Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

Regen limitation in cold weather

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
@J in MN, @montgom26

Same here. Battery is warmer in morning as car in the garage. I have long hours at work, and gets cold before I head back home. Jerry is also right as afternoon temp is usually higher than frigid overnight conditions. I think suggestion to end charge just before leaving is the most practical one. I tried it for couple of days and energy use is coming down.

Here is a plan that works for me. It preheats the battery and interior nicely on shore power.
  • Set the slider charge level to 80% (plenty for most days) and charge the night before.
  • About 30 minutes before you leave, while getting ready to leave, eating breakfast, etc, use the App to set charge level to "Max Range." When acknowledged, set charge level back to "Standard." This sets charge level to 90% and gets battery nice and warm, but avoids a "Max Range" charge if you are delayed, forget...
  • With App, turn on climate control, and set temp to high 70's. This is above a normal comfort level, but nicely preheats all of the interior.
  • When you start driving, set the temp to what you like, and the charge level back to 80% or so.
  • Repeat...

Happy Winter Driving! :biggrin:
 
So, I got the dreaded "Regen disabled" message tonight leaving work. Acceleration limited to 60 kW. The accelerator pedal mapping is dynamically changed so that you have to push it to the floor to get to the yellow line. Felt a bit like driving the Prius again.

The battery heater came on even though I had range/eco mode selected, but it did not stay on long, maybe 5 minutes. High temperature today was -5.5 °C. It was -8 when I left.
 
So, I got the dreaded "Regen disabled" message tonight leaving work. Acceleration limited to 60 kW. The accelerator pedal mapping is dynamically changed so that you have to push it to the floor to get to the yellow line. Felt a bit like driving the Prius again.

The battery heater came on even though I had range/eco mode selected, but it did not stay on long, maybe 5 minutes. High temperature today was -5.5 °C. It was -8 when I left.

60?!? Please tell me you meant 160. I don't recall it ever being anywhere near 60 last winter.
 
@J in MN

Had the similar experience again today. 20 F (-6 C) when I left work today. Right away got "Regen Disabled" message. Acceleration was however limited to 120 kW. Didnt have to push for the acceleration, however wasnt surprised like last time as wasnt expecting any regen this time. Just kept the car rolling and dint break too hard. I agree it takes away the unique experience of driving an EV. I have become lazy in breaking as you hardly need to use it when in high regen mode. Had to remind myself to break when driving an ICE.
 
So, I got the dreaded "Regen disabled" message tonight leaving work. Acceleration limited to 60 kW. The accelerator pedal mapping is dynamically changed so that you have to push it to the floor to get to the yellow line. Felt a bit like driving the Prius again.

The battery heater came on even though I had range/eco mode selected, but it did not stay on long, maybe 5 minutes. High temperature today was -5.5 °C. It was -8 when I left.
How do you know when the battery heater turns on? Not being a smart $ss - just don't know. Thanks.
 
The cold is back, and this is my first cold weather experience with the Model S, since I bought it in May...

I've read the previous posts on this thread and have some questions for you guys:

1) If I heat the cabin from the mobile app, does that trigger battery warming?
2) Same with charging (either by playing with max range from the app, or by scheduling early morning charge right before driving), does it trigger battery warming?
3) What is the best way to warm the battery right before driving, to avoid regen limit?
4) Shouldn't the car be doing all this by itself when plugged?

I hope you guys can help!

By the way: my car sleeps plugged in the garage, but insulation is poor and temperatures drop drastically - this morning it was 6 degree Celsius (36 F) when I started, with regen limit on, of course
 
Last edited:
With each release of firmware, understand that the answers to your questions may change. Not sure there is enough experience with 6.0 to know how it works with each of your questions.

I just don't worry about it - I figure the Tesla engineers know better than I do and just go with their algorithms. I don't mind that regen is limited. If I want the efficiency from regen, isn't that defeated by using energy to heat the battery to enable regen? If I range-charge for a trip, presumably the battery is warm from charging - and regen would be limited anyway due to SOC.
 
With each release of firmware, understand that the answers to your questions may change. Not sure there is enough experience with 6.0 to know how it works with each of your questions.

I just don't worry about it - I figure the Tesla engineers know better than I do and just go with their algorithms. I don't mind that regen is limited. If I want the efficiency from regen, isn't that defeated by using energy to heat the battery to enable regen? If I range-charge for a trip, presumably the battery is warm from charging - and regen would be limited anyway due to SOC.

