Winter Range Effects in Midwest

[Shocker53]

So we are looking at getting a R1s for the family but I have some concerns/questions about making sure we get the right size battery. In areas like the upper Midwest where we see weeks in a row below 32 degrees F, is a ~40% range drop realistic? Does that number get exponentially worse as temps get below 0? Are there other things to consider in a cold weather R1S?

IfI am commuting 120 miles/day, 2-4 times per week in the dead of winter should I just go for the Max Pack or should the Large+ get me there?

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[Count Orlok]

four winters in Wisconsin with The Count's LE (Large battery) R1S and range is definitely impacted by cold. The only severe case The Count has experienced was when it sat outside @ zero degrees and the batteries were cold. This was when picking up at the service center.

When starting out from garage and temps in the 20s or 30s the loss is minimal and has never impacted The Count's gadding around.

 

[Nixapatfan]

Yes efficiency drops off quite significantly in the winter shorter trips are the ones that take the biggest hit, but a lot of variables will be at play here. Are you parking in a garage? charging overnight? Charging at work? How hot do you like the cabin? If you start off with a warm battery and don't use a ton of heat all the configurations should easily get you 120 miles per day.

 

[tpr1s]

So we are looking at getting a R1s for the family but I have some concerns/questions about making sure we get the right size battery. In areas like the upper Midwest where we see weeks in a row below 32 degrees F, is a ~40% range drop realistic? Does that number get exponentially worse as temps get below 0? Are there other things to consider in a cold weather R1S?

IfI am commuting 120 miles/day, 2-4 times per week in the dead of winter should I just go for the Max Pack or should the Large+ get me there?

I drive R1S Max battery in Chicago land area. I will always prioritize a max battery before considering any other upgrades for the vehicle.

 

[Hereforthesnacks]

My mantra has always been that, for cases when you will push the range, get the biggest battery.

 

[CharonPDX]

Even in the worst possible conditions, 120 miles should be perfectly doable even on a standard battery.

As others have said, if you have the ability to park in a garage and plug in at one end or the other, you'll absolutely be fine with "schedule departure" enabled to use wall power to prepare the cabin/battery.

Of note - I regularly drove my old BMW i3 over mountain passes in blizzards. nominally-80-mile range vehicle, 160 mile drive with a ~70 mile gap between charging stations (at the time I first started making that drive. There are more now.)

Sure, if you want to have enough spare range to make a full extra round trip, a Max pack would be your bet. But if you learn to be comfortable at lower state of charge, even a Standard pack will work fine.

 

[SlaterGS]

40% hit is crazy high IMO.
Maybe if you are parking outside in extreme cold and only driving a few miles each time you jump in.

120mi a day is plenty fine and realistically if parked in a garage and charging every night then the battery will be a bit warmer and your first leg of the commute will not take much of a hit.

Few anecdotes from my experience:
- Round trip 220mi trip for soccer tournaments in the middle of the winter (20-30degrees) I usually end with ~15% when starting with 100%.
- One way 360mi trip to visit family doesn't seem to be much different in the summer vs sub 32 degrees. One charging stop in the middle either way.

 

[Redline]

If you're able to keep it in the garage and plugged in with a schedule to leave, you'll have way less of an issue.

 

[jrmbadger]

Head on over to the plugshare website Plugshare and zoom in and take a look at the route to/from your work. The orange icons are DC fast charging stations. Click on the station and plug share will give you how powerful it is (expressed in Kw with 150kw and over being good) and what the user reviews are. If you have a Tesla station, make sure it says "open to non-tesla" - as some of their stations are locked to only tesla.

Assuming its 120 miles there and back (you didn't specify), if you have a good quality fast charging station with decent reviews along the route, then I wouldn't worry too much about the couple weeks where we get sub zero temps. If you need to, you can stop off at the charging station and add enough range within 15 minutes.

I probably wouldn't recommend the standard pack though - they seem to lose the most range in the winter.

 

[CarGuyCarl]

Range impact is mostly a battery temp game. Leave the car outside unplugged? Battery gets cold. Range gets hit nasty especially with short drives. If you have a plug you won't experience nearly as bad of a drop.

 

[2kwik4u]

four winters in Wisconsin with The Count's LE (Large battery) R1S and range is definitely impacted by cold. The only severe case The Count has experienced was when it sat outside @ zero degrees and the batteries were cold. This was when picking up at the service center.

When starting out from garage and temps in the 20s or 30s the loss is minimal and has never impacted The Count's gadding around.

Essentially the same experience out of Buffalo, NY.

Coming out of the garage after charging all night, battery is around 40-50degF, and efficiency is back to "normal" after 10-15mi, or some spirited driving to get the bearings/gearbox oil up to operating temp.

Leaving the truck in the airport parking lot in sub-freezing temps for a week to really "cold soak" the battery really tanks the efficiency, and it won't come back until the pack has been charged and "reheated". That heat comes from a single fast charge session and some driving, or a night on the charger in the garage.

 

[Shocker53]

Yes efficiency drops off quite significantly in the winter shorter trips are the ones that take the biggest hit, but a lot of variables will be at play here. Are you parking in a garage? charging overnight? Charging at work? How hot do you like the cabin? If you start off with a warm battery and don't use a ton of heat all the configurations should easily get you 120 miles per day.

Yup i would be starting in a “warm” garage but not necessarily heated. And primarily charging at home overnight in said garage. I’m fine keeping the cabin a bit cooler on those especially cold weeks.

 

[portdirect]

I mostly park our R1’s outside here in STL - as other have said it’s the cold starts that really take the toll on range. As a result for very short trips (ie ~5 miles or so) can see a massive impact, but by the time we are actually going somewhere I’d put it at around 15-25% impact during Jan/Feb.

 

[NY_Rob]

Of note - I regularly drove my old BMW i3 over mountain passes in blizzards. nominally-80-mile range vehicle, 160 mile drive with a ~70 mile gap between charging stations..

i3 REX?

 

[tjsainsb]

Yup i would be starting in a “warm” garage but not necessarily heated. And primarily charging at home overnight in said garage. I’m fine keeping the cabin a bit cooler on those especially cold weeks.

I'm in Madison with a Dual Perf Large pack, and it's plenty parked in an insulated but not climate-controlled garage. Like others said, short trips hit more, say 30-35%, longer trips less say 20-25% in the winter. Lifetime @ 24k through 24 months, I'm at 2.5 mi/kwh (trip meter B). It averaged 1.85 from 12/1-5/1 (I reset trip meter A seasonally to see the impact) which should be around 50% of the Large pack capacity to drive 120 miles. On a full charge of a max pack you could make the trip twice without charging (if you forgot to plug in), but I don't usually charge to 100% anyway.

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