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Tesla Battery Range in Sub-Zero and Snowy Conditions

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Over the month of January I decided to study the impact sub-zero weather conditions had on the battery range of my Tesla Model S and found it to be diminished by roughly 40%. Range will vary depending on one’s driving habits but the effects of winter on a Tesla Model S and its battery range should roughly mirror the data that I was able to collect.

Collecting Battery Range Data

I recorded my Tesla’s rated range at the beginning of the day and once again at the end of the day. I logged the amount of kWhs consumed during my daily journey, the actual miles driven and the average temperature for that day. All of this was plotted into a data grid so that I can analyze the effects winter conditions would have on my battery range. The results were as follows:

Tesla battery range log

Comparing the Tesla Model S rated range display versus the actual rated miles used during winter weather conditions. Results indicate an increase of 21% to as high as a 57% in energy consumption.

 

Results

Plotting the % of rated miles used / miles driven against temperature lets us see the correlation between outside temperature and battery range.

Temp vs Range in Winter

Here you can generally see a trend towards improved efficiency as outside temperature increases. There’s one big outlier which turns out to be a day when the roads were covered in snow and ice. Taking out that data point shows a better correlation between temperature and battery range.

Temperature impact on range

Using a trend line we can see that the outlier at the 57% mark should have been closer to 32% had the roads been more clear. Driving through snow and ice conditions affected the range by an extra 25%.

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The data point at the 30% mark during 14 degree is a result of me pre-warming the Model S while it was still plugged in. Warming your car up from shore power prior to taking a trip improves your efficiency.

Summary

Using the data above and a calculated trend line I came up with the table below. This table is showing the actual maximum range I’d expect to get out of a 85kW battery pack which has a rated range of 265 miles:

This analysis is based on data I collected on my car over the course of one month and during a variety of winter conditions. I found it really eye opening to see the rated range of my Model S  go from 265 to a real world average of 143 miles during the winter (90% charge, 40% range degradation). For the 60kW model this would be 112 miles.

Fortunately Tesla appears to be placing Superchargers closer together which will help alleviate any issue with running out of range because of winter weather conditions.

How do you best prepare for winter driving in your Tesla Model S?

  • Expect to use (on average) 40% more power during the winter.
  • Expect to lose about 10 miles of real range for every 10 degree drop.
  • If the roads aren’t dry expect to lose up to 25% more range.
  • Plan your charging and driving accordingly — don’t cut it close.

I hope this information has helped you understand the effects of winter on the Tesla Model S. If you have your own data, observations or questions to share, we’d love to hear them so leave us a note at the bottom of the page.

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"Rob's passion is technology and gadgets. An engineer by profession and an executive and founder at several high tech startups Rob has a unique view on technology and some strong opinions. When he's not writing about Tesla

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Tesla Cybertruck wanted by U.S. Air Force as targets in munitions training

“…the Cybertruck’s aggressively angular and futuristic design, paired with its unpainted stainless steel exoskeleton, sets it apart from competitors typically using painted steel or aluminum bodies.”

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Credit: Patrick Bean | X

The Tesla Cybertruck is wanted by the United States Air Force as the military branch is buying up a fleet of vehicles specifically for use as targets in munitions training and testing.

The Air Force listed the Cybertruck among 33 total vehicles that will be used specifically to support the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM)’s Standoff Precision Guided Munition (SOPGM) training and tests.

The Cybertruck was specifically chosen because of its durability, the Air Force states in filings that are public:

“[Redacted] intends to uses specific Tesla-manufactured vehicles for target vehicle training flight test events. In the operating theatre it is likely the type of vehicles used by the enemy may transition to Tesla Cyber trucks as they have been found not to receive the normal extent of damage expected upon major impact. Testing needs to mirror real world situations. The intent of the training is to prep the units for operations by simulating scenarios as closely as possible to the real-world situations.”

The documents also state:

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“On 13 February 2025, market research was conducted to assess the competition for the Tesla Cybertruck by evaluating its design, materials, impact resistance, and innovative technologies. The study revealed that the Cybertruck’s aggressively angular and futuristic design, paired with its unpainted stainless steel exoskeleton, sets it apart from competitors typically using painted steel or aluminum bodies. Additionally, its 48V electrical architecture provides superior power and efficiency, a feature that rivals are only beginning to develop. Extensive internet searches and industry outreach by [redacted] found no vehicles with features comparable to those of the Cybertruck.”

