True stories of a Model 3 in the cold.
By: Jeremy Smith
Tags: Tesla, Driving, Model 3, Winter, Snow

Battery Performance in Freezing Temperatures

I made a 250 km trip when the temperature was -18C. I started the trip with 92% range and arrived with 20% remaining. 72% used works out to 350km of range based on the EPA rating. I only travelled 250km which means I got about 70% efficiency. This is with a full car using all the creature comforts. Streaming radio, heated seats, charging up our phones & tablets.

Considering that I rarely travel distances close to the range of my car, the reduced efficiency hasn’t affected me much. When I do need to travel, it typically means a 20 minute supercharger stop midway to the destination. I always use the navigation system because it does a really good job of predicting the actual range that will be used for the trip.

In -30C, with a wind making it feel like -40C, the car also did well as we were out & about town. One stop was for about an hour. When I opened the app to start warming up the car, I was happy to see no range lost and no cold battery warning.

Warming the car back up to 20C did take a couple % points.

The next day we made a pit stop for coffee and I set the climate control to stay on. It used about 1% for every 10 minutes.

-30C outside, +22C inside

Charging with a “regular” 110V plug

My biggest concern with buying an EV was charging at home. My garage is detached, not heated (or insulated) and is only wired for 110V. Maintaining a good battery temperature for charging, especially in the bitter cold, will take some power. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to keep the battery warm and charge the car on a 110V plug.

Wash me

Throughout the summer I was seeing a charge rate of about 1.5% per hour.

Plugged in, inside my garage, I’ve still been getting 1.5% added every hour until this cold snap came by and its been closer to 1% added per hour.

This may not be the case when parked outside though. One afternoon when it was below -20C the car wasn’t adding range despite being plugged in. Fortunately things changed as soon as I moved the car into the garage.

Rear Wheel Drive & All Season Tires

I live in the city and typically the snowplows or the traffic work the roads into pretty decent conditions. The residential streets may stay snow covered for a while, but the main routes are generally pretty good. But not always! When you get cold snap with snow, even the main roads can become skating rinks.

I’m sure there is a road under here somewhere

But this isn’t anything new to me. I’ve been driving these snowy streets since I got my license. My Model 3 is a rear wheel drive which is a red flag for anyone living in snowy conditions, until you explain that the Model 3 has a very heavy battery pack on the floor that distributes the weight of the car evenly over the axels.

I’ve never owned an all wheel drive vehicle and never bought winter tires, so in my experience, the traction and handling is great compared to my previous FWD vehicles!

I do, absolutely, drive with caution around the city but I can say I’ve never lost control of the vehicle. I’ve skidded and my tail end may spin out for a second but then the traction control kicks in.

Conclusion

Based on my experience of 25+ years of driving in Canadian winters, the Tesla Model 3 has blown me away for winter performance and I continue to LOVE this car!

If you have any questions about the Model 3 in extreme winter conditions, let me know quickly because it’s going to warm up next week!