Is it me or does it seem like Tesla's battery consumption is extremely high on cold start compare to other cars? I know it is because of the battery heater, but is Tesla heating their battery so much quicker than other companies that it causes a noticeable drop in range on short cold start? I recently picked up a Volt for short trips around town (<2 miles at slow speed). The car is using noticeably less energy than the other Tesla power cars I have. I am sure it helps that the Tesla cars are faster and more power, but I am pretty sure it comes down to the battery heating system. What do you guys think?
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Tesla vs. other car's battery management system on cold starts
- Thread starter mattack4000
- Start date
Tam
Well-Known Member
Tesla heats the battery with a dedicated heater if it's below 8 degree Celsius. The car will drive when the battery is cooler but the power it is able to deliver is compromised. Regen is limited as well. If the battery is zero degree Celsius or lower it will not charge. To be able to charge you have to wait for the battery heater to warm up the battery to be above 0 C.
What people always confuse is the ambient temperature and battery temperature. The battery temperature is not shown to the driver. Guessing the battery temperature based on ambient temperature is impossible. In most cases the battery is warmer than ambient. Especially if the car was driven recently.
I collected some data from the battery last winter. Here is my post about it.
Energy consumption for Preheating
What people always confuse is the ambient temperature and battery temperature. The battery temperature is not shown to the driver. Guessing the battery temperature based on ambient temperature is impossible. In most cases the battery is warmer than ambient. Especially if the car was driven recently.
I collected some data from the battery last winter. Here is my post about it.
Energy consumption for Preheating
Uncle Paul
Well-Known Member
Tesla uses an algorithim to determine the most efficient battery condition. If it is more efficient to cool or heat a battery, then that is what it will do. If it is more efficient to just draw from the battery at it's ambient temperature, that is what it will do
Not sure I understand the question. The car decides how much heating power the battery needs. If you mean how I measured it, I used a CAN bus reader called 'Scan my Tesla'. It shows you all kinds of technical data from the car.