In all, the testing will require sedans, Bongo trucks, pickup trucks, SUVs, and the Cybertruck.

It is not the first time the vehicle has been listed as a potential candidate for military or government applications.

Back in February, Tesla was listed as the company projected to win what would be a $400 million contract from the U.S. Department of State for the purchase of armored EVs to be used for government purposes.

Tesla’s name was specifically listed, but was later removed, and CEO Elon Musk said he was not aware of Tesla being mentioned or offered the contract.

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This contract with the Cybertruck and the U.S. Air Force was released today, and it lists “offers due” as tomorrow. It will become inactive 15 days after that, on August 22.

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Tesla stock gets another analysis from Jim Cramer, and investors will like it

“Tesla is morphing right now. It’s in transition from being a car company to being a technology company.”

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Credit: CNBC Television/YouTube

Tesla stock (NASDAQ: TSLA) got its latest analysis from Jim Cramer, and investors will like what he has to say.

Cramer has flip-flopped his thoughts on Tesla shares many times over the years. One time, he said CEO Elon Musk was a genius; the next, he said Ford stock was a better play. He’s always changing his tune.

However, Cramer’s most recent analysis is of a bullish tone, as he talks about the company’s evolution from an automaker to a tech powerhouse. He made the comments on CNBC’s Mad Money:

“Tesla is morphing right now. It’s in transition from being a car company to being a technology company. You wanna be in there because the tech is worth a lot more than what it’s selling for right now. Don’t care where you bought it, care where it’s going to.”

Tesla has always been looked at by the mainstream media as an automaker. While that is its main business currently, Tesla has always had other divisions: Energy, Solar, Charging, AI, and Robotics. Some came after others, but the important point is that Tesla has not been an automaker exclusively for a decade.

It launched Powerwall and Powerpack in April 2015, marking the start of Tesla Energy.

But Cramer has a point here: Tesla is truly becoming much more than a car company, and it is turning into an AI and overall tech company more than ever before. Eventually, it will be recognized as such, more so than it will be as an automotive company.

Cramer’s comments also follow a recent prediction by Musk, who stated on X that he believes a $150,000 investment in Tesla shares right now would eventually turn someone into a millionaire:

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Musk has said he believes Tesla could be headed to a serious increase in valuation. Eventually, it could become the most valuable company in the world. He said this during the Q2 Earnings Call:

“I do think if Tesla continues to execute well with vehicle autonomy and humanoid robot autonomy, it will be the most valuable company in the world. A lot of execution between here and there. It doesn’t just happen. Provided we execute very well, I think Tesla has a shot at being the most valuable company in the world. Obviously, I am extremely optimistic about the future of the company.”

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Elon Musk teases crazy new Tesla FSD model: here’s when it’s coming

Tesla CEO Elon Musk continues to tease some big improvements to Full Self-Driving.

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Credit: Arash Malek/X

Tesla CEO Elon Musk teased a crazy new model of the Full Self-Driving (FSD) suite that could be a major improvement over current models.

Tesla’s Full Self-Driving suite has seen increases in performance over the past few years, with the latest versions being the most robust in company history. There is also an unreleased version, which is operating in the Robotaxi platform in Austin, which does not require supervision from the driver.

The Austin Robotaxi program does use a Safety Monitor who sits in the passenger’s seat.

However, Musk has been teasing improvements to the public version for some time. The CEO said that the new model, which is currently being trained, has roughly ten times the parameters of what is out there now.

He said something similar during the company’s Q2 Earnings Call in July:

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“On the full self-driving front, we continue to make significant improvements just with the software. We are expecting to increase the parameter count to what we think can probably tenfold the parameter count. This is a tricky thing to do because as you increase the parameter count, you get to choke on memory bandwidth. But we currently think we can tenfold the parameter count from what people are currently experiencing.”

He reaffirmed these thoughts last night in a post on the social media platform X. Musk believes the version could be released at the end of next month if testing goes smoothly:

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Increasing parameters will help improve the capabilities of the FSD suite, but as Musk mentioned during the Q2 Earnings dialogue, an increase in parameters can limit memory bandwidth.

Increasing the parameters could lead to unsupervised FSD, or even an expansion of the suite into other regions across the world. Tesla has been hoping to expand into Europe, Asia, and other areas, but regulatory hurdles are the real bottleneck, not FSD’s capability.

Even still, getting more data will make FSD safer and more robust, increasing its usefulness in real-world scenarios and helping Tesla get to a point where autonomous travel is within reach.

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