can do is to ensure a warm battery and full regen when you start out in the morning. I either schedule my charging to finish just before my expected departure time in the morning, or, more recently, charge to 70% overnight and then move the charge limit up to 80-90% using the Tesla app as soon as I wake up in the morning. This way by the time I am ready to leave my battery is warm. Also, if you like your car toasty, turn on climate control before you unplug so that the car is warmed up using shore power before you leave.
Another trick is to use range mode if you do any short trips. The car will not use battery power to heat up the battery while driving in range mode, so you don't waste that power for short trips where it is wasted because there is not enough time to impact regen. Turn on range mode before leaving on a short trip and definitely don't forget to turn it off after you arrive. And do not have range mode on while charging because that will cause your battery to remain cold.
I think chill mode does have a minor impact on energy consumption. I use it most of the time when I have passengers in the car because it makes the ride much more comfortable for them.
Avoid opening windows and doors unless absolutely necessary. Put your bag/briefcase on the seat so you can grab it before getting out instead of having to open the rear/hatch door.
Drive at lower speed on the highway because cold air is significantly denser than warm air, so the impact of high speed is far more pronounced at high speed. Seek alternative routes that are shorter and lower speed -- Wase app is really useful for that! I use it this way all the time. Often the time difference between alternative routes is only a minute or two but they are vastly different in terms of distance and speed. One time I was going to a place two hours away and the default route using a toll highway was only a few minutes faster and about 40 miles (!!!) longer than the alternative route using local, lower speed roads. The default route would have cost me $15 in tolls and I would have had to charge on the way, which would take far longer then just taking the free lower speed route that I could comfortably drive without charging.
Another trick is to use range mode if you do any short trips. The car will not use battery power to heat up the battery while driving in range mode, so you don't waste that power for short trips where it is wasted because there is not enough time to impact regen. Turn on range mode before leaving on a short trip and definitely don't forget to turn it off after you arrive. And do not have range mode on while charging because that will cause your battery to remain cold.
I think chill mode does have a minor impact on energy consumption. I use it most of the time when I have passengers in the car because it makes the ride much more comfortable for them.
Avoid opening windows and doors unless absolutely necessary. Put your bag/briefcase on the seat so you can grab it before getting out instead of having to open the rear/hatch door.
Drive at lower speed on the highway because cold air is significantly denser than warm air, so the impact of high speed is far more pronounced at high speed. Seek alternative routes that are shorter and lower speed -- Wase app is really useful for that! I use it this way all the time. Often the time difference between alternative routes is only a minute or two but they are vastly different in terms of distance and speed. One time I was going to a place two hours away and the default route using a toll highway was only a few minutes faster and about 40 miles (!!!) longer than the alternative route using local, lower speed roads. The default route would have cost me $15 in tolls and I would have had to charge on the way, which would take far longer then just taking the free lower speed route that I could comfortably drive without charging.
What is your typical setting for cabin temp? I'm in Buffalo/Toronto most of the time - and I keep mine at 65F to save energy. Yep, cold weather takes a toll. In summer I average less than 300 kwH/mile - and recent road trip with temps around 0F, I was well over 400 kWh/mile with same "chill" driving in both cases. Factors? heavier air, softer tires, cold battery chemistry
ArbitrageMan
Member
Not answering your direct question but, the average for my 12 mile commute has been consistently 435wh/mi for the past two months. (Car does better on highway trips once the battery is warmed up.) I was getting 320 in September. That aligns with the reduction in range you're seeing.
