Super cold out -> climate keeper question

[Cybr.Myk]

Good morning all…

When it’s ultra cold -30 degrees my car seems to burn through about 10% of the battery extremely quickly (I assume this is normal as it gets the battery pack and cabin up to comfortable operating temps).

I’m wondering if, when it is this cold, if I am running into the gym or somewhere for an hour or so…if it is more efficient to just leave climate keep turned on instead of letting the battery get cold soaked.

 

[XPsionic]

Doubtful, when it's that cold, the car will run the heat pump/heater to keep the batteries warm, it will not allow the batteries to cold soak to -30c, if you route some of the heat to the cabin where the heat will quickly dissipate into the surroundings (windows are terrible insulators), you'll end up using more of the battery's energy.

If you're talking about efficiency as in total kwh used vs km driven, I don't see how heating the cabin while you're away for an hour will ever be more efficient.

 

[afadeev]

Good morning all…

When it’s ultra cold -30 degrees my car seems to burn through about 10% of the battery extremely quickly (I assume this is normal as it gets the battery pack and cabin up to comfortable operating temps).

If you live some place where it's THAT cold out, I would hope you can park your car indoors and keep it warm before you venture out.
If not, at least keep it plugged into 240V outlet, and pre-condition the interior and the battery before you depart.

As you had found out, the EV will use whatever amount of battery that is required to warm-up and preserve the batteries. That is in addition to the extra draws of current for the heater.

I’m wondering if, when it is this cold, if I am running into the gym or somewhere for an hour or so…if it is more efficient to just leave climate keep turned on instead of letting the battery get cold soaked.

Warming the interior does little to keep the battery within its operating temp range. Warming the interior while you are not in it is a waste of energy.

HTH,
a

 

[Scelto]

The interior warns up surprisingly quickly.

For stops like that I just schedule the departure time - which is per location - or try to remember to start climate about 15 minutes before I leave.

The caveat there is that it hasn't YET been that cold here since I've owned the car, but I reckon it will still be better to warm on demand than to have it trying to keep the poorly insulated cabin warm for an hour, especially since for some reason Tesla decided that 60 is a reasonable lower limit for the HVAC

 

[EVJAutoJunkie]

I've seen better battery efficiency in the cold with the most recent firmware updates. At least according to my efficiency chart on Teslafi. It backs up the claim on the release notes for the latest updates.

 

[coleAK]

Im In Alaska. In my experience in 7winters with a Tesla (4th with the 3). At those temps you are looking at at least ~500 wh/mi average (half range). Short trips 700-800 wh/mi are common. Be prepared to use a ton of electrons.

 

[Biscuitman]

Up at my chalet and charging on 110 overnight.It is -25 this morning and the battery stayed at 74kms range despite having been plugged in overnight.
Sentry is not on.Is this just due to the extreme cold or can I expect it to go up during the day. If not I will be staying here

 

[zef3215]

Up at my chalet and charging on 110 overnight.It is -25 this morning and the battery stayed at 74kms range despite having been plugged in overnight.
Sentry is not on.Is this just due to the extreme cold or can I expect it to go up during the day. If not I will be staying here

Charging at 110v domestic socket is slow by default, 1,2-1,4 kW. In your case it depends a bit of how warm/cold the battery was before you plug the car. In cold climate with cold battery, Tesla will “fire” the stators to warm up the battery quick and that takes about 3,5 kW per stator for something like 15-45 minutes. So, I suspect in your case, the car was initially using energy from the battery to warm it up (because the “charger” only deliver let’s say 1,4kW) and when the active battery heating stopped, the energy from the charger starts to go in the battery. I think now you should start to notice the range slightly going up but it will be a long way for you there. Best you can do is to park the car in a warmer garage while charging from domestic so you get enough energy in the battery to reach a more powerful charger - at least 11kW). Good luck!

 

[Biscuitman]

Thank for the great advice!