5 ms·

> The extended range is nice and all, but if somebody makes a car that can run the AC without running/draining the battery while it's parked, even if it's just

> The extended range is nice and all, but if somebody makes a car that can run the AC without running/draining the battery while it's parked, even if it's just a little to keep the car interior at 35°C or so, I would, without exaggeration, buy it the day it's released here. Tesla's dog mode does this. Draining the battery isn't really something to worry about; AC uses <300 watts over long periods (turns on and off at <1 kW). Leaving it on for 8+ hours you're talking about <5% capacity loss, at a cost of <50 cents. For short trips you could leave the AC on full blast without even noticing a drop.

temporaryvector 7y ago
I'm not sure how true that would be in extremely hot weather, but it is probably the only reason I'm considering a Tesla if it ever comes to my city, my commute is really short so even if it cut 200 miles off the range it'd be worth it for me. Having a car with remote start alleviates the problem a little bit, but I'd rather not run an ICE engine while I'm not in the car for obvious reasons.
- hwillis 7y ago
  Even on constant full blast with the smallest battery Tesla sells, it's only gonna use ~2-3% per hour. Over 8 hours that would be 44 miles off the 220 mile range. > but it is probably the only reason I'm considering a Tesla if it ever comes to my city Hmm, Telsa should be pretty reachable. Perth and El Paso look like some of the only neglected hot cities.
  - temporaryvector 7y ago
    I don't live in the US, as far as I'm aware there's only one Tesla store in my country and it's nowhere near me.
    - hwillis 7y ago
      I figured- Perth is in Australia. If you're in Mexico you're pretty screwed, as is... South America, Africa, and most of Asia. You can check the map if you like! https://www.tesla.com/findus?v=2&bounds=67.51085725091038%2C-33.63623082835784%2C-15.19361167862115%2C-144.99365270335784&zoom=4&filters=store https://www.tesla.com/findus?v=2&bounds=67.51085725091038%2C...
      - temporaryvector 7y ago
        Mexico. I'm actually surprised there's one charging point in my city. I'd expect there to be none. I'm pretty hopeful that we'll either get Tesla in a couple of years or other manufacturers will come out with something.
    - IanCal 7y ago
      It seems that they deliver, if I'm reading the pages right. Not sure what being further away means for servicing though.
- cortesoft 7y ago
  What do you mean by 'if it ever comes to my city'?
  - BurningFrog 7y ago
    Yeah, can't you drive Teslas anywhere?
    - taneq 7y ago
      Sure, I mean they float, right?
    - austhrow743 7y ago
      I wouldn't want to own a car that can't be repaired locally.
- Zenst 7y ago
  Wouldn't chucking a bucket of water over the car with the evaporation help cool the car down quicker initially? Along with least reducing the amount of time needed to run idle for cooling. Though this would depend upon the humidity, would not work in high humidity and equally work better in low humidity.
  - BurningFrog 7y ago
    Sure, but for that to work you have to carry around buckets of water.
    - Zenst 7y ago
      Not in the morning when you're at home.
p1mrx 7y ago
It looks like the Hyundai Kona EV has a Utility Mode that works similarly (the headlights are off, the vehicle is locked in park, and you can run the AC indefinitely.) However, based on this thread, utility mode requires the key fob, so someone could just break a window and steal the car. I wish manufacturers other than Tesla would think about these use cases: https://www.insideevsforum.com/community/index.php?threads/utility-mode-and-dog-owners-great-tip.5446/ https://www.insideevsforum.com/community/index.php?threads/u...
- timothyb89 7y ago
  It was mentioned later in that thread, but the Kona EV also lets you control the AC remotely via its mobile app without leaving the keys in the car. I don't know if it'll run indefinitely, though; my old Chevy Volt would turn off remotely started climate control after 15 minutes or so, and I haven't tried in the Kona yet. That said, even if it is time-limited, 15 minutes is usually enough to cool down the car without leaving the AC on all day.
  - p1mrx 7y ago
    Any time limit defeats the point. An electric car isn't just a car without gas, it's a climate-controlled room you can put anywhere. As global temperatures rise, there are places becoming increasingly uncomfortable to live in. There may be cases where it's cheaper to wait out the hottest days in your car, instead of retrofitting a cooling system onto a building.
cortesoft 7y ago
You can also just turn on the AC from your phone 10 minutes before you leave. Or, have it learn your schedule so it prepares your car for you before you go.
- gbrown 7y ago
  In hot climates, even when the air temperature returns to tolerable levels, radiant heat from the various surfaces is no joke.
todd8 7y ago
This definitely makes Teslas more attractive to me. About half the homes on my (short) street have Teslas. I didn't know how little hot weather affected the battery usage. I had mistakenly assumed that A/C would have a greater negative impact on range.
- marvin 7y ago
  It will on an older Leaf with a smaller battery. In Norway, you might be forced to turn of the heating in winter if traffic gets bad. But with double-digit kWh of battery capacity as a normally-unuser buffer, it won’t be much of a worry, if at all.
steelframe 7y ago
> Tesla's dog mode does this. Dog mode is the main thing keeping me from trading in my Tesla for something else.
adrianN 7y ago
It helps that a Tesla battery can basically power a house for several days.
m463 7y ago
Tesla also has the milder "Cabin Overheat Protection" that can be turned on in settigns to keep the car interior from going over about 100 degrees fahrenheit.

