> 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?
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.
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).
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?