Tesla S Owner's Manual page 90

Cold Weather Best Practices
• Turn on Range Mode to automatically
limit the power that the climate control
system uses to maintain the temperature
of the Battery and the cabin area. Range
Mode also turns off signature lights (if
equipped) and adjusts the front and rear
motor torque split to maximize range (see
Getting Maximum Range on page
Regenerative Braking
Regenerative braking may be limited if the
Battery is too cold. As you continue to drive,
the Battery warms up and regenerative power
increases (see Regenerative Braking on page
69).
NOTE: Limited regenerative braking can be
avoided if you allow enough time to
precondition your vehicle or use scheduled
departure before your drive, as mentioned
previously.
Blue Snowflake Icon
A blue snowflake icon appears on
your instrument panel when some
of the stored energy in the
Battery may not be available due
to cold Battery temperature. This
portion of unavailable energy
displays in blue on the Battery
meter. Regenerative braking,
acceleration, and charging rates
may be limited. The snowflake
icon no longer displays when the
Battery is sufficiently warmed.
Warming the Battery Before
Supercharging
If you are using Trip Planner (see
on page 143) and navigate to a Supercharger
station, your vehicle will allocate energy to
pre-heat the Battery in cold weather. This
ensures you arrive at the Supercharger with
an optimal Battery temperature, reducing the
amount of time it takes to charge.
Autopilot
To ensure optimal Autopilot performance,
keep the sensors and radar free of snow, ice,
mud, and dirt (see About Autopilot on page
89).
88
After Driving
Leave Model S plugged in when not in use.
This uses the charging system, rather than the
Battery itself, to keep your Battery warm (see
Battery Information on page
80).
Scheduled Departure
When parked, plug in Model S and set a time
at which you want your vehicle to be ready to
drive. Your vehicle determines the
appropriate time to begin charging so that
charging is complete and the cabin and
Battery are warm by your set departure time.
See Scheduled Charging and Scheduled
Departure on page 176
Charge Port
• If your charge port latch freezes in place
and a charging cable becomes stuck in
the charge port, try manually releasing
the charge cable. See
Charge Cable on page
• Use the mobile app to precondition your
vehicle on HI to help thaw ice on the
charge port latch so that the charge cable
can be removed or inserted (see
App on page
NOTE: If your charge port latch is frozen in
place, it may not lock the charging cable in
place when inserted, but it is still able to AC
charge at a slower rate even if the latch is not
engaged.
Storage
If you leave Model S parked for an extended
period of time, plug it into a charger to
prevent normal range loss and maintain the
Battery at an optimal temperature. Your
Trip Planner
vehicle is safe to say plugged in for any
length of time.
When not in use, Model S automatically
enters a sleep mode to conserve range and
energy. Reduce the number of times you
check your vehicle's status on the mobile app,
as this automatically wakes up your vehicle
and starts normal energy consumption.
NOTE: See
page 87
ice buildup when parking your vehicle.
170).
for more information.
Manually Releasing
173.
165).
Wipers on page 87
for more information on preventing
MODEL S OWNER'S MANUAL
Mobile
and Mirrors on