Should I allow the M3 battery to warm up before I drive hard?

[markbingley]

Coming from a BMW 330d, I was always told that i needed to allow the oils and engine temps to warm up nicely before I demanded some performance out of the car. i.e. dont drive it hard until the engine is warm etc etc

So is there a similar logic for the Model 3?
Should I allow a period of driving time to warm the battery(?) and/or electric motors(?) up, before I drive it harder?
Or could I, in theory, get in a cold car, and boot it hard right off the driveway?!!!

Your thoughts and experiences would be much appreciated, as I expect to get my first M3 in a few weeks time and I don't want to abuse it without knowing!

 

[phil4]

Nah, I'd be more worried about the tyres/brakes if I were you.

The batteries for example if cold, simply cannot (physics and chemistry) supply any more power than they are, so if anything it's self regulating.

 

[Durzel]

On an ICE car you've got a load of moving parts and oil that needs to get up to temperature. That doesn't apply to an EV. The electric motors don't need "warming up".

As said above the battery can only provide the power at whatever temperature it's at, so you can't "overdrive" it.

 

[Stranger Dings]

I always warm my car up remotely before driving anyway, so not an issue. You get a nice warm car and a battery ready for driving.

 

[nxsynjs]

Nah, I'd be more worried about the tyres/brakes if I were you.
c

This. The M3 is a heavy car and with cold tyres and brakes is going to be somewhat skittish if really pushing it (on track ofc, as giving it full beans on the road is dangerous mmmk).

 

[markbingley]

Yeah, good point on the tyres and brakes.
I couldn't think of a reason to "go steady for a few miles first", but this would make a lot of sense.

 

[Alistairuk]

To add in - if the battery is too cold your acceleration will essentially be limited anyway and you get a bunch of warnings pop up on the screen.

As the others said, tyres and brakes are the bigger problem.

 

[Jason71]

To add in - if the battery is too cold your acceleration will essentially be limited anyway and you get a bunch of warnings pop up on the screen.

As the others said, tyres and brakes are the bigger problem.

I tried to overtake on a cold ish day just after setting off at 30% state of charge and nearly hit an oncoming car. Had not realised how big a hit in performance I would take compared to optimum. Won't make that mistake again!

 

[markbingley]

I had no idea that cold weather would have such a dramtic effect on the battery power supply. I knew batteries would be less efficient, I didnt realise less powerful also. Good to know

 

[Gatsojon]

I had no idea that cold weather would have such a dramtic effect on the battery power supply. I knew batteries would be less efficient, I didnt realise less powerful also. Good to know

The battery bar at the top of the display shows this restriction by the number of dots on the right hand side. Not that it’s so easy to see since the new look updated display.