One of the biggest concerns when buying a Tesla is how to make sure you maintain a healthy battery and get the most out of your range. There are plenty of features on your Tesla that you can use in order to save your battery life and avoid noticeable degradation of the charging abilities. Below are some suggestions on what settings you might want to change in your Tesla.
Range Mode: Turn on Range Mode to optimize your Tesla’s energy efficiency. This will reduce the amount of energy used by the climate control system, limit acceleration, and decrease top speed.
Regenerative Breaking: This will help your vehicle’s range by using the energy produced when you brake to recharge the battery. Make sure your regenerative braking is set to its highest level to maximize the amount of energy you van recapture.
Climate Control: The heating and cooling systems in your Tesla can use a significant amount of energy, so it’s important to use them sparingly. Try to keep the temperature settings moderate and avoid using the seat heaters, which can use more energy than you might expect.
Charging: Charge your Tesla regularly, but try not to over charge it. Avoid chagrinning to 100% unless you need the extra range for a particular trip. Try to keep the battery level between 20%-80% whenever possible. You can change the settings on your Tesla to have the battery stop charging at 80% rather than the full 100% to ensure you are not over charging.
Energy Saving: Turn on the Energy Saving mode when the car will be parked for an extended time to reduce the amount of energy your vehicle uses while parked.
Driving Habits: Your driving can have a significant impact on your battery life. Try to avoid sudden accelerations and hard braking, which can use a lot of energy. Also, try to drive at a steady speed and avoid idling or driving at high speeds for extended periods.
Wheel Size: Yes, size does matter. Bigger wheels minimize the number of miles covered due to reduced efficiency as a result of increased rolling resistance and can apply to wheels that are too small. Be sure you are using a tire size that makes the most sense for your car.
Suspension Height: Some Teslas have the options to lower their suspension. Doing so will reduce drag and will affect the range of your car, therefore saving you energy.
Preconditioning: By prepping your car before charging or before driving it, you are ensuring that the battery is at ample temperature to perform the next action. Warming the battery does use up energy, if you give your car enough time to warm up instead of looking for it to be warmed instantaneously, you will not only be saving energy, but will be helping your battery life in the long run.
Sentry Mode: IF you are parked overnight in a secure place, turn off Sentry Mode. This will help prevent the Tesla battery drain overnight and will extend your battery life over time if it is something can can keep turned off more often.