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What's the lowest charge level you've had?
- Thread starter McFlurri
- Start date
Infiniti Pi
Member
jackbowers
Jack Bowers
Minus 7 miles (though at the time the display just showed zero or charge now). The trick when you are driving near or beyond zero miles of range is to keep the load on the battery light by reducing your speed, going light on the throttle, and maximizing regen. That way you push the "shutdown threshold" as far out as possible. Once it gets tripped, you're coasting and the 12V battery is running the power steering, brakes, electronics, display and other safety features - and there is no option to bring things back with regen (in fact there is no regen). At that point, if you can't coast to a charger, your best bet is to try and end up where you are not blocking traffic and within extension-cord reach of a 120V outlet (with a 10-gauge cord you can go at least 100').
First long trip in our X was to San Diego about a week after taking delivery in January 2017, and I knew we would be running around quite a bit and looked up "San Diego Supercharger" on the navigation and found it was about 5 miles from where we were going to be, so no problem. Wrong! That destination was for company that installs ICE superchargers. I was now about 20 miles from the "real" SC and only about 10 miles in the tank. I arrived at the SC with -2% and had been running on 0 miles for at least 15 before getting there. Suffice to say I pulled some hair out that day and conversation with my wife was far from cordial. I later learned how to correctly find Tesla superchargers on the MCU. That mistake never happened again and the battery is doing just fine after 70K miles!
Recently got caught out when working nights in an unfamiliar place. I left the parking lot at 4am in minus zero deg C with 21 miles range showing and 14 miles to the nearest SC. Drove gently with no climate on, I could hardly see through the frosty screen. 5 miles away from the SC it was already down to 1 mile range. Really thought I wasn’t going to make it. My relief on arrival at the SC location turned to horror when I realised the nav had it wrong and it was a 3 mile detour back the way I’d just come! Did get there however, but not my most enjoyable trip!
My unintentional record was 0%/zero miles very shortly after purchasing my Model 3 Performance. I took a 180 mile trip with three co-workers. About thirty miles from the destination the range started to drop fast -later I learned it was because the temperature was dropping fast too. We were in the middle of nowhere and the car started to warn me to slow down or I would not reach my destination (Durham, NC). I slowed down from ~65mph to about 50mph. Then it gave me a warning I hope to never see again: something along the lines of "you will not reach your destination, you need to drive to Burlington" (about twenty miles in the other direction). I reluctantly trusted the car but before I could get to Burlington the car's top speed (not the recommended top speed but the actual top speed) had dropped to ~35 mph. By the time I got within visual distance of the supercharger station some other red light/alarm was in my face. Of course my passengers (first time in an EV for all of them) were simultaneously mocking me and getting worried we were going to end having to get towed.
When I pulled into the supercharger stall I was at zero %.
When I pulled into the supercharger stall I was at zero %.
Cool-Man
Member
About 5%. My Model Y is less than 3 months old and on my first road trip, I'd chosen a couple SuperChargers to use. The car however asked me to stop at an earlier one, so I did that. Unfortunately it didn't add another stop in between.
It estimated about 19% SoC arrival, and I figured that would be good. But highway speeds, cold weather and very high winds at up most of that. The final half hour or so I slowed down a bit, pulled my cell phone off the wireless charger, and ignored passenger complaints about the rear climate. Bit of a white-knuckle experience through barren rural Wyoming. I had my tow cord just in case I ended up begging for a tow charge though.
Good way to break in a new Tesla driver!
It estimated about 19% SoC arrival, and I figured that would be good. But highway speeds, cold weather and very high winds at up most of that. The final half hour or so I slowed down a bit, pulled my cell phone off the wireless charger, and ignored passenger complaints about the rear climate. Bit of a white-knuckle experience through barren rural Wyoming. I had my tow cord just in case I ended up begging for a tow charge though.
Good way to break in a new Tesla driver!
I've been at and below 2% three times. Trip starting at 16% to a supercharger 40ish miles away and ending at 2% was the most stressful because there simply isn't the time to adjust speed or climate control to make much of a difference. Second worst trip was driving into a 20*F snowstorm, because the speed/HVAC adjustments weren't making a sustainable impact. It's one of the few times I've had to drive under 60mph for an extended period to reach a highway destination. Otherwise I've always been able to manage my trip "end" charge well.
To the newer Tesla drivers, don't be afraid of the bottom 10% and learn how to use and trust your Trip/Energy trends. They'll give you the information to forecast whether you'll have trouble long before getting the "Tesla Warning" to stay below a speed.
To the newer Tesla drivers, don't be afraid of the bottom 10% and learn how to use and trust your Trip/Energy trends. They'll give you the information to forecast whether you'll have trouble long before getting the "Tesla Warning" to stay below a speed.
My closest was 1%. Had to navigate around Egypt to find the charger!
(photo was before it dropped further)
(photo was before it dropped further)
Black306
Active Member
Might be an oddity. I think the lowest I've ever been is ~30%. That was on a long drive and stopping at Superchargers regularly. Normally the car only gets down to ~70% (from 75%). I did set the charger to 50% for a little bit which got the car to ~45% after use, but I did that for a very short period; didn't like how the car performed at ~50%. :shrug:
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