Insane + Tesla Battery Preheat

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 temperature is extremely low.  The result is that regeneration is limited (see picture) and in some cases, power to the wheels is limited.  However, the car does start preheating the battery on battery power when you start driving, thereby using gobs of energy.

Max Battery Power dialog

Turn On Insane + Max Battery Power

If so equipped, your P-model has Acceleration modes:
  • Chill
  • Sport
  • Insane
  • Insane +
When you engage Insane + on the Driving menu, the car responds with a dialog box asking to turn on "Maximum Battery Power" which heats the battery using the onboard electric battery heater, lowers the battery impedance and gives you just a bit more power for hard launches.   The process takes over an hour in some cases which the screen will indicate.

I find this much more useful as a battery heater on a cold-soaked battery.  So here's the procedure I follow:
  • Charge the car overnight to my intended max state of charge, normally 90% on road trips.
  • Go to the car (unfortunately you can't do this from the app) about 30-45 minutes before departure.
  • From the main menu, select Driving -> Acceleration -> Insane+.
  • One the next dialog box, engage the Maximum Battery Power.
  • Go back inside and get warm for about 30 minutes, get some coffee, etc.
  • When you return to the car, select Driving -> Acceleration -> Sport and battery heating will be turned off.  
  • I'm reluctant to let the heater go for more than 1 hour since general wisdom indicates that hot batteries lead to early degradation.
If you open your app to the Climate screen, you'll se a small red battery icon with a snowflake inside to indicate heating is active.  

After this procedure I found that the energy use was in line with normal winter use (around 350 Wh/mile) rather than 400-500 Wh/mile and the dotted regeneration limitation was gone right from the start.

What's Your Take?

I've never heard anyone tell me that this is bad for the battery since I believe it's the same heater that gets activated when you start driving.  I'm wondering why Tesla doesn't activate this as a feature for all Tesla Models with active battery heating.


Resources:

If you are in the market for a Tesla Model S, Model X, or Model 3, Tesla has reestablished its referral program.  Feel free to use my referral code to get 5,000 miles of free Supercharging (at the time of this publishing) for your Tesla:  http://ts.la/karl5062

Comments

Post a Comment

Feedback including suggestions or constructive criticism is welcome. Please note that abusive or offensive comments may be removed.

Popular posts from this blog

EV Charging on a TT-30 30-Amp RV Plug

Image
50-Amp vs. 30-Amp RV Receptacles Image  source: Karl Bloss Note: This is Tesla-heavy content related to the Universal Mobile Charger (UMC).  However, the discussion of adapters is relevant to other EVs.   In my recent  winter road trip , I visited a friend who informed he had "some kind of RV plug" behind his house from a previous RV owner. If you prefer a video overview with less detail, jump to this short YouTube video on the topic:  https://youtu.be/m0gfpz_h100 RV Plugs Explained When we hear about RV power plugs, it's usually just in reference to a "30-amp" and a "50-amp" plug.  Unfortunately, amps don't tell the whole story because what we are really after is power (Watts) rather than flow of electricity (amps).  If the technical details are too much for you, skip down to the Bottom Line  adapters section. Roughly speaking: Watts (power) = Volts (potential) x Amps (flow) Watts or Kilowatts (KW) are what give an indication of
Read more

Plug In West Michigan Podcast - Episode 8 - EVs in Winter

Image
Part of  WKTV Journal  Grand Rapids, MI Community Programming Listen Here:  Plug-In West Michigan Podcast ... or find it on your favorite podcast feed like iTunes or  Spotify . Episode 8 - EVs in Winter Show Notes Introduction Host: Karl Bloss Blog:  www.muskegonevguy.com Instagram  @muskegonevguy West Michigan EV community:   www.facebook.com/groups/WestMichiganEV/ Guest: Ted Ooyevaar, EV owner, enthusiast and road warrior Theme song composed by  Tyler Burke Main Topic:  Electric Vehicle Considerations in Winter Weather What happens to cars when it gets cold? All cars lose efficiency and range in the winter.  Gas cars just burn more gas and need to warm up longer. Traction: I highly recommend winter tires no matter what car you have.  The traction is so much better than so-called “all-season” tires, which I call “no season” tires. First let’s talk about the positives: If you’re just traveling around home, you just plug in at home in the comfort of y
Read more

2015 Tesla Model S P85D - Sold!

Image
2015 Tesla Model S P85D For Sale Sold! Asking: $28,900 (below average KBB private sale estimate) Free Lifetime Supercharging P85D with "Insane" acceleration This will save you thousands of dollars over the life of the car!  I save over $500 on a recent road trip to Arizona. Additional pictures:  Google Photo Album VIN: 5YJSA1H42FF086621 Odometer: ~122,500 miles Contact:  karl.bloss@gmail.com or 231-753-8660 (voice/text) for a test drive Location:  Muskegon, MI Local purchase with secured funds only.  I will not ship this car.  I have a Carvana sale offer in hand, so please no low-ball offers.   We recently took advantage of the Tesla pricing update and since we wanted towing capability and the longer range available on today's Teslas, we are getting a Model Y and are reluctantly selling this gorgeous Model S.  We are the original owners, so you should be able to transfer the free lifetime Supercharging feature.  Just plug in at any Supercharger and there's no cost, ev
Read more