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https://www.tesla.com/blog/tesla-superowner-arctic-circle https://www.tesla.com/blog/tesla-superowner-arctic-circle The temperature dropped to -40 degrees Cels

https://www.tesla.com/blog/tesla-superowner-arctic-circle https://www.tesla.com/blog/tesla-superowner-arctic-circle The temperature dropped to -40 degrees Celsius. It was so cold that the trains couldn’t operate and the diesel in the buses froze. But the Model S was just fine.

toomuchtodo 8y ago
Money quote: “We found out that it’s a super winter car,” says Jens. “It’s so fantastic. It’s much easier and better than an ordinary car.” He likes that you can heat the Model S remotely via an app, so that there’s no ice or snow on the car when you’re ready to drive it. He also says the winter range is almost the same as the summer range. In December, he and Røsnes took the Model S to an ice hotel in Sweden, 200km from Narvik. The temperature dropped to -40 degrees Celsius. It was so cold that the trains couldn’t operate and the diesel in the buses froze. But the Model S was just fine."
- newnewpdro 8y ago
  In an old book about the development of the Prudhoe Bay Oil Field in Alaska, it was called Alaska Crude if memory serves, they described having to burn fires beneath the oil pans of their trucks to unseize the moving parts because the oil had frozen solid. EVs seem obviously superior in this department, at least when it comes to cold enough temperatures to freeze engine oil.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
  - Zenst 8y ago
    Yes, I've seen Ice Road Truckers - scary job. Also that environment would be the true test of any EV truck. Which is an area far more in its infancy compared to cars.
  - tonyarkles 8y ago
    Charcoal briquettes in a roaster pan can be useful there too, if you're ever in that situation. You get the radiative warmth without the flame (once it's burned down).
- prolepunk 8y ago
  Gasoline cars have an optional engine block heaters, which not even an expensive option that heats up engine block and oil making the car nice and toasty as soon as heater inside the car is turned on. Engine block heater is usually connected to a timer with an alarm, that turns out about 40 minutes before you need to leave. Tesla is a nice car, but its not like this kind of technology hasn't been used before, especially in a country with a cold climate.
- gnicholas 8y ago
  > He also says the winter range is almost the same as the summer range. That's really interesting, and I'd be curious to know if others share this experience. I have a plug-in hybrid (Ford CMAX) and live in the Bay Area, which has very mild winters. But even here, the range drops substantially when the temperature is "cold" (below 40° F). Then you turn on the heat, and the range drops even further. My typical experience is that the range is about -30% if it's under 40° outside, and turning on the heat knocks off another 25%. Things may be very different in a Tesla (which obviously has a much larger battery), but presumably the same rules of physics apply?
  - seanmcdirmid 8y ago
    They might be doing more insulation with their battery, they might even be keeping it warm via some tech ford doesn’t have access to.
    - toomuchtodo 8y ago
      Tesla uses a liquid coolant and active thermal management for battery conditioning. Model S and X have a dedicated battery heater, the Model 3 uses the motor and power inverter to warm the battery.
      - seanmcdirmid 8y ago
        So would the model 3 be a lot more effected by cold than the S?
        deleted 8y ago
        [deleted]
        toomuchtodo 8y ago
        Anecdotally only (I don't have data), it appears so from Model 3 owner complaints on Tesla Forums and Reddit (it could be selection bias; Model 3 owners are more likely in my opinion to park outside or on the street than a Model S or X owner who will garage the vehicle). A recent software update attempts to mitigate the issue, but there's only so much physics you can solve with software (similar to how Tesla cheaped out on a ~$15 rain sensor and tried to use machine vision to handle automatic wipers, and it still doesn't work well). https://forums.tesla.com/forum/forums/model-3-lr-awd-does-not-warm-battery https://forums.tesla.com/forum/forums/model-3-lr-awd-does-no...
- superkuh 8y ago
  I think he is either lying or not remembering correctly. Regenerative braking is severely impacted in winter. BUt maybe he drives mostly long distances on highways rather than in towns.
  - toomuchtodo 8y ago
    Only if you've allowed the battery to cold soak. Once warmed up, regenerative braking operates as expected (or if you plugged in overnight). Point to ICE vehicles in this regard, but only because they waste so much energy to heat. Need to Supercharge/Fast DC charge? Do so before you park for the night while the powertrain is still warm, not in the morning.
navigatesol 8y ago
>It was so cold that the trains couldn’t operate and the diesel in the buses froze. But the Model S was just fine. This doesn't seem to align with real world results from the Tesla forums, subreddit, and Twitter. Lots of complaints about reduced range and slow charging during the recent cold snap. Whats the point of pretending that battery performance doesn't suffer in cold temperatures? Is this really up for debate with current tech?

