Hey Tesla community, I have a quick question about pre-conditioning the battery on my Model Y. Do I need to do it every single time I drive the car, or just in the mornings? And what about on the weekends when I may go out at random times? I want to make sure I'm taking the best care of my battery and getting the most out of it. Any advice or guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Tesla Battery Preconditioning: When, How, and Why You Should Do It
- Thread starter kelkel
- Start date
-
- Tags
- pre-conditioning
(moderator note)
Your newly created thread was merged here. If this thread does not have the discussion you are looking for, you can search for battery preconditioning on this site and find other discussion threads on the topic
Upvote
0
There are two types of preconditioning for a Tesla vehicle.
The first is preconditioning before driving, i.e. before you get into your Tesla vehicle. You can set this preconditioning to happen at a scheduled time, each day or only on weekdays. You can also initiate this preconditioning using the Tesla app by tapping on the fan icon. The Tesla vehicle does not have to be plugged in to use the preconditioning feature.
The most common use for preconditioning is in winter when the Tesla vehicle has been parked over night or during the day and you want to bring the temperature of the passenger cabin to your preferred temperature for comfort. In winter preconditioning will also cause the Tesla vehicle to automatically warm the battery if needed. You can't control when the battery is being warmed as the Tesla vehicle will automatically warm the battery as required. (In warm weather you can precondition the Tesla vehicle for ~4 or 5 minutes so you do not have to enter a hot passenger cabin.)
When the battery is being warmed the Tesla vehicle and the Tesla app will display an orange icon with three vertical squiggle lines that represent a heating grid (or possibly sizzl'n bacon) next to the battery icon. (Wait until next fall and winter; you will definitely see the sizzl'n bacon.) The Tesla vehicle warms the battery when the battery is cold to improve battery performance and for charging. When the battery is cold the Tesla vehicle will display a blue snowflake icon while you drive. Maximum power may be reduced (this is rarely noticeable) and regenerative braking will be limited.
The reduction of the regenerative braking used to be something that Tesla driver's had to deal with in colder temperatures. The current Tesla software includes an option to automatically blend the friction brakes with the regenerative braking when regenerative braking is reduced or unavailable. Enabling this setting results in a consistent level of braking in all temperatures, so there is less time needed to precondition the Tesla vehicle. In winter you may find that you can precondition for less than 10 minutes. (Preconditioning so that the passenger cabin is at the desired temperature could take longer in very low temperatures. There is now also a setting within the Tesla app to defrost the Tesla vehicle. The defrost vehicle button is used when the Tesla vehicle has been parked outside and may be covered in snow and ice.)
The second form of preconditioning is Preconditioning for Supercharging. Preconditioning for Supercharging will warm the battery for optimal Supercharging. You can ensure that Preconditioning for Supercharging will be performed by entering the Supercharger location where you next plan to charge as the destination in the Tesla Navigation system. The Tesla vehicle will automatically begin to warm the battery for Supercharging as you drive to the Supercharger. If needed the Tesla vehicle can also perform Preconditioning for Supercharging while charging at the Supercharger. (Generally while navigating to the Supercharger Preconditioning for Supercharging will initiate when you are 20 or so miles (20 or 30 minutes drive time) from the Supercharger location.) Preconditioning for Supercharging will ensure optimal use of the Supercharger (shorten the time needed to charge to the default Supercharging charge limit (usually this is 80% however you can override this if needed), most efficient charging.)
The first is preconditioning before driving, i.e. before you get into your Tesla vehicle. You can set this preconditioning to happen at a scheduled time, each day or only on weekdays. You can also initiate this preconditioning using the Tesla app by tapping on the fan icon. The Tesla vehicle does not have to be plugged in to use the preconditioning feature.
The most common use for preconditioning is in winter when the Tesla vehicle has been parked over night or during the day and you want to bring the temperature of the passenger cabin to your preferred temperature for comfort. In winter preconditioning will also cause the Tesla vehicle to automatically warm the battery if needed. You can't control when the battery is being warmed as the Tesla vehicle will automatically warm the battery as required. (In warm weather you can precondition the Tesla vehicle for ~4 or 5 minutes so you do not have to enter a hot passenger cabin.)
When the battery is being warmed the Tesla vehicle and the Tesla app will display an orange icon with three vertical squiggle lines that represent a heating grid (or possibly sizzl'n bacon) next to the battery icon. (Wait until next fall and winter; you will definitely see the sizzl'n bacon.) The Tesla vehicle warms the battery when the battery is cold to improve battery performance and for charging. When the battery is cold the Tesla vehicle will display a blue snowflake icon while you drive. Maximum power may be reduced (this is rarely noticeable) and regenerative braking will be limited.
