Regular vehicles have a block heater. Do teslas have a battery warmer or something?
31-35, M
No, they do not! That is because a Tesla battery is different than a 12 volt liquid cell battery. I do marine, aviation and automotive research so I'll tell you a bit about this.
The reason a Tesla battery does not need heating is because it does not have high energy draw requirements like a small 12 volt battery wet-cell battery does, the latter of which requires heating to 59*F to supply it's advertised cold cranking amps. Colder temperatures result in lower cranking amps on a 12 volt cell.
On a Tesla battery, the same problem exists however, but if a lithium battery is heated from an outside electrical source, it will expand, break open and then immediately start burning. This is why there are no battery pre-heaters on a Tesla.
A lithium battery that is super-cold will reduce your Tesla's range by at least 25% on a brand new battery. The older the battery gets, that same 25% loss in range can be expected at temperatures below freezing. A Tesla which advertises a 300 mile range would only get about 225 miles of range from a sub-freezing outside air temp.
The reason a Tesla battery does not need heating is because it does not have high energy draw requirements like a small 12 volt battery wet-cell battery does, the latter of which requires heating to 59*F to supply it's advertised cold cranking amps. Colder temperatures result in lower cranking amps on a 12 volt cell.
On a Tesla battery, the same problem exists however, but if a lithium battery is heated from an outside electrical source, it will expand, break open and then immediately start burning. This is why there are no battery pre-heaters on a Tesla.
A lithium battery that is super-cold will reduce your Tesla's range by at least 25% on a brand new battery. The older the battery gets, that same 25% loss in range can be expected at temperatures below freezing. A Tesla which advertises a 300 mile range would only get about 225 miles of range from a sub-freezing outside air temp.
GuyWithOpinions · 31-35, M
@swirlie wow good info 👌
swirlie · F
@GuyWithOpinions
I should also point out that conversely, if a Tesla (lithium) battery is operated at very hot outside air temps during summer in the neighborhood of 90 to 110*F, the same resultant reduction in vehicle's advertised range will be reduced by that same 25% loss.
This is because the battery during it's charging phase will only be permitted to charge up to the 80% of full charge limit to prevent the battery from overheating and catching fire. This only applies at remote charging stations outside of your own home.
If the battery is charged at your home while inside your garage however, it will slow-charge to 100% but that overheating issue is still present. Of importance here is that a lithium battery fire CANNOT be put out with water, nor can it be put out with CO2 or Halon 1211 fire extinguishers. A lithium battery fire will burn right through aluminum and will totally consume a vehicle leaving nothing but a pile of ash on the ground.
If your battery is only charged to 80% at a remote charging station as stated, that means that your advertised vehicle range has been artificially reduced by 20% because the charger won't charge beyond the 80% value, which means an advertised range of 300 miles will be reduced to 240 miles max.
I should also point out that conversely, if a Tesla (lithium) battery is operated at very hot outside air temps during summer in the neighborhood of 90 to 110*F, the same resultant reduction in vehicle's advertised range will be reduced by that same 25% loss.
This is because the battery during it's charging phase will only be permitted to charge up to the 80% of full charge limit to prevent the battery from overheating and catching fire. This only applies at remote charging stations outside of your own home.
If the battery is charged at your home while inside your garage however, it will slow-charge to 100% but that overheating issue is still present. Of importance here is that a lithium battery fire CANNOT be put out with water, nor can it be put out with CO2 or Halon 1211 fire extinguishers. A lithium battery fire will burn right through aluminum and will totally consume a vehicle leaving nothing but a pile of ash on the ground.
If your battery is only charged to 80% at a remote charging station as stated, that means that your advertised vehicle range has been artificially reduced by 20% because the charger won't charge beyond the 80% value, which means an advertised range of 300 miles will be reduced to 240 miles max.
Northwest · M
I would not use the term "block heater", because it does not apply to an EV. You're using internal combustion engine battery terminology.
But a Teals, and any EV, does not use a battery designed from an internal combustion engine.
What you want to ask is: does Tesla, or EV batteries have a heating subsystem, and the answer is yes.
For a more detailed answer:
A Tesla battery, same with most EV batteries, perform optimally when it is pre-conditioned before starting a trip to make sure the battery, and other car systems, are operating within an "ideal range".
When my car is plugged in at home (not a Tesla), I click on a button on the my phone, and the process gets started.
The system can either "warm" or "cool" the battery and its subsystems.
Depends on how extreme the weather conditions are, it may take up to 30 minutes to finish the job.
"cooling" kicks in, when someone is charging their battery, and it gets to 80%. The battery systems will start cooling the battery cells to "coax" them to accept more energy. This is why it takes 15 minutes to go from 10% to 70%, and then another 15 minutes to go from 70% to 80%, and then more than 30 minutes to go from 80% to 90%, and then more than an hour to go from 90% to 100%.