toomuchtodo 8y ago

Money quote: “We found out that it’s a super winter car,” says Jens. “It’s so fantastic. It’s much easier and better than an ordinary car.” He likes that you can heat the Model S remotely via an app, so that there’s no ice or snow on the car when you’re ready to drive it. He also says the winter range is almost the same as the summer range. In December, he and Røsnes took the Model S to an ice hotel in Sweden, 200km from Narvik. The temperature dropped to -40 degrees Celsius. It was so cold that the trains couldn’t operate and the diesel in the buses froze. But the Model S was just fine."

newnewpdro 8y ago
In an old book about the development of the Prudhoe Bay Oil Field in Alaska, it was called Alaska Crude if memory serves, they described having to burn fires beneath the oil pans of their trucks to unseize the moving parts because the oil had frozen solid. EVs seem obviously superior in this department, at least when it comes to cold enough temperatures to freeze engine oil.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- Zenst 8y ago
  Yes, I've seen Ice Road Truckers - scary job. Also that environment would be the true test of any EV truck. Which is an area far more in its infancy compared to cars.
- tonyarkles 8y ago
  Charcoal briquettes in a roaster pan can be useful there too, if you're ever in that situation. You get the radiative warmth without the flame (once it's burned down).
prolepunk 8y ago
Gasoline cars have an optional engine block heaters, which not even an expensive option that heats up engine block and oil making the car nice and toasty as soon as heater inside the car is turned on. Engine block heater is usually connected to a timer with an alarm, that turns out about 40 minutes before you need to leave. Tesla is a nice car, but its not like this kind of technology hasn't been used before, especially in a country with a cold climate.
gnicholas 8y ago
> He also says the winter range is almost the same as the summer range. That's really interesting, and I'd be curious to know if others share this experience. I have a plug-in hybrid (Ford CMAX) and live in the Bay Area, which has very mild winters. But even here, the range drops substantially when the temperature is "cold" (below 40° F). Then you turn on the heat, and the range drops even further. My typical experience is that the range is about -30% if it's under 40° outside, and turning on the heat knocks off another 25%. Things may be very different in a Tesla (which obviously has a much larger battery), but presumably the same rules of physics apply?
- seanmcdirmid 8y ago
  They might be doing more insulation with their battery, they might even be keeping it warm via some tech ford doesn’t have access to.
  - toomuchtodo 8y ago
    Tesla uses a liquid coolant and active thermal management for battery conditioning. Model S and X have a dedicated battery heater, the Model 3 uses the motor and power inverter to warm the battery.
    - seanmcdirmid 8y ago
      So would the model 3 be a lot more effected by cold than the S?
      - deleted 8y ago
        [deleted]
      - toomuchtodo 8y ago
        Anecdotally only (I don't have data), it appears so from Model 3 owner complaints on Tesla Forums and Reddit (it could be selection bias; Model 3 owners are more likely in my opinion to park outside or on the street than a Model S or X owner who will garage the vehicle). A recent software update attempts to mitigate the issue, but there's only so much physics you can solve with software (similar to how Tesla cheaped out on a ~$15 rain sensor and tried to use machine vision to handle automatic wipers, and it still doesn't work well). https://forums.tesla.com/forum/forums/model-3-lr-awd-does-not-warm-battery https://forums.tesla.com/forum/forums/model-3-lr-awd-does-no...
superkuh 8y ago
I think he is either lying or not remembering correctly. Regenerative braking is severely impacted in winter. BUt maybe he drives mostly long distances on highways rather than in towns.
- toomuchtodo 8y ago
  Only if you've allowed the battery to cold soak. Once warmed up, regenerative braking operates as expected (or if you plugged in overnight). Point to ICE vehicles in this regard, but only because they waste so much energy to heat. Need to Supercharge/Fast DC charge? Do so before you park for the night while the powertrain is still warm, not in the morning.

navigatesol 8y ago

>It was so cold that the trains couldn’t operate and the diesel in the buses froze. But the Model S was just fine. This doesn't seem to align with real world results from the Tesla forums, subreddit, and Twitter. Lots of complaints about reduced range and slow charging during the recent cold snap. Whats the point of pretending that battery performance doesn't suffer in cold temperatures? Is this really up for debate with current tech?