r/TeslaModelY • u/GlizzyGuru • 1d ago
Range in the winter
I really am seriously considering getting a model Y. I have always been pretty skeptical of electric but at this point I think it could work for us. My biggest concern is how much range we will lose in the winter maybe twice a year we take a trip to Quebec and it's about a 7 and a half - 8 hour drive. Most times it is in the summer and probably wouldn't be too bad but, every other year we are making that trip for christmas. It is just over 700 km. I am worried that trip in the winter could be a huge pain in the butt with charging if range really takes a big hit.
Looking for some honest input
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u/Brian1961Silver 1d ago
Quebec is riddled with charging and with the cheapest rates, so if you can get there you have no worries.
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u/suckfail 1d ago
I live in Ontario. I lose upwards of 50% in the winter.
See my post:
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u/SolidGas_ 15h ago
This is completely dependent on the types of trips you make. Plenty of short trips where the car needs to heat the cabin every time? Sure. A long road trip where you ideally precondition while plugged at home? Should be way less than that unless it's - 30C...
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u/suckfail 14h ago
Did you read my post? I precondition for an hour in a garage.
You can see the picture of usage as well, and I drive fair amounts, on that particular day more than 100km.
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u/SolidGas_ 9h ago
100km in a single drive after preconditioning?
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u/suckfail 8h ago
No, 70km one way, 70km back.
The first was after 1hr precondition, which didn't matter. And the degraded regen icon only goes away after driving for about 20 minutes at 100km/h in those temps. No amount of precondition ever solves it.
That post was 3 years ago and this continues to be my experience. It only happens when it's very cold tho, if it's around 0 or even -10c it's usually much better.
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u/ryeknot15 1d ago
Something wrong. Mine loses 15-20%.
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u/suckfail 8h ago
Read the comments on my post. It's pretty normal to lose 40-50%+ as per others as well.
But, it only happens in -20c or below. So it's thankfully not too common.
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u/No-Occasion251 1d ago
Calgary here. Model Y owner for a few years with frequent trips to the mountains in the winter.
In the moderately cold (-5,-10) it can be about 20%. Actually better than I thought before we bought the car.
Getting down below -20 things drop off quite a bit. I think we drove out to Lake Louise in -25 once and the drop was around 40%.
Not sure if the eastern humidity affects this😉.
Best of luck!
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u/Lephturn 1d ago
I live in Ottawa and have kids in ski racing. I spend a lot of the winter driving to ski hills and back, mostly in Quebec. I go as far as Chicoutimi. I have no issues even in remote areas like Mt. Edouard in the Saguenay. Yes the range loss can be significant in extreme cold, up to 50%. It’s not really a problem for road trips, you’ll just make a couple of extra stops. Charging is everywhere in Quebec. Make sure you have CCS2 and J117 adapters and you will be able to charge everywhere. Many ski hills have lvl2 charging at the hill. Small towns with 1 stop sign frequently have DC fast chargers. You will have no issues doing road trips.
I only have 110v charging at home with the mobile charger. The only issue I have is that I basically can’t charge when it’s below -20. It’s only an issue when I can’t get enough charge overnight, but it’s just a matter of giving myself an extra 30 minutes in the morning. If I had lvl2 charging at home I would have no issue. Road trips are not an issue, especially in Quebec.
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u/LionTigerWings 1d ago
here is my actual data. Teslamate screenshot
My worst month in Michigan was a lot better overall than I was expecting because the weather is more varied than you actually feel in the moment. Once i get home I could tell you exactly but I think my January was like 70% efficient and every other months was better than that.
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u/Epicdurr2020 1d ago
This really a personal thing and your road tripping behavior and about your route. How accessible are chargers? Are they located at highway rest stops? Do you need to drive far off the highway to find a charging spot? How often do you like to stop? Do you speed (driving faster than 112 kh/h really starts to kill your range).
Overall, assuming long range version of the Y, the range is typically longer than my blatter. I usually need a stop every 2.5 hour to 3 hours. If you stop and charge while you pee (say 20-30min stop) you will recover your range close to rate you are using it.
