Does a scheduled precondition uses more or less energy then just driving away?

[GmP]

Tried to search, but didn’t find an answer:

I have a relative short commute, 11 miles, 20 minutes.
What is lower in energy use: schedule a precondition so my CT is nice 68F when I get in and start my commute, or no precondition and just drive away “cold”. I put cold in parentheses because the overnight temperature here was 35~40, and the time I drive it is ~45F, California “cold”.

I am trying myself to measure the difference, but since the overnight temperatures vary I am not sure where the differences come from.

Over a week (5 days) I noticed I use 11 “miles” of battery for the drive, and ranging from 8 to 15 “miles” overnight. The 8~15 variation seems to correlate with how cold it was overnight.

I have now switched off precondition. The first day the overnight use was still 8 miles (it was below 40 again), the interior when I entered was just below 60. The drive, with the temp set at 68 still was warming the cabin up, and the ride was just one battery mile more: 12. Will track this for a few more days.

I do not have a home charger. I have it, but not installed yet.
Should I just put on a thicker sweater and drive the car cold, and save a few miles battery each day?

Given the short commute the non-driving consumption is very visible. I don’t care about it that much, just made me curious.

Anyone has more insights and advice?

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[yohst]

A cold battery shows as having less energy, but it is actually “less energy abailable” i.e., if the battery warms up you will see no energy was lost. If your commute was much longer and at low temps, preconditioning the battery would help getting your range. But in your situation (given you have ample charge), preconditioning would be most noticable as a comfy cabin i.e., you lose that energy. I’d go the sweater route.

 

[mongo]

Tried to search, but didn’t find an answer:

I have a relative short commute, 11 miles, 20 minutes.
What is lower in energy use: schedule a precondition so my CT is nice 68F when I get in and start my commute, or no precondition and just drive away “cold”. I put cold in parentheses because the overnight temperature here was 35~40, and the time I drive it is ~45F, California “cold”.

I am trying myself to measure the difference, but since the overnight temperatures vary I am not sure where the differences come from.

Over a week (5 days) I noticed I use 11 “miles” of battery for the drive, and ranging from 8 to 15 “miles” overnight. The 8~15 variation seems to correlate with how cold it was overnight.

I have now switched off precondition. The first day the overnight use was still 8 miles (it was below 40 again), the interior when I entered was just below 60. The drive, with the temp set at 68 still was warming the cabin up, and the ride was just one battery mile more: 12. Will track this for a few more days.

I do not have a home charger. I have it, but not installed yet.
Should I just put on a thicker sweater and drive the car cold, and save a few miles battery each day?

Given the short commute the non-driving consumption is very visible. I don’t care about it that much, just made me curious.

Anyone has more insights and advice?

The bsse physics is that the larger the difference e between vehicle temp and ambient, the more power needed to maintain the difference. The longer the difference is maintained, the more energy is consumed doing it. Also,the larger the temperature change of the lack and cabin the more energy to get it to the desired temperature.

Most efficient (and least comfortable) is leaving climate control off entirely.
For best range, use a home charger connector and precondition.
You have a short commute, so range isn't a factor, it's all up to your personal comfort and preference. Do you want to spend less on charging, or be more comfortable on your drive? The longer climate control is on, the more energy. The warmer the cabin setpoint is, the more energy.

General tips: Heated seat and wheel can be more efficient ways of feeling warm than a higher interior temperature. Recirculation mode is more efficient in the cold than outside air (but can cause fogging).

 

[Gundo]

I've wondered the same, but not sure how to factor energy consumed while plugged-in and pre-conditioning. Seems to make a notable difference in range when temps are less than 20F

 

[carsly]

Your "cold" isn't that cold. It was 3 degrees in NJ this morning, nearly 30 below freezing. In that case, garaging and pre-conditioning help retain most of battery capacity for driving range.

In your case, 'cold' is chilly. With no home charging I'd skip preconditioning and just drive, your pack likely won't be frozen or close to frozen since its not getting cold enough overnight for that. You can also do scheduled preconditioning if your departure time is consistent and let the vehicle figure out the minimum amount of time it needs to precondition, and it will vary by day all controlled automatically by the vehicle based on what it senses about ambient conditions.

 

[mongo]

I've wondered the same, but not sure how to factor energy consumed while plugged-in and pre-conditioning. Seems to make a notable difference in range when temps are less than 20F

If you need the range, plugged in preconditioning is where it's at.

 

[CyberGus]

Over a week (5 days) I noticed I use 11 “miles” of battery for the drive, and ranging from 8 to 15 “miles” overnight. The 8~15 variation seems to correlate with how cold it was overnight.

When the truck is sleeping, it should consume very little. The available capacity from the batteries will decrease when colder, but that is not energy consumed.

I have now switched off precondition. The first day the overnight use was still 8 miles (it was below 40 again), the interior when I entered was just below 60. The drive, with the temp set at 68 still was warming the cabin up, and the ride was just one battery mile more: 12. Will track this for a few more days.

I would agree that "precondition climate" will be less efficient than just "drive with climate on", but you deserve to be comfortable.

I do not have a home charger. I have it, but not installed yet.
Should I just put on a thicker sweater and drive the car cold, and save a few miles battery each day?

When plugged in, the preconditioning pulls from shore power, thus preserving battery range (although this obviously still uses power).

Get that charger installed!

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