Regenerative Breaking Limited at Moderate Temperature ( 68 F)

[beths11]

2016, X 75 with 20" tires, starting charge usually around 70 - 80 %. I have a route which I have been travelling for the last 6 months. I have an 8 mile drive from my house to the golf course which is level except for one hill at the very beginning/end of the trip (at my house). I am a conservative driver and the drive has averaged @ 300 Wh/mile with an average speed of about 50mph . Now that the mornings are colder (40 - 52 F) my regenerative braking is limited in the morning. I understand that phenomenon. What has me puzzled is the car will sit for 4.5 hours at the golf course, in the sun and when I return the car tells me the outside temperature is 68 -71 but my regen. braking is still limited. Not only that but my Wh/mile on the way home is in the mid to high 400's. Last piece of information, the drive to the golf course in the am is not long enough for the battery to warm completely enough to have the limited regen. symbols go away. So when I park in the am the dashed orange lines are still showing on the display.

Ideas? I called the local service center 3 days ago when it first happened. They looked at the logs and found nothing out of order. Today it happened again. I called the main Tesla number and a case has been opened. He suggested I heat the cabin for 10 minutes before starting my trip home, but the cabin is already very warm from sitting in the sun all day,

 

[vandacca]

The temperature sensor is likely located some place far from the battery. Sure the cabin and the temperature sensor are nice and warm because it is in direct sunlight, but the battery is likely much colder because it's shaded under the car. So, my guess is that the battery temperature is much lower than the cabin, which is why regenerative braking is limited.

In winter, it's always a good idea to pre-heat prior to departure, especially if you're connected to power.

 

[Screwbal]

The battery you have to imagine is a very dense object. if it cooled for many many hours over night to below 50 and you aren’t driving far for the warmer or consumption to heat things it will internally be cold for a long time.

 

[beths11]

Thanks for the replies....Although we picked the car up Dec 2016, (palm desert, ca)this was our first experience with cold mornings in Portland, OR. We migrated south with no issues and your information helped me be calmer about the restricted regen. Yes, it was all normal. Car traveled great from Oregon to CA. Now we are back to warmer weather again!

 

[Big Earl]

You could try turning on scheduled charging and have it start charging the car around 5am or whatever time would be best for the charging to complete at approximately the same time you’re ready to leave in the morning. The act of charging will warm the battery some - perhaps enough to prevent the limited regen without using extra power by preheating the vehicle in the morning. Just remember to adjust or disable the timer if you need more range than usual.

 

[Rocky_H]

Every fall when it starts to get cold, the forums start getting new threads about regen limiting and people calling Tesla service asking why their car is broken. There is one in the Model S and Model X section right now. You don't really need to do any pre-heating or warming this or that because you don't need to make it go away. The regen limiting is described in the manual, and is a normal part of the car.