Zero E-Michigan

Tesla app battery preheat icon Note: This is another Tesla-specific essay related to battery preheating in the pre-Ludicrous performance models. In my recent winter road trip essay , I recommend preheating the cabin while still being plugged in, which is one of the more useful features you often see recommended to maximize winter range.  The one feature I didn't remember to try out on that trip, but did on a subsequent trip was a battery preheat "hack" specific to the pre-Ludicrous Tesla P models that have the "Insane" acceleration feature .  All others can tune out at this point other than to stress that battery temperature has an effect on range. If you prefer a video overview, jump to this short YouTube video on the topic:   https://youtu.be/mF6LcMYUwcs Limited braking regeneration (dotted yellow lines) Even with cabin preheating, the Tesla Model S and X does not preheat the battery by default during cabin preheating unless the battery temperat...

Woohoo!  Road Trip! Note: I'm focusing mostly on Tesla issues in this post, but the general information holds for other battery electrics (BEVs) as well. Our day 1 route from Muskegon to Effingham, IL Thanksgiving is one of the biggest travel holidays of the year, and this year my family contributed to the mayhem on the highways in order to see our daughter and good friends in Kansas City. We headed out from West Michigan as soon as school was out on Wednesday afternoon before Thanksgiving and joined the throngs of other car travelers. As the original owner of a 2015 Tesla with a nominal range of 250 miles and free lifetime Supercharging thanks to the promotion for early adopters of that vintage, our Model S is our logical choice for a road trip vehicle.  Well that, and we no longer own a gas car. Congestion at the Supercharger Our first stop out of Muskegon is the St. Joseph, MI Supercharger where we typically enjoy the nearby Panera for its yummy past...