Winter driving proves FSD is a long time away

[jlghertner]

Just drive 190 miles through northern PA up to the shore of Lake Ontario. Conditions: 32-34 degrees. Moderate rain to light snow at night with minimal slush. Battery charged to 297 miles. Cabin heat set at 68 and 69 most of the trip. Battery warmed at supercharger immediately before we left.

observations:
1 factory all seasons tires did fine as they did last winter.
2 front sensors covered with 1/4” of slushy ice, cleaned off twice but lasted for about 10 min before I lost all AP and TACC.
3 limped home with less than one mile left. IE, I lost 100 miles of range traveling at 70 mph for the first 1 hrs and the rest at avg 55 mph. In summer I make the trip with 90 miles to spare.
4 charging is generally much faster at ~500 mph- 120-130 kw. with newer software.
5 on 40.2.1 wipers work much better except still unable to sense mist and is less sensitive after dark.

Conclusions:
FSD will not be of value in the NE at least until the sensors are heated.
Winter driving is a complicated proposition until the computer is able to take everything into account to give more accurate range.

 

[jlghertner]

I failed to mention what should be obvious. We accelerated very slow due to conditions. Also, we stopped twice, once to change drivers and one stop light.

 

[mswlogo]

See tip near bottom at the link below.

Autopilot Sensors Use Rust-Oleum Never Wet

Never tried it myself.

Winter Driving Tips

 

[ewoodrick]

Just drive 190 miles through northern PA up to the shore of Lake Ontario. Conditions: 32-34 degrees. Moderate rain to light snow at night with minimal slush. Battery charged to 297 miles. Cabin heat set at 68 and 69 most of the trip. Battery warmed at supercharger immediately before we left.

observations:
1 factory all seasons tires did fine as they did last winter.
2 front sensors covered with 1/4” of slushy ice, cleaned off twice but lasted for about 10 min before I lost all AP and TACC.
3 limped home with less than one mile left. IE, I lost 100 miles of range traveling at 70 mph for the first 1 hrs and the rest at avg 55 mph. In summer I make the trip with 90 miles to spare.
4 charging is generally much faster at ~500 mph- 120-130 kw. with newer software.
5 on 40.2.1 wipers work much better except still unable to sense mist and is less sensitive after dark.

Conclusions:
FSD will not be of value in the NE at least until the sensors are heated.
Winter driving is a complicated proposition until the computer is able to take everything into account to give more accurate range.

Maybe FSD isn't the blame here. Maybe it is experience with the car.
Winter driving is going to drop 30% of your range. The display on energy page is the correct place to watch current conditions.
70 mph is going to kill your range, especially with slush on the roads and any precipitation. You are above the EPA standards. Slow down. which honestly you should be doing with slush on the roads.

Yep. slush on the sensors can be an issue.

 

[flyhighboi20]

The range issue is just part of cold weather driving along with speed and conditions as others have said. I agree with you that true FSD seems to be a long way off (Elon seems to talk about the no steering wheel like it could be here fairly soon except for the regulators) but I guess that's if you live somewhere that it doesn't snow. AP is unusable where I live in the snow (which is fine as I fully expected that limitation) but it seems it will be a while before we will be able to let the car do the driving in the winter. Looking forward to how they are going to solve this with snow buildup in cameras and snow covered roads.

 

[Manitoba Keith]

I understand the battery loss in cold but the complete loss of cruise control due to ice covered sensors, several cameras blocked and other issues is just stupid. driving almost 1000 miles without cruise - unbelievable in such a high tech vehicle. No problem if vatiable speed control was removed due to the sensors being covered but total loss, WTF?

 

[mswlogo]

I'd be happy as a pig in *sugar* if FSD worked in good weather day or night.

We are a long ways (decades) away from an "Instrument Approach" (what airplanes use when they can't see the runway).

 

[jlghertner]

Never wet, since last post, does nothing to help sensors.

On my instrument approaches I still have to take control of the plane and must be able to see the last few hundred vertical feet. Full self landing is just now coming into general aviation. But that is all GPS not visual and radar sensors like Tesla.

 

[redgt]

I'd be happy as a pig in *sugar* if FSD worked in good weather day or night.

We are a long ways (decades) away from an "Instrument Approach" (what airplanes use when they can't see the runway).

Never wet, since last post, does nothing to help sensors.

On my instrument approaches I still have to take control of the plane and must be able to see the last few hundred vertical feet. Full self landing is just now coming into general aviation. But that is all GPS not visual and radar sensors like Tesla.

You thought you had him schooled and BOOM he's a pilot!

 

[Brexpat]

If they can't even get the wipers to work automatically or solve the random braking issue with cruise control then Autopilot and FSD are just unreliable and often dangerous toys and for the latter shockingly expensive too.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

I understand the battery loss in cold but the complete loss of cruise control due to ice covered sensors, several cameras blocked and other issues is just stupid. driving almost 1000 miles without cruise - unbelievable in such a high tech vehicle. No problem if vatiable speed control was removed due to the sensors being covered but total loss, WTF?

It's been a complaint of people who have to deal with proper weather ever since Tesla implemented TACC.

People who deal with snow deal with weather transitions and plowed roads where dumb cruise fallback would be very useful.

In the Volt, Chevrolet added dumb cruise fallback.

 

[Manitoba Keith]

Never wet, since last post, does nothing to help sensors.

On my instrument approaches I still have to take control of the plane and must be able to see the last few hundred vertical feet. Full self landing is just now coming into general aviation. But that is all GPS not visual and radar sensors like Tesla.

wish it had been posted that the "never wet" didn't work
I just spent $30 in London for a spray bottle.