temporaryvector 7y ago

I'm not sure how true that would be in extremely hot weather, but it is probably the only reason I'm considering a Tesla if it ever comes to my city, my commute is really short so even if it cut 200 miles off the range it'd be worth it for me. Having a car with remote start alleviates the problem a little bit, but I'd rather not run an ICE engine while I'm not in the car for obvious reasons.

hwillis 7y ago
Even on constant full blast with the smallest battery Tesla sells, it's only gonna use ~2-3% per hour. Over 8 hours that would be 44 miles off the 220 mile range. > but it is probably the only reason I'm considering a Tesla if it ever comes to my city Hmm, Telsa should be pretty reachable. Perth and El Paso look like some of the only neglected hot cities.
- temporaryvector 7y ago
  I don't live in the US, as far as I'm aware there's only one Tesla store in my country and it's nowhere near me.
  - hwillis 7y ago
    I figured- Perth is in Australia. If you're in Mexico you're pretty screwed, as is... South America, Africa, and most of Asia. You can check the map if you like! https://www.tesla.com/findus?v=2&bounds=67.51085725091038%2C-33.63623082835784%2C-15.19361167862115%2C-144.99365270335784&zoom=4&filters=store https://www.tesla.com/findus?v=2&bounds=67.51085725091038%2C...
    - temporaryvector 7y ago
      Mexico. I'm actually surprised there's one charging point in my city. I'd expect there to be none. I'm pretty hopeful that we'll either get Tesla in a couple of years or other manufacturers will come out with something.
  - IanCal 7y ago
    It seems that they deliver, if I'm reading the pages right. Not sure what being further away means for servicing though.
cortesoft 7y ago
What do you mean by 'if it ever comes to my city'?
- BurningFrog 7y ago
  Yeah, can't you drive Teslas anywhere?
  - taneq 7y ago
    Sure, I mean they float, right?
  - austhrow743 7y ago
    I wouldn't want to own a car that can't be repaired locally.
Zenst 7y ago
Wouldn't chucking a bucket of water over the car with the evaporation help cool the car down quicker initially? Along with least reducing the amount of time needed to run idle for cooling. Though this would depend upon the humidity, would not work in high humidity and equally work better in low humidity.
- BurningFrog 7y ago
  Sure, but for that to work you have to carry around buckets of water.
  - Zenst 7y ago
    Not in the morning when you're at home.

p1mrx 7y ago

It looks like the Hyundai Kona EV has a Utility Mode that works similarly (the headlights are off, the vehicle is locked in park, and you can run the AC indefinitely.) However, based on this thread, utility mode requires the key fob, so someone could just break a window and steal the car. I wish manufacturers other than Tesla would think about these use cases: https://www.insideevsforum.com/community/index.php?threads/utility-mode-and-dog-owners-great-tip.5446/ https://www.insideevsforum.com/community/index.php?threads/u...

timothyb89 7y ago
It was mentioned later in that thread, but the Kona EV also lets you control the AC remotely via its mobile app without leaving the keys in the car. I don't know if it'll run indefinitely, though; my old Chevy Volt would turn off remotely started climate control after 15 minutes or so, and I haven't tried in the Kona yet. That said, even if it is time-limited, 15 minutes is usually enough to cool down the car without leaving the AC on all day.
- p1mrx 7y ago
  Any time limit defeats the point. An electric car isn't just a car without gas, it's a climate-controlled room you can put anywhere. As global temperatures rise, there are places becoming increasingly uncomfortable to live in. There may be cases where it's cheaper to wait out the hottest days in your car, instead of retrofitting a cooling system onto a building.

cortesoft 7y ago

You can also just turn on the AC from your phone 10 minutes before you leave. Or, have it learn your schedule so it prepares your car for you before you go.

gbrown 7y ago
In hot climates, even when the air temperature returns to tolerable levels, radiant heat from the various surfaces is no joke.

todd8 7y ago

This definitely makes Teslas more attractive to me. About half the homes on my (short) street have Teslas. I didn't know how little hot weather affected the battery usage. I had mistakenly assumed that A/C would have a greater negative impact on range.

marvin 7y ago
It will on an older Leaf with a smaller battery. In Norway, you might be forced to turn of the heating in winter if traffic gets bad. But with double-digit kWh of battery capacity as a normally-unuser buffer, it won’t be much of a worry, if at all.

steelframe 7y ago

> Tesla's dog mode does this. Dog mode is the main thing keeping me from trading in my Tesla for something else.

adrianN 7y ago

It helps that a Tesla battery can basically power a house for several days.

m463 7y ago

Tesla also has the milder "Cabin Overheat Protection" that can be turned on in settigns to keep the car interior from going over about 100 degrees fahrenheit.