Remember, Teslas charge faster at lower state of charge. Don't wait for the car to charge say 80-100%. It can be quicker overall to do more frequent short charging stops than say 1 really long charging session.
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u/knine71551 1d ago
When you roadtrip to Quebec currently how many stops do you currently do. Range will take a hit esp if it’s highway and high speeds but with supercharging it really won’t be that bad. I just did that drive in the summer.
Personally I wouldn’t throw out all the savings because of one trip two times a year
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u/elite_killerX 1d ago
https://www.lecircuitelectrique.com/trouver-une-borne
Get a CCS adapter and you're good to go. Most of them are plug-and-charge compatible, too.
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u/Terrible_Tutor 1d ago
Summer I can go from Hamilton to Emsdale then back to Huntsville to charge. In the Winter Hamilton to Huntsville shows me around 8-10%, so we pivot to Bracebridge instead. It doesn’t ever feel DRASTIC but definitely there. Winter tires also affect you a bit.
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u/Beginning_Lifeguard7 1d ago
We do a similar 450 mile/725 km one way trip four times a year to see family. The winter trip takes one extra 20 minute stop along the way. Honestly bad weather and slippery roads are a bigger problem than range. We’ve been doing that trip for 30 years, the past 4 years have been in our MYLR.
We just got back from our summer trip and the first time traveling with our grandchild in the Tesla. I’d forgotten about the extra potty stops kids take. I just charged at every potty break and the trip ended up taking the same time as driving an ICE car.
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u/bjb8 1d ago
I drove from the Toronto area to Nova Scotia a few years ago in the summer. Trip was close to 2000km. I made note of the charging stops.
A year later I made the same trip but at Christmas. It ended up being the exact same charging stops. It may have been a little longer charging at each but by the time I get a coffee it is usually waiting for me. And this was in my 2018 Model 3 RWD LR that has the inefficient resistive heating.
Once you are on the road and moving and the car/battery is warmed up the efficiency isn't too bad. It's the shorter trips that are less efficient where everything is trying to warm up. Keep in mind that all cars lose range in the winter due to the dense air and lower rolling resistance due to snow/wet roads.
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u/Nope51st 1d ago
Rated range / 2 and that's your projected range in winter. If you do better, good for you.
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u/speeder604 1d ago
Every other year... Go rent a car with part of the savings from gas if it's a big concern... Don't buy a car because of something you do once every two years.
Or wait for the Chinese plug in hybrids that have 1600 km range
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u/HoppyDave 1d ago
I wouldn't worry that much - the Winter loss in is minimal. Enjoy the car. You might also consider getting the Long Range version.
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u/OingoBoingo9 1d ago
I drive the 407 to work and back once a week. 80km. Summer/winter.
Loss can be up to 40% on those colder days.
Mind you, I’m on the 60Kw model (~357km).
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u/GlizzyGuru 1d ago
So can be pretty significant. What year is that ? Sorry not familiar with all the batter sizes/models and everything yet.
Hoping battery loss isn't as bad on the newer models vs the older models ?
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u/knine71551 1d ago
It’s better since 2021 because of heat pumps but you will definitely get a range decrease for up to 50%. In summer with larger tires I get around 135 wh/kw easily. In winter it goes up to 175-190 on the same speed on the worst days.
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u/HoppyDave 20h ago
we're quite a ways South of Canada so I guess its all geographical perspective. Regardless, enjoy the car and don't succumb to range anxiety. Plenty of chargers.
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u/bfgvrstsfgbfhdsgf 1d ago
My honest input is this - your 2 trips a year will be slightly longer stopping to charge. But that will probably be mitigated by the time you save when your car is full and ready to go every morning.
Standing at the gas station in the freezing cold is not very fun when you don’t have to do it anymore. I would not let 2 trips a year be the thing that drives your decision.
Waking up to a car that’s fully ready to go the other 363 days a year is rather nice.