Regular vehicles have a block heater. Do teslas have a battery warmer or something?
31-35, M
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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.