The temperature outside is 25F, and my EV is plugged in front of my house, I will push the button a half hour before I jump in the shower, so it could be ready to go when I'm done.
But a Teals, and any EV, does not use a battery designed from an internal combustion engine.
What you want to ask is: does Tesla, or EV batteries have a heating subsystem, and the answer is yes.
For a more detailed answer:
A Tesla battery, same with most EV batteries, perform optimally when it is pre-conditioned before starting a trip to make sure the battery, and other car systems, are operating within an "ideal range".
When my car is plugged in at home (not a Tesla), I click on a button on the my phone, and the process gets started.
The system can either "warm" or "cool" the battery and its subsystems.
Depends on how extreme the weather conditions are, it may take up to 30 minutes to finish the job.
"cooling" kicks in, when someone is charging their battery, and it gets to 80%. The battery systems will start cooling the battery cells to "coax" them to accept more energy. This is why it takes 15 minutes to go from 10% to 70%, and then another 15 minutes to go from 70% to 80%, and then more than 30 minutes to go from 80% to 90%, and then more than an hour to go from 90% to 100%.
The temperature outside is 25F, and my EV is plugged in front of my house, I will push the button a half hour before I jump in the shower, so it could be ready to go when I'm done.
ArishMell · 70-79, M
Note: block, not battery.
Most batteries do lose performance in low temperatures, to some extent. I don't know how this affects battery-electric vehicles, but it seems a negligible problem.
For i.c. engines warming the cylinder-block reduces the oil's viscosity, and for a petrol-engine may help the fuel to evaporate, though modern cars all use fuel-injection so that may be less a problem than with carburettors.
Most batteries do lose performance in low temperatures, to some extent. I don't know how this affects battery-electric vehicles, but it seems a negligible problem.
For i.c. engines warming the cylinder-block reduces the oil's viscosity, and for a petrol-engine may help the fuel to evaporate, though modern cars all use fuel-injection so that may be less a problem than with carburettors.
swirlie · F
Something else you may want to consider is NOT buying a Tesla if you can avoid it. Teslas are actually a death trap if they're ever involved in a frontal collision where the system logic shuts off all power to the vehicle if the battery becomes damaged at all.
In so doing, the windows automatically close and the doors all automatically lock and then the computers shut down, which means that pushing a button to unlock the door from the inside no longer works and the doors stay locked until the manual door lock release mechanism is activated, leaving the occupants trapped inside until they can figure this out. Extremely unsafe design which makes a Tesla a very poor choice.
In so doing, the windows automatically close and the doors all automatically lock and then the computers shut down, which means that pushing a button to unlock the door from the inside no longer works and the doors stay locked until the manual door lock release mechanism is activated, leaving the occupants trapped inside until they can figure this out. Extremely unsafe design which makes a Tesla a very poor choice.
View 1 more replies »
swirlie · F
@UsernameAlreadyInUse
Where this auto-door look anomaly first became an issue was with the Tesla Model 3, where the manual door release mechanism is intentionally hidden behind the interior door side-panel radio speaker hole!
If you pry-off the round speaker cover with a screwdriver, you will find the radio speaker inside the hole. Just to the right of the speaker is a loose wire with a red pull-handle tab on it that says "manual door release-PULL" and when you pull it, the door mechanism releases and the door opens slightly, enabling egress from the car.
But nobody at Tesla knows that! Especially NOT the salesmen who sell the cheap piles of crap to the unsuspecting traveling public!
In the next Tesla model up which is the Model 'Y', the manual door release handle is integral with the arm rest although it is not marked as such. When you simply pull up on it, the door opens manually, but you have to spend many more thousands of dollars for a Model 'Y' just to have this easy-to-reach safety feature literally at your finger tips.
Where this auto-door look anomaly first became an issue was with the Tesla Model 3, where the manual door release mechanism is intentionally hidden behind the interior door side-panel radio speaker hole!
If you pry-off the round speaker cover with a screwdriver, you will find the radio speaker inside the hole. Just to the right of the speaker is a loose wire with a red pull-handle tab on it that says "manual door release-PULL" and when you pull it, the door mechanism releases and the door opens slightly, enabling egress from the car.
But nobody at Tesla knows that! Especially NOT the salesmen who sell the cheap piles of crap to the unsuspecting traveling public!
In the next Tesla model up which is the Model 'Y', the manual door release handle is integral with the arm rest although it is not marked as such. When you simply pull up on it, the door opens manually, but you have to spend many more thousands of dollars for a Model 'Y' just to have this easy-to-reach safety feature literally at your finger tips.
UsernameAlreadyInUse · 26-30, M
@swirlie i think not only tesla but most ev also adopt this trend of electric control door hatch systen just for aesthetic purpose and makes car looks more tech advance it is unecessary and extemely danger but tesla is the first initiate this trend of ridiculous idea.
swirlie · F
@UsernameAlreadyInUse
Buyer beware!
Buyer beware!