I'm worried about range, most of all. If the battery is not warm when I start driving, I will lose range to battery warming, while I drive. And I want to avoid that by having a warm car + warm battery from the cord, ready to be driven, instead of a cold car and battery that will make me lose lots of range... :crying:
 
I'm worried about range, most of all. If the battery is not warm when I start driving, I will lose range to battery warming, while I drive. And I want to avoid that by having a warm car + warm battery from the cord, ready to be driven, instead of a cold car and battery that will make me lose lots of range... :crying:

Starting a charge cycle will definitely result in battery warming. If you need the most range for a trip, top up with 30 minutes worth of charge before you have to leave to get the battery warm. You can also preheat the cabin from shore power that way.
 
I'm worried about range, most of all. If the battery is not warm when I start driving, I will lose range to battery warming, while I drive. And I want to avoid that by having a warm car + warm battery from the cord, ready to be driven, instead of a cold car and battery that will make me lose lots of range... :crying:

If you are worried about range, as JohnQ said, finish a charge just before you leave and pre-heat the cabin.

See my post at Realistic Range Expectations in Crummy Winter Weather - Hypermiling in the Winter...Brrr about hypermiling in cold weather. In particular, see my item 3 in "Range Consumers":

Cold - Cold uses extra energy to keep the cabin and battery warm. I started just as a range charge ended, so the battery started warm. Also, during the range charge I turned on the climate control and set the temperature to 77˚ F. for about 40 minutes to store as much warmth in the cabin as possible. For the first 30 minutes of the trip, I was able to drive with the climate control off, and was comfortable with this stored heat. As the outside temps went down, I had to turn the heat on and off at its minimum 64˚ F. with the "blue, cool" defroster mode on to keep the moisture from my breath from fogging up the inside of the windshield. I wish the temp could be set to lower than 64˚ F. After the first half hour, I drove with my fleece, wool cap, and gloves on. The seat heaters are a good way to stay warm without using a lot of energy. I found that putting my fingers between my leg and the warm seat was a great way to warm cold fingers.​


That thread, Realistic Range Expectations in Crummy Winter Weather, has a lot of good discussion on energy usage and efficiency in cold weather operations of the Tesla. As others have said, we will see what version 6 does to cold weather ops. One thing that I am sure of, is the fact that, without shore power, pre-heating uses more energy than not preheating.
 
1) If I heat the cabin from the mobile app, does that trigger battery warming?

Yes, but to be most effective, be sure that range mode is off.

2) Same with charging (either by playing with max range from the app, or by scheduling early morning charge right before driving), does it trigger battery warming?

Yes, but not as much as heating the cabin.

3) What is the best way to warm the battery right before driving, to avoid regen limit?

Try to time the charge so that it ends just before you start to drive and then have two warming cycles before driving.

4) Shouldn't the car be doing all this by itself when plugged?

That would substantially increase the vampire load (there are several threads about vampire load). It's really something you want to control yourself.

By the way: my car sleeps plugged in the garage, but insulation is poor and temperatures drop drastically - this morning it was 6 degree Celsius (36 F) when I started, with regen limit on, of course

6C is not a problem. My car is parked outside and it gets colder than that. Be sure to switch to range mode before you start to drive, and then turn range mode off when you plug it in.

What you don't say is how long your commute is. There's little that can help a short (less than 30 km) commute. Over 30 km and the Wh/mi improves significantly.

And don't forget to increase your tire pressures to compensate for the cold weather.
 
If you are worried about range, cold battery is not much of an issue. Yes, you can time the charge so the battery is warm and warm the cabin prior to departure while still on shore power. But even if the battery is not warmed, and you have range mode on, the amount of power to warm the battery is negligible compared to cabin warming and driving. Battery warming may shorten your range by 5 miles - not significant.
 
What you don't say is how long your commute is. There's little that can help a short (less than 30 km) commute. Over 30 km and the Wh/mi improves significantly.

And don't forget to increase your tire pressures to compensate for the cold weather.

My commute is 70-75 minutes.

Thanks for the tips!!

- - - Updated - - -

If you are worried about range, cold battery is not much of an issue. Yes, you can time the charge so the battery is warm and warm the cabin prior to departure while still on shore power. But even if the battery is not warmed, and you have range mode on, the amount of power to warm the battery is negligible compared to cabin warming and driving. Battery warming may shorten your range by 5 miles - not significant.

mmh... yes, you're right. Did not really look at it that way. I'll start using more the seat heater, and less cabin heat, to save some miles. That should be more efficient :)

Thanks!
 
You should be fine without needing to use Range Mode. My commute is about 45 miles (each way) and takes about an hour. I found Range Mode made no difference in my overall trip efficiency last winter. On short trips, like I might do close to home on the weekend, Range Mode can make a huge difference.

But, when you say range mode, what do you refer to exactly? Charging 100% of the battery? My commute is 60 miles each way (100km really, where I live we have the metric system), and charge to 80%, which covers my needs without a problem.

What I don't get is the relation between range mode and efficiency, or even with cold weather and battery warming...