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Staying comfortable in Extreme Cold
- Thread starter Pwdr Extreme
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- Driving Dynamics Model X
On the projected 2017 map they show Sioux Falls. But then again they had all across ND on the 2016 map which obviously never happened. So safe to say it WILL happen, but might be awhile yet.
I definitely know where you're coming from, living in Montana I had to wait for the charger network to develope myself. If not I would have bought a Model S years ago.
I definitely know where you're coming from, living in Montana I had to wait for the charger network to develope myself. If not I would have bought a Model S years ago.
One thing isn't quite clear: do you have a place, or a customary staying locale, where the car likely would be each night when you're in Sioux Falls? Even at just 120V, 2 or 3 nights there and you really should be good to go.
Yeah I saw they were projecting to build one in Sioux Falls. I hope it happens. We won't be looking to get a new vehicle for 8 to 12 months and lot can change by then!
There's never any set place that we really stay at. It varies. I did see on the plug share app that there's a hotel in Sioux Falls that is EV friendly and will let people plug into a 110 outlet. If I left it plugged in every night while we were there and drove it around town during the day would it get enough charge to combat the cold weather?
The other thing I'm struggling with is the cost. It's twice as expensive as a new Suburban would be. So I'll never save enough gas to make up the extra expense. But man would it be one sweet ride to have!
There's never any set place that we really stay at. It varies. I did see on the plug share app that there's a hotel in Sioux Falls that is EV friendly and will let people plug into a 110 outlet. If I left it plugged in every night while we were there and drove it around town during the day would it get enough charge to combat the cold weather?
The other thing I'm struggling with is the cost. It's twice as expensive as a new Suburban would be. So I'll never save enough gas to make up the extra expense. But man would it be one sweet ride to have!
I live in MN and this will be my first winter in the X. The last two winters were spent in the S 70D I had, with Pano roof. I didn’t feel the need to insulate the roof or anywhere else. I did do one road trip in -4F and felt warm. Did unzip my jacket or take it off. The -10 to -20 driving was all to work and back. No issues from the heated garage and driving places. 10 hours in -10 weather will deep soak a car in cold. Heating the battery takes up a lot of energy, takes time to heat up.
Generally I felt comfortable in my usual winter clothes. My feet seemed to be the only cold parts but after getting legitimate winter shoes no issues. With a 70 battery pack and deep cold I charged every night. Acccounted for the deep cold in trips. I actually got comfortable with it- at first it is very scare in terms of range anxiety to get over 400 wh/mi in the most efficient S- but it wasn’t all that bad and able to make trips in winter that I could in summer.
Based on much previous winters in a Tesla I’m not at all worried and will not be putting any insulation up. There was a sense of confidence in having a multifunctional sedan that passed by SUVs stuck on the sides of the freeways. Hundreds of car accidents just in MN from each snow storm, but not a scratch on my S. So I feel quite confident being on an X this winter.
Generally I felt comfortable in my usual winter clothes. My feet seemed to be the only cold parts but after getting legitimate winter shoes no issues. With a 70 battery pack and deep cold I charged every night. Acccounted for the deep cold in trips. I actually got comfortable with it- at first it is very scare in terms of range anxiety to get over 400 wh/mi in the most efficient S- but it wasn’t all that bad and able to make trips in winter that I could in summer.
Based on much previous winters in a Tesla I’m not at all worried and will not be putting any insulation up. There was a sense of confidence in having a multifunctional sedan that passed by SUVs stuck on the sides of the freeways. Hundreds of car accidents just in MN from each snow storm, but not a scratch on my S. So I feel quite confident being on an X this winter.
What did you use for tires on the Model S in winter? What do you plan to sue for the X?
Last winter, when I drove up to Thunder Bay, I found that just a blanket over my legs worked fine--no jacket required. I like a blanket better than a jacket because it's easier to take off and put on while driving and you can leave it in the car so it's always there. I have an S, but I don't believe this would change in an X or 3.
Let's face it, in addition to any inherent BEV questions, Teslas are California cars - and while there are cold places even there, many of their priorities simply are not in cold-weather issues. For example, hiding cold weather options in a menu many levels inside, or having remote for AC but no remote for window defrosting, or shutting off window defrosting when the driver gets out of the car (to clear the windows of snow)... to the charge port constantly freezing up in a way that is very hard to clear externally... to the folding side mirrors leaving an exposed spot horizontal on their outer corner that is bound to ice up and block the mirror-movement... to the odd fact that Tesla's CPO system is not prepared to handle winter tires for trade-ins at all (completely unheard of IMO)... also my Model X's windshield defroster is a joke, it is the poorest performing one I've seen.
The list, really, is long and it is obvious the people who design the car and its usability really don't drive in winter conditions.
