Daily charging protocol in cold weather states. Not worried about electric expense.

[Mongcon]

I live in Montana. Have an unheated garage. Have solar panels so not too worried about electricity usage. Should I just keep my RS1 plugged in all the time? And if always plugged in, should I tell it to always keep the cabin warm? Will doing that keep the battery warm as the cabin heating comes on and off?

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[COdogman]

I have an unheated garage here in CO and I leave mine plugged in all the time at home, but that's only because I have L1 charging so it goes very slow. It seems to keep the battery warmer than if it were not plugged in, but on really cold mornings I still get the regen/ acceleration warning because the battery needs to warm up more.

I typically don't even bother warming up the cabin before I drive after it's been in the garage. I do that before I leave work though. It sits all day unplugged there.

 

[ndmiller]

Yes keep it plugged in all the time and let it do it's thing.

 

[genepopemt]

Do limit your charge to 70% to 80% unless you are planning a longer drive. You will get much better long term battery life that way.

 

[240vPlug]

Keep it plugged in but not necessary or a good idea to run climate control all the time.

 

[BigSkies]

Keep it plugged in with the battery limit set to 70%, unless you happen to need more that day.

You’ll get a bit of an efficiency boost if it finishes charging soon before your departure, as that keeps the battery warm. But it’s not a big enough deal to try to rearrange your life or daily schedule around. We’re all hoping for a software update that schedules charging around a scheduled departure time.

One thing that I think helped here in CO is throwing some insulation into the garage walls and garage door. It doesn’t keep the garage warm by any means. But it’s maybe 10-15 degrees warmer than the outdoors on a cold morning. I did this for my own personal comfort, but it’s not bad for the truck either.

 

[Dark-Fx]

No need to do anything at all beyond making sure you recharge before the battery level starts to get low.

 

[Hopper]

Precondition the cabin while plugged in. I think this also serves to warm the batter some, possibly by kicking charging back on.

 

[KBabione]

One thing that I think helped here in CO is throwing some insulation into the garage walls and garage door. It doesn’t keep the garage warm by any means. But it’s maybe 10-15 degrees warmer than the outdoors on a cold morning. I did this for my own personal comfort, but it’s not bad for the truck either.

Ah - the downside of an EV: A colder garage! I'm in PA, but have an insulated garage (including the door) and have already noticed that the garage is colder now than when we kept in ICE vehicle in there. The other change we've had to make: Brushing snow off the R1S hood before bringing it into the garage! It turns out that, without a large heat generator under the hood, the snow just sits on the hood. I don't have a drain in the garage (hindsight is always 20/20) so I don't want all of that snow melting in there.

 

[John G.]

You’ll get a bit of an efficiency boost if it finishes charging soon before your departure, as that keeps the battery warm.

This works well for me too during the winter time in Washington State where my R1T lives and charges outside the garage 24/7.

I also precondition the cabin temperature from the app on my phone about 5 minutes before I leave.

 

[mczouav]

I have an unheated garage here in CO and I leave mine plugged in all the time at home, but that's only because I have L1 charging so it goes very slow. It seems to keep the battery warmer than if it were not plugged in, but on really cold mornings I still get the regen/ acceleration warning because the battery needs to warm up more.

I typically don't even bother warming up the cabin before I drive after it's been in the garage. I do that before I leave work though. It sits all day unplugged there.

During recent night frosts, I noticed my new r1s battery to be at 16c in the moring after an overnight 26amp/ L2 charge of 30kwh in the insulated garage starting at 10c the previous evening. So the battery definitely heats up during the charge. Perhaps it has resistors to heat up the battery during charge like some other pseudo-evs (prius prime)? This usually allows the battery to accept more kwh in cold situations. But i have yet to read the manual fully...

We have an insulated garage, no heating. Rivian charging makes it a bit warmer too. Never noticed it with the nissan leaf, but it has a 62kwh battery only.

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