March has come and the weather is no longer going to be harsher than it was in the last 4 months, so I decided to showcase how my Tesla M3 LR AWD did in the last four months (winter in Quebec). The data I post is starting with the 9th of November 2023, the day when I put my winter tires on, and it ends with today, the 5th of March 2024, when I still have the winter tires. It is mandatory to have winter tires from 1st of December to 15th of March in Quebec.
In the table below I used 77,5 kWh (based on the data I have) as the battery capacity for the calculation of the real Range (in miles and in km) that I would cover in the respective conditions. I considered 536 km the EPA range (333 miles). I used the information from Teslafi.
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What the data shows ? Compared to the experience of my 4.5 years ownership of Bolt EV (table below that I compiled over a winter in 2019) it shows that the heat pump does have an impact, I would say a big one in the temperatures around freezing (+5C to -5C). Even at temperatures below -10C it still has an impact, although it isn't that much.
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I would have to say though : my Tesla M3 HVAC system is a beast !
The setup I used when I was having my Bolt, was 20C - 21C at fan 1 or 2, to keep the consumption in check, especially during winter. In my Tesla M3 I used 21C Auto and I was literally sweating, so I start using 20C Auto in the last month. My wife complains that even 20C is too hot in the car when I am preconditioning the cabin before driving, being forced to set her side to 19C to get some cold air. What a great thing to have per user climate settings. I love it !
The efficiency during the 4 months of winter was 188,65 Wh/km.
I used 909.85 kWh charging my Tesla during this same exact period.
I covered 3766 km during this period (which is not much by any standards). I work from home and my daily driving is very short, less than 15 km roundtrip when I have to get out.
Having an "open ceiling" is a plus in cold weather with sun.
Notes :
In the table below I used 77,5 kWh (based on the data I have) as the battery capacity for the calculation of the real Range (in miles and in km) that I would cover in the respective conditions. I considered 536 km the EPA range (333 miles). I used the information from Teslafi.
What the data shows ? Compared to the experience of my 4.5 years ownership of Bolt EV (table below that I compiled over a winter in 2019) it shows that the heat pump does have an impact, I would say a big one in the temperatures around freezing (+5C to -5C). Even at temperatures below -10C it still has an impact, although it isn't that much.
I would have to say though : my Tesla M3 HVAC system is a beast !
The setup I used when I was having my Bolt, was 20C - 21C at fan 1 or 2, to keep the consumption in check, especially during winter. In my Tesla M3 I used 21C Auto and I was literally sweating, so I start using 20C Auto in the last month. My wife complains that even 20C is too hot in the car when I am preconditioning the cabin before driving, being forced to set her side to 19C to get some cold air. What a great thing to have per user climate settings. I love it !
The efficiency during the 4 months of winter was 188,65 Wh/km.
I used 909.85 kWh charging my Tesla during this same exact period.
I covered 3766 km during this period (which is not much by any standards). I work from home and my daily driving is very short, less than 15 km roundtrip when I have to get out.
Having an "open ceiling" is a plus in cold weather with sun.
Notes :
- preconditioning the car before going out has a big impact
- use the Auto setting on your HVAC and you'll not have any problem with cold coming from the roof. Tesla has one of the best HVAC Auto setting that I experienced first hand over more than 10 cars I owned.
