Now that cold weather is surging forth, how about some Tesla Model 3 winter driving advice?
YouTuber and Tesla Model 3 owner Mother Frunker has taken advantage of the trend concerning dealing with Tesla vehicles (and all EVs really) in frigid weather. He has released this new video to help EV owners deal with braving winter in an electric vehicle.
All cars suffer from cold temperatures in one way of another. The story goes that EVs suffer even more, mostly due to a loss of range, which is a huge deal when it comes to getting people to buy in to electric vehicles. Owners have also voiced concerns over limited regenerative braking and low tire pressure. While this is all true, and we can’t hide it, there are plenty of steps you can take to curtail the issues, at least to some extent.
The most important takeaway is that the battery must be warm for the EV to function properly. It will not have solid range or great regen when it’s cold. Fortunately, most electric cars offer preheating. Also, you can go on the vehicle’s app and crank up the heat to the cabin, which will work to provide extra heat throughout the car. Mother Frunker also suggests adjusting your charging schedule. Rather than setting the car to charge as soon as you return home for the night (which means it may be done charging hours before you depart the next morning), set it for like 2 or 3 AM, so it’s still just wrapping up the charging cycle and the battery is still warm when you hit the road the next day.
What are your thoughts. Please, let us know in the comment section below.
Video Description via Mother Frunker on YouTube:
Tesla Model 3: Cold Weather Driving Tips & Tricks
I have seen many questions about limited regen online. When your battery is cold, you will get an indicator about limited Regen. Additionally, you will get dots. As you drive, the battery warms up and those dots will go away.
The other question is how much range is lost during cold weather/winter. Your car is trying to heat the cabin, warm the battery. That energy is coming from the battery. Which means you will have a range deduction of 10-30%. Also keep in mind, the range decrease is not always displayed on the screen. So keep that in mind. Give yourself buffer.
You will lose pressure in your tires. If your don’t switch your tires to Winter tires, then add more air to the tire.
With your car plugged in, before you leave, go on your phone and turn the heat up on full blast. This will Heat the battery, warm the cabin and defrost your windows.
Change your charging schedule. I charge from 7pm to 7am. You could change it later, like 3am. This way your battery will be warm come the morning. I am working on a Tasker video that automates this process based on your charge level. Keep in mind that a cold battery doesn’t charge as fast.
Did you enjoy this information video? Or would you prefer autopilot footage in the background as I talk? Let me know. Hopefully this helps and answer some of the questions.
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