I assume a 120V outlet is better than nothing? Enough to keep the battery at the right temperature?????
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Winter Driving Experiences
- Thread starter kevincwelch
- Start date
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- Tags
- Driving Dynamics Model S
I assume a 120V outlet is better than nothing? Enough to keep the battery at the right temperature?????
Apparently, unlike the roadster, the model s does not keep the pack warm while plugged in. I had my car plugged in while at work and no regen when I left. Hopefully Tesla will add this.
So why bother keeping it plugged in (even 120v) if plugging it in does nothing??? So plugging it in at 120v does nothing to charge the battery? Unless the battery is above freezing? So I cannot charge my battery on 120 v if the OAT is below freezing? Color me terribly confused
So why bother keeping it plugged in (even 120v) if plugging it in does nothing??? So plugging it in at 120v does nothing to charge the battery? Unless the battery is above freezing? So I cannot charge my battery on 120 v if the OAT is below freezing? Color me terribly confused
If it's charging then it will heat the pack as needed. If it's finished charging then it lets the pack get cold. In the same situation the Roadster periodically turns on and warms the pack to keep it above freezing - it will do that as long as it is plugged in.
So the Roadster can use the 120V to keep the pack warm independent of whether it is charging or not. The Model S cannot use the 120V to keep the battery warm unless it is charging. Once the Model S finishes charging, the Model S cannot use the 120V to keep the battery warm. Am I tracking? Is this the story for the MS?
I was able to get up an 1100 ft unplowed driveway at 31*F using stock all season tires, but not without a few 90* spin outs. Finally learned to carefully listen for the faint sound of the motor spinning up all of a sudden. TC was OFF, of course. An RPM noisemaker would make this a whole lot easier climbing thru snow or mud.
[posted on another thread]
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[posted on another thread]
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> Am I tracking? Is this the story for the MS? [montgom626]
No one here or likely anywhere but the inner echelons of TM Engineering can fully understand all this. As a rule it might be best to keep any Tesla plugged in when temps drop below 0*F or -18*C. Then it can heat the battery pack if it wants to.
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No one here or likely anywhere but the inner echelons of TM Engineering can fully understand all this. As a rule it might be best to keep any Tesla plugged in when temps drop below 0*F or -18*C. Then it can heat the battery pack if it wants to.
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Yes, I agree, keep it plugged in. I hope an answer appears from the folks who are driving the new MS. I live in cold cold Wisconsin and this question is a big one. Anyone in other cold climates have any real world experience?
No, you are jumping to conclusions.
It is possible you are correct.
The piece of information we have is that one person reported plugging in their Model S to a 120v plug and had no regenerative braking when they left.
Other than your line of thinking other possibilities are:
Batteries were warmed, but for some other reason there was no regenerative braking available.
The plug wasn't working or the charge was interrupted.
Before coming to any conclusions we need more information. I would test this today if I weren't going to be traveling. Someone could also simply email ownership and ask to see if they know.
Things to record or watch:
State of charge when plugging in.
Successful start to charging as well as status of charging when returning to car.
kWh charged if available.
State of regenerative braking when starting the car.
How quickly does regenerative braking return to normal levels, if it didn't start there.
I've got a good spot to try this out, but have to find a day, or good number of hours when neither my wife nor I are using the Model S. Emailing tesla may be a quicker way.
huntjo
Member
It may keep it above freezing, but doesn't heat it to ideal temperature apparently. Even if I have the HVAC off, the car draws more kWh for several minutes of initial driving when its super cold. I attribute this to heating up the battery pack to ideal temperature for efficiency and more regen ability.
I think "cannot" is incorrect. "Currently does not" is more accurate.
The Roadster didn't warm its pack originally (probably the 1.5's still don't). This was a firmware mod that came almost a year after I got my Roadster. So I have no doubt they can change the Model S behavior as well.
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Likely true. The car probably doesn't bother heating up the pack enough for full regen capability; rather just enough to allow it to accept the level of current it is charging at. Also the pack has a lot of thermal mass; it doesn't fully heat up by the time I get to the office. It looks like I'm not going to see full regen braking for most of the winter, except if I take an extended trip.
TM trades off: 1. lack of regen in cold batt as a loss of potential kwh and an irritant to fussy drivers.
2. kwh required to give you a 'warm' batt whenever you happen to chose to take a drive, so you can enjoy regen.
Since IMHO neither of these is considered earthshaking, I would guess TM agrees and simply goes for the least KWHs expended.
You *can* choose to keep ModelS cabin heated so it will be warm when you drive off. Nice option.
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Nice! Will it use the power from the plug (grid) if plugged in? Or does it take the power from the battery even when plugged and reduce driving range?
William13
Active Member
Wycolo, why was the TC off? The only time in snow to turn off TC that I know of is when trying to rock the car to get unstuck, not continuing for over 10 feet.
We're you trying to have fun or get up the drive?
We're you trying to have fun or get up the drive?
mknox
Well-Known Member
I have found over the years that when plowing through deep snow, you're better off with TC disabled and to just keep the wheels spinning as long as you have forward motion. With TC on in these conditions, the wheels stop spinning and the car can become bogged down.
harry
Member
I believe that the car would have to use the battery pack because of the way the circuitry for the accessories is wired. I don't think any of those systems have direct access to grid power. If that is true then the issue would be how often the car replenishes the pack. Another post (which I can't now locate) indicates that with the current update V4.1 (.29 or31?), the car recharges every 24 hours or so.
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