The reduction of the regenerative braking used to be something that Tesla driver's had to deal with in colder temperatures. The current Tesla software includes an option to automatically blend the friction brakes with the regenerative braking when regenerative braking is reduced or unavailable. Enabling this setting results in a consistent level of braking in all temperatures, so there is less time needed to precondition the Tesla vehicle. In winter you may find that you can precondition for less than 10 minutes. (Preconditioning so that the passenger cabin is at the desired temperature could take longer in very low temperatures. There is now also a setting within the Tesla app to defrost the Tesla vehicle. The defrost vehicle button is used when the Tesla vehicle has been parked outside and may be covered in snow and ice.)
The second form of preconditioning is Preconditioning for Supercharging. Preconditioning for Supercharging will warm the battery for optimal Supercharging. You can ensure that Preconditioning for Supercharging will be performed by entering the Supercharger location where you next plan to charge as the destination in the Tesla Navigation system. The Tesla vehicle will automatically begin to warm the battery for Supercharging as you drive to the Supercharger. If needed the Tesla vehicle can also perform Preconditioning for Supercharging while charging at the Supercharger. (Generally while navigating to the Supercharger Preconditioning for Supercharging will initiate when you are 20 or so miles (20 or 30 minutes drive time) from the Supercharger location.) Preconditioning for Supercharging will ensure optimal use of the Supercharger (shorten the time needed to charge to the default Supercharging charge limit (usually this is 80% however you can override this if needed), most efficient charging.)
Upvote
0
Upvote
0
Hi everyone, I have a 2019 M3 that's been sitting for 2 years with a damaged VCFront and 0% battery. I have replaced the VCFront module and the dead electronics are back up but I am unable to reinstall the firmware in service mode as I am getting the "firmware download request failed, precondition required".
Can anyone help with pointers on what to do? The car is on v9.0 software.
Can anyone help with pointers on what to do? The car is on v9.0 software.
Upvote
0
I assume when you state 0% that is for the traction battery? Did you replace the 12V battery? Where you able to charge the traction battery to a level above 50%? When you charge the battery, it will be conditioned for charging if necessary.
Upvote
0
It's the traction battery that is on 0%. I tried with another 12v battery but it's still the same
Upvote
0
I’m by no means an expert, but if I were you, I’d say “cool car” and enjoy it! These things are well built, smart, and relatively maintenance free. They are also drippin’ with sensors. If something is wrong, or if you’ve done something to materially accelerate the batter degradation, it’ll probably tell you “doing ______ will cause the batter degradation to increase, and you’re advised to only use _______ setting when needed.”
Upvote
0
My question is a bit more detailed for us northerners where we have temps below zero and often at -20 degrees F, not windchill, straight up temp.
I get how precondition works and the benefits of doing so when using superchargers. My question is at low temps should we precondition the car prior to charging with level 2 60 amp charger at home? Is it beneficial to the health of the battery?
It feels like it will do preconditioning on its own if needed but I can’t find detailed information on level two charging and how precondition happens or if it’s beneficial.
At superchargers it’s recommended to shorten your charge time. If you don’t the car will on its own which then increases charge time. At home it’s not as big a deal because we charge overnight so time isn’t as big of an issue.
Thanks for any thoughts on this.
Upvote
0
Preconditioning is initiated via the app or if using Scheduled Departure. Preconditioning will warm the passenger cabin (the battery will also be warmed as needed for optimal driving). In cold weather when the Tesla Model Y battery management system is warming the battery for optimal driving a message is displayed along with an orange resistance heating grid symbol displayed next to the battery icon.
When the battery is cold a blue snowflake symbol will be displayed next to the battery icon. You can drive normally when the blue snowflake is being displayed. Regenerative braking will be reduced or even unavailable when the battery is cold. (Tip: Turn on the blended friction braking setting under Pedals & Steering and your Tesla Model Y will slow as expected when you lift your foot from the accelerator pedal even when regenerative braking is reduced.)
Preconditioning for Supercharging warms the battery for optimal Supercharging. The Tesla vehicle will automatically begin to warm the battery for Supercharging when enroute, navigating to a Supercharger using the Tesla Navigation system.