Nothing wrong with being a California car, of course. People's backgrounds show in the products they make. That's normal. Just noting that Tesla's indeed are California cars so many levels.
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Interesting. How do you make sure the blanket does not slide down and get entangled with your feet and possibly interfere with operation of the car?
When not in use it stays in the centre space. The ridges hold it in. Don't know how it would work in cars with a centre console. When in use, it's not wide enough to get entangled.
Out of curiosity: How do you keep it from potentially dropping into the pedals while in use? How do you secure it?
You and I posted at almost the same time
For clarity, the shoulder part of the seat belt can be used to hold the blanket if needed. However that's more about keeping your chest warm than it is about not letting the blanket get as far as your feet. I've never had a problem with that.I would say since they updated the software logic on the HVAC system, the car is completely comfortable down to 0 which happens on a very regular basis around here. If it’s below zero and I know it’s going to be a day where the car will sit outside cold soaking all day, I usually drive my pickup.
This winter I’ve installed a Tesla HPC outside my office so I won’t have the cold soaking problems and won’t have quite the range anxiety if I’m not able to head right home after work.
I’ve also ordered a set of Nokian snow tires, so I’m planning on the MX being my primary winter rig.
So far I haven’t purchased winter tires for my X. I did have Michelin latitude X ice 3 On my model S. Part of the delay is that I am unimpressed by winter tire performance specifiers such as breaking when dry and slush. We had our first significant snowfall, performed admirably better than any gas or no matter where it was designed from.
My X was the only one That could just go, after quickly wiping the rear window . All of the other gassers in the parking lot, some nice cars including a Porsche , waited a bit before they could drive. Everything seems improved from the model S of two years ago. I’ll take this California to sign the car over any other design and built in colder climates. Even tried the falcon wing doors, no snow or water, no creaking or anything it lifted just as gracefully and summer and fall.
My X was the only one That could just go, after quickly wiping the rear window . All of the other gassers in the parking lot, some nice cars including a Porsche , waited a bit before they could drive. Everything seems improved from the model S of two years ago. I’ll take this California to sign the car over any other design and built in colder climates. Even tried the falcon wing doors, no snow or water, no creaking or anything it lifted just as gracefully and summer and fall.
Good for you.
There is no doubt that the BEV drivetrain does offer some inherent benefits in winter-time, such a very steady power-delivery, and no cold start issues with the motor. OTOH, there is the cold battery question, that does limit performance and of course eats faster into the battery power. Pre-heating and pre-cooling are benefits too, though pre-heating of course is available in ICE as well depending on your equipment.This reminds me of another thing on the "California" list that has popped up in recent days:
My Model X doors and windows have already started freezing solid this winter so opening and closing the doors becomes hard as the frameless windows don't bow down. And opening the door is hard because there is no handle and you kind of have to get your fingers under the door's edge and wedge it out, a unique worry with Model X as Model S handles did extend reliably (the handles did not always close when cold, though)...
I've definitely had already more issues with Tesla's frameless windows than with, say, an Audi A5 with frameless windows - though of course frameless windows are more susceptible to this in general than framed ones. In my Model S, during the three winters I had it, I had to push the passenger side door closed manually from the outside during winter-time so that I could push the window downwards enough to fit closed and not stay on top of the chrome trim... on my Model X, where driver's side so far has been acting up, pushing the window inwards does not seem to move it enough, so the door closes with the window stuck on top of the chrome trim (thus partially open). The only remedy so far has been to heat the car and wait, or to bring out the hairdryer, a trick I've learned to use with the charge port door.
The side-mirror folding has to be disabled for the winter, something I've never hard to do on my Germans. The chrome pedestal design simply is more susceptible to freezing up and the exposed paint on the moving edges means pushing it to move it is not really an option either. I've learned some tricks there, but mostly the mirrors simply are more trouble than before.
But clearly the most insane thing is Model S/X shutting down window defrosters when the driver leaves the seat. That's insanity. Anyone living in a cold climate knows the first thing you do when you get to a car is get in, turn on all the blowers at maximum setting and maximum heat to warm the windows and clear out fogging/ice etc... and then you get out of the car and start clearing the windows of external ice and snow, all the while the car is supposed to keep pumping heat on the windows inside. Not because you can't clear the snow and ice otherwise, but because the temperature differences mean you can not see out due to fogging before the windows are warmed by the airflow (of course warming the windows also makes clearing the windows on the outside a bit easier).
No, what Tesla does is turns off the defrosters when the driver steps out. I have never, ever seen any other car that I've owned do that - and nobody who actually operated a car in a cold climate would design it like that.
Obviously the winter package should've included a Stove. Would solve both cold battery range and rear passenger heat.
