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Will the Tesla Model S Get Poor Range in Cold Weather?

Ia question asked by David Noland, a Tesla Model S reservation holder who is also a freelance writer. He posted an article on greencarreports.com, asking whether to go for the $10,000 more expensive 60 kWh battery pack for his car, factoring in his daily commute needs, as well as batteries’ loss of capacity during extremely cold weather.
Tesla Model S 1 photo
Photo: Tesla
And thus, he has discovered that there is no real data available to answer his question, as Tesla’s range-calculating application only goes as low as 0°C (32°F), so it’s not really helpful, given the low temperatures often recorded in his home state of New York and its surroundings. He reportedly got an email from Tesla's CEO, Elon Musk, saying that the drop in capacity would be closer to 20%, not 40.

If the Model S would suffer from the same drop in range as the Chevrolet Volt, which can lose up to 40% of its battery capacity in really cold weather, then a 40 kWh battery pack would leave him stranded, with around 32 km (20 miles) from his destination, as its range would drop significantly. This has prompted us to ask ourselves the same question, having realized that nobody has really mentioned the problem of cold weather range for the Model S, despite reports that it could actually exceed its predicted range.
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