If the battery is too cold, i.e. below 4C then the BMS will warm the battery, as needed, prior to initiating charging. The battery can also be warmed during charging as required. Charging alone does warm the battery some but not as much as you might think. Driving will warm the battery so one strategy would be to plug in and begin charging as soon as you arrive at work or arrive at home. The battery will already be warm from the drive. Just plugging in the Tesla vehicle does not warm the battery. This charging strategy precludes having a time of use rate plan that offers off-peak electricity rates later in the evening or after midnight until perhaps 0600 or 0700 in the a.m.
Last edited:
Upvote
0
E90alex
Active Member
No need for L2 charger and there’s no way to do manually it anyways. Preconditioning for supercharging is purely to provide maximum charging speeds.
L2 charging speeds is not much of a concern and the car will warm the battery with wall power if needed when it’s super cold. It will just warm it enough to accept the L2 charge which is just above freezing, supercharger preconditioning HEATS up the battery.
Upvote
0
That's not something you need to specifically do. It's already built into the logic of the car's charging process to protect itself.
At the -20F temperatures you're talking about, yeah, it won't immediately charge because that would be damaging. So if you tell it to charge, it will start warming up the pack. It will keep warming until it can start to charge slowly, but won't immediately jump to that 60 amps level. It will keep warming, and the current will continue to rise some until it gets up to that point.
There is kind of this continuous curve of the threshold of what temperature the battery is versus how much charging power it will allow to stay below a damaging point. So it will handle itself to raise charging power while warming while staying in that safe zone.
Upvote
0
andaconda
Active Member
It's been 20~35f below here. When I come in from the road and my battery is warm (no blue snowflake) I will put it on the charger. I think its easier on the battery to do so. Usually it will ramp up to 48amps within a few minutes. If I plug it in and the snowflake is on screen, it will start out at about 15 amps and it will take about 20 minutes to reach the 48amp threshold. So I figure it is easier on the system. Just my 2 cents worth. YMMV
Upvote
0
But none of these things is "easier on the battery", because the car won't let itself harm itself. The factor there is just that if you start charging when it's still warm, it's already warm. If you wait until it gets really cold, you've lost that heat, and it will just need to waste extra electricity from your house and more time doing its warm up before it can begin to charge. So it's just an effectiveness or efficiency question. So yes, the plan you are doing is the better thing, but just because it's less wasteful, rather than trying to protect the battery.
Upvote
0
cteomd
Member
I also wondered that if I turn on the preconditioning during very cold days (-20 C) while having the car plugged in is better for the long term health of the battery. I don’t drive the car after that, just turn it off after about 30 min. so it will heat the battery.
The car is always plugged in, usually 110 but sometimes 220 V when I need to top off the battery faster and then switch to 110 during the night.
I have my Model S parked in exterior all the winter so I’m a little bit worried…
The car is always plugged in, usually 110 but sometimes 220 V when I need to top off the battery faster and then switch to 110 during the night.
I have my Model S parked in exterior all the winter so I’m a little bit worried…
Upvote
0
The Tesla Model Y Owner's Manual states "For better long-term performance, avoid exposing Model Y to ambient temperatures above 140° F (60° C) or below -22° F (-30° C) for more than 24 hours at a time." If your Tesla Model Y will be exposed to temperatures colder than -30C for longer periods it would be a good idea to warm the battery, preferably while plugged in, once a day.
While preconditioning is set to be on you can monitor when battery warming is taking place via the Tesla app. The blue snowflake will indicate that the battery is cold. Three orange vertical squiggly lines (symbol for a resistance heat grid) indicate that battery warming is taking place (via waste heat from the motor stators.)
The Tesla Owner's Manual does not state the target temperature for the battery while preconditioning; probably between ~4.5C (40F) and ~10C (50C). The battery pack temperature needs to be at or above ~4.5C (40F) to be able to accept a charge. I don't believe that preconditioning with battery warming active will bring the battery temperature up to 20C (68F) as this would take longer and use more energy. There is no use option to manually turn on the stator heating cycle for the battery, will be handled automatically as required while driving in cold weather, prior to and during charging; also while preconditioning.
When you enter a Supercharger location as the destination in the Tesla Navigation system and begin driving then the Tesla Model Y will initiate stator heating to precondition the battery pack for Supercharging for optimal Supercharging.
Last edited:
Upvote
0
cteomd
Member
Agree for the charging, I also always leave my cars plugged in during the winter.
So that means that if the battery charges, the temp. is high enough anyways (5-10 C as jcanoe said) so the battery won’t “suffer” from the prolonged cold.
I will probably still turn the preconditioning on from time to time, the electricity is cheap in Québec
… and it will melt the ice in the same time!
Upvote
0
