When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Today was a great day to get an idea of cold-weather efficiency with temperatures staying between -10º and 0º. I managed 1.4 mi/kWh on the 107-mile trip to our old church in Wisconsin this morning, which is a bit better than I expected. My average speed was about 60 MPH for the trip, and the cabin heater was pulling about 7 kW to keep us at a toasty warm 75º for the entire ride. I was surprised at how consistent the efficiency was, which makes range calculations a simple math equation.
The Extended Range battery is 130 kWh. So in these temps, I have a theoretical max of 130 kWh * 1.4 = 182 miles. That's a far cry from the 320 miles of rated range, but it's more than enough for my usual running around. I'm a bit envious of the heat pump in my Model Y that drew about half the power that my Lightning's resistive heater does, but it's got a big enough battery to make it less of a big deal. For comparison, my old standard range Model 3 would only get about 100 miles of range out of a rated 230 in these temperatures.
Apparently there have been some breakthrough advancements regarding heat pumps on display at CES 2024. They may only be associated with the residential market though.
Time will tell if that technology finds its way into thinEV sector.
Apparently there have been some breakthrough advancements regarding heat pumps on display at CES 2024. They may only be associated with the residential market though.
Time will tell if that technology finds its way into thinEV sector.
I'm sure it will. Tesla is the only one I'm aware of that exclusively use heat pumps; the others have resistive heaters to assist when temps get really cold. I was impressed at how well my Model Y did in subzero temperatures. The '24 Lightning is getting a heat pump, so I'd expect a noticeable bump in cold weather efficiency. My mom's EV9 has a heat pump and it takes about 3 kW to stay warm in ~20º weather.
I'm sure it will. Tesla is the only one I'm aware of that exclusively use heat pumps; the others have resistive heaters to assist when temps get really cold. I was impressed at how well my Model Y did in subzero temperatures. The '24 Lightning is getting a heat pump, so I'd expect a noticeable bump in cold weather efficiency. My mom's EV9 has a heat pump and it takes about 3 kW to stay warm in ~20º weather.
All my later model Nissan leafs, about from 2015, had heat pumps and still do. The early version Leafs around yr 2012 had resistive heaters.
How's the Aluminum Doors & locks- latches freezing shut problem been handled by the lightening?
You know when it sits out of doors in single digit nights with a good rain / snow fall.
I can imagine most are in heated garages but?
How's the Aluminum Doors & locks- latches freezing shut problem been handled by the lightening?
You know when it sits out of doors in single digit nights with a good rain / snow fall.
I can imagine most are in heated garages but?
My garage is insulated and rarely freezes, but I've gotten sticky doors after car washes in these cold temps. Nothing you can't push/pull through. I've heard of charging doors getting iced up, but I've never had that problem because of the garage.
My 2015 F150 spent more time outside and never had a problem.
Tom, if the article below does not belong here, feel free to move it to another thread or create a new one.
I saw an article about this last night, but I did not appreciate the overall "tone" and decided to leave it be. This article about the same topic popped up tonight on my news feed.
Headline: What Happened With The 'Stranded Teslas' EV Charging Panic In Chicago
Tom, if the article below does not belong here, feel free to move it to another thread or create a new one.
I saw an article about this last night, but I did not appreciate the overall "tone" and decided to leave it be. This article about the same topic popped up tonight on my news feed.
Headline: What Happened With The 'Stranded Teslas' EV Charging Panic In Chicago
That’s a good article. My dad emailed me a short article from a major outlet that didnt’t have any photos, data, or anything else beyond a couple of quotes from a single operator, and I dismissed it as BS. I’d love to hear what happened to those Supercharger stations, but getting information out of Tesla is about as easy as discovering ice water in Death Valley.
How's the Aluminum Doors & locks- latches freezing shut problem been handled by the lightening?
You know when it sits out of doors in single digit nights with a good rain / snow fall.
I can imagine most are in heated garages but?
Most hinged doors, etc that freeze closed making them difficult or worse to open can be greatly reduced by simply spraying some sort of silicone lubrication onto the door and body seals. This almost eliminates trapped water from freezing to the body when outside temperatures drop below freezing. Keeping the lock cylinders properly lubricated is good maintenance and also greatly reduces instances of frozen components.
Most hinged doors, etc that freeze closed making them difficult or worse to open can be greatly reduced by simply spraying some sort of silicone lubrication onto the door and body seals. This almost eliminates trapped water from freezing to the body when outside temperatures drop below freezing. Keeping the lock cylinders properly lubricated is good maintenance and also greatly reduces instances of frozen components.
Most hinged doors, etc that freeze closed making them difficult or worse to open can be greatly reduced by simply spraying some sort of silicone lubrication onto the door and body seals. This almost eliminates trapped water from freezing to the body when outside temperatures drop below freezing. Keeping the lock cylinders properly lubricated is good maintenance and also greatly reduces instances of frozen components.
In cases of cars like teslas that have a door handle that pops out, if the surface freezes over, is there another way for the owner to unlock the door via a phone app if the owner cannot get to the handle in the first place?
In cases of cars like teslas that have a door handle that pops out, if the surface freezes over, is there another way for the owner to unlock the door via a phone app if the owner cannot get to the handle in the first place?
I'm not at all familiar with the Tesla exterior door handles so cannot really say what to do BUT in most cases where an ice glaze has formed IF you're parked close enough to a 120VAC outlet grab a hair blow dryer or heat gun to GENTLY melt the ice away and go forward with your day.
BTW I am currently using this aerosol product to protect and preseve my rubber/flexible door & body seals:
In cases of cars like teslas that have a door handle that pops out, if the surface freezes over, is there another way for the owner to unlock the door via a phone app if the owner cannot get to the handle in the first place?
I park in a garage, so this wasn’t a common problem for me. Tesla recently updated their software to add a feature to remotely unlatch the door from the phone app. That’s one of the advantages of their electronic latches, but Ford uses the old-fashioned cable.
...
