Winter Driving Recommendations (Range Specific)

[Nietschy]

I had a co-worker in Boulder Colorado who wore a T-shirt and shorts all year: not for me!

I am one of those. If its warmer than 0°C i walk in T-Shirt and jeans. but i like driving in 22°C

 

[jerry33]

I am one of those. If its warmer than 0°C i walk in T-Shirt and jeans. but i like driving in 22°C

Colorado cold isn't like Toronto cold. I recall that when I lived in Colorado I slept with the window open in winter.

 

[ColdRauv]

Bighorn: Lets show em what cold is tonight.

 

[David29]

Here are some of the tips that I use for long winter trips:

...
4) Enable Range Mode, which limits power to heat and A/C (and uses dual motor drive more efficiently).
...

GSP

I am surprised that you say that. Having range mode on prevents preheating the battery. So I leave Range Mode off and that allows me to preheat battery and cabin when plugged in. Plus I rarely drive so far that I would be concerned about running out of range.
So especially for drivers new to Tesla, I think I'd avoid Range Mode until and unless you really need to save charge for a long trip.

 

[David29]

Make sure the louvers are not turned all the way (which will block all the air). Other than that mine seem to be fine so you might want to contact the Service Centre to have them check it out.

You can influence where the air goes by using the Climate button on the center screen. You can choose to have the air go up, down, straight out, or any combination that works best for your needs. In heating season, be aware that when the air flow is on to the floor vent, there are also floor vents under each seat, helping to move air into the rear seating area. When the cabin is warmed up, the fan speed drops pretty low, so it may be difficult to feel the air from either the console rear vents or from the floor. It might even be hard to feel it above your knee in the driver's seat. If in doubt, crank up the fan speed manually and you will feel it.

I found that my feet can get chilly on long drives in cold weather. i think the automatic setting doesn't always put enough air towards the floor when the cabin reaches a steady state. So I manually crank up the fan speed and make sure air is directed to the floor, at least periodically, to keep my tootsies warm enough....In other cars I have had, heating air was always directed mainly to the floor, not out the dash vents.

 

[jerry33]

I found that my feet can get chilly on long drives in cold weather. i think the automatic setting doesn't always put enough air towards the floor when the cabin reaches a steady state. So I manually crank up the fan speed and make sure air is directed to the floor, at least periodically, to keep my tootsies warm enough....In other cars I have had, heating air was always directed mainly to the floor, not out the dash vents.

Me too. I just do what I do in other cars--keep a blanket to throw over my legs. Much more convenient than a coat because you can shift it easily. The console-less centre makes a perfect place for it when not in use.

 

[GSP]

@David29,

Good point about needeing to turn range mode off when charging. Tesla needs to do this automatically in a future software update.

In the meantime, I leave range mode off all of the time unless I need to travel a long way on a single charge. Same goes for all the other tips to maximize range, don't bother for driving around town, when they not needed.

GSP

 

[dgpcolorado]

Colorado cold isn't like Toronto cold. I recall that when I lived in Colorado I slept with the window open in winter.

Well, the high was 17ºF yesterday and the low was -2ºF last night so windows-open season ended long ago for me; you must be acclimated to much more cold than I am. But, no, -2ºF (-19ºC) probably isn't very cold by Toronto standards. And the fifteen inches of snow a couple of days ago likely isn't much compared to Canada (or northern USA) but it took me nine hours of shoveling to clear my long driveway.

 

[jerry33]

Well, the high was 17ºF yesterday and the low was -2ºF last night so windows-open season ended long ago for me; you must be acclimated to much more cold than I am.

I was much younger then too

 

[WannabeOwner]

I found that my feet can get chilly on long drives in cold weather. i think the automatic setting doesn't always put enough air towards the floor when the cabin reaches a steady state. So I manually crank up the fan speed and make sure air is directed to the floor, at least periodically, to keep my tootsies warm enough....In other cars I have had, heating air was always directed mainly to the floor, not out the dash vents.

I need to try this, thanks. We have a love/hate relationship with the heater. We drive for an hour or so perfectly comfortable (outside temperature "somewhat cold" but, let's assume, consistent), and then all of a sudden we get cold feet. My hunch is that cold air is being introduced because the temperature sensor has gone 1 degree over the set temperature.

We have been resorting to cranking up the cabin temperature (easy to do from central screen of course ...) rather than increasing fan speed. (We have the Climate set to feet-only the majority of the time).

Looking forward to seeing if faster fan speed suits us better

 

[jerry33]

I need to try this, thanks. We have a love/hate relationship with the heater. We drive for an hour or so perfectly comfortable (outside temperature "somewhat cold" but, let's assume, consistent), and then all of a sudden we get cold feet. My hunch is that cold air is being introduced because the temperature sensor has gone 1 degree over the set temperature.

We have been resorting to cranking up the cabin temperature (easy to do from central screen of course ...) rather than increasing fan speed. (We have the Climate set to feet-only the majority of the time).

Looking forward to seeing if faster fan speed suits us better

The easiest way is to have a blanket to put over your legs. If you don't have a centre console, a blanket fits perfectly. Also it's much easier to adjust than a coat as you get warmer or colder. I learned this trick in the Land Rover where there was almost no heat and the fan would actually stop in a crosswind.

 

[WannabeOwner]

In a Land Rover I too would use a blanket ... in a 100K Luxury Sedan I don't think I should need to!

"Car" magazine over here used to (maybe still does) have a section at the back listing all current makes and models titled "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly".

Of the Land Rover (Spartan) it said:

Pros: It can winch itself up the side of the Aswan dam

Cons: It can winch itself up the side of the Aswan dam

 

[svp6]

This is my third Minnesota winter with Tesla. Here is what I think:
1. Keep the temperature at whatever level you feel comfortable with. I keep it on 72-75F, depending on how cold is outside (when very cold, the large cold glass surfaces make me need more heat to feel OK).
2. Understand what limitations you have in range by using the temp you like - i.e., do not expect maximum range when using comfortable settings. I accept this limitation with current battery size, and I agree what was said about not needing to dress up for North Pole when driving a 100k+ sedan.
3. Range mode off while on short trips - never had problems with feet getting cold or anything like that. At same time, I had briefly a "last 30mile average use" over 1000 Wh/mile. Does not matter as long as you charge every evening.
4. Range mode on for long trips, but increase the fan speed to whatever needed to keep the cabin warm. I find that my 72F is not enough on most trips if I use the auto setting (which typically has the fan on 3-4; crank it up to 6-7).
5. When range is an issue, it is far more efficient to reduce the speed than decrease the cabin temperature. I find that a small drop is making a huge difference - 75 to 70 or 65 mph; if really in a bad spot, even lower.
6. Instead of searching for gloves, hat and blanket I look for where is the next supercharger, and make sure I have enough juice to get me there comfortably
Enjoy your Tesla!