It’s that time of year again. A cold snap across many areas of the U.S. has sparked a recurring debate about the performance of electric vehicles in extremely cold conditions. Contrary to the negative portrayal by some legacy media outlets, data and experiences from one of the coldest countries globally provide compelling evidence of the robustness and reliability of EVs, particularly Teslas, in frigid temperatures.
Norway's Real-World Experience with EVs in Cold Weather
Renowned for its harsh winters, Norway has become a global leader in electric vehicle adoption. Interestingly, recent reports from Norwegian rescue services and insurance companies shed light on the performance of EVs versus traditional fossil-fuel vehicles during the recent extreme cold wave.
Svein Setrom from Viking Assistance group told TV2 (and reported by Electrek) that there is a significant increase in service calls this winter, with electric cars proving to be more resilient in the cold. According to Setrom, only 13% of starting difficulties involved electric cars, despite them making up 23% of the country's vehicles. This data highlights that EVs, including Tesla, are almost twice as effective as fossil-fuel cars in cold conditions.
Tesla's Dominance in Norway
Cold weather is nothing new in Norway, the fifth coldest country on the planet. Despite the challenges posed by cold weather, Tesla's popularity continues to soar in Norway. In 2023, Tesla led Norway's car sales for the third consecutive year, with almost five out of six new cars sold being battery-powered. This success is evidence of the efficiency and reliability of Tesla vehicles, even in one of the world's coldest countries.
The continuous growth in Tesla's market share, now standing at 20%, clearly indicates Norwegian consumers' confidence in electric vehicles' performance, even in extreme weather conditions.
Misconceptions About Teslas in Cold Weather
Contrary to some reports, Teslas are designed to cope well with cold temperatures. While it's true that battery efficiency can decrease in extreme cold, leading to reduced range, this issue is not exclusive to EVs. Fossil-fuel vehicles also experience a drop in fuel efficiency in cold weather. Tesla provides comprehensive guidance in their manuals for cold-weather maintenance, and these state-of-the-art vehicles are packed with technology to make winter driving more comfortable.
There are simple practices for Tesla and other EV owners to maximize performance in cold weather. Some recommendations include regular maintenance charging, occasional longer trips to warm up the battery, and avoiding car washes on extremely cold days. These practices and features, like pre-conditioning and battery management systems, ensure that Teslas remain a reliable choice even in harsh winter conditions.
The experience in Norway and real-world data dispel the myth Tesla underperforms in cold weather. Instead, these vehicles have proven more reliable and efficient in extreme cold than their fossil-fuel counterparts. As electric cars continue to gain popularity globally, it's essential to base discussions on facts and real-world experiences rather than unfounded assumptions. Tesla's success in Norway, a country known for its challenging winters, is a clear indicator of the robustness and reliability of EVs in cold climates.
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Tesla has begun to reach out to customers in the United States and is offering demo drives of the Cybertruck on an invite-only basis. @brandonhd on X shared the first invite image, and it looks like it's going out quite quickly to multiple locations that have Cybertrucks on display.
Up until now, display vehicles have been for just that – looking, but no touching. Some Tesla delivery centers and showrooms have also allowed viewers to take a seat inside and open it up, but most are still locked away behind the velvet rope.
It’s exciting to see that Tesla has begun to demo them – and it can only be so long until demo drives open up to everyone.
Advisor-led Demo
This Demo Drive is led by a Tesla Advisor – while you’re driving, the advisor will be in the passenger seat, walking you through the experience. They’ll explain steer-by-wire, off-road controls, and will introduce new-to-Tesla buyers to all the features that are currently available.
The list of locations so far for demo drives appears to be fairly limited, but we will hopefully see demo drives roll out throughout the United States, and eventually Canada too. Here is the current list of city/state locations that have seen demo drive invites.
Actually Smart Summon, the successor to Tesla’s Smart Summon feature, has been confirmed to be coming as soon as next month as per Elon Musk. Colloquially known as “ASS”, Actually Smart Summon is supposed to improve on the regular Smart Summon capabilities, which have historically used ultrasonic sensors (USS) to navigate parking lots.
We’re looking forward to Actually Smart Summon, and we’re quite excited about what other features will be unlocked once it finally shows up at our doorstep.
Vision-based Improvements
ASS is supposed to bring Smart Summon to vehicles that don’t have USS – using Tesla Vision. Most recently, Tesla has brought Autopark to vehicles without USS, and Vision-based Autopark has been a huge success. It is faster, more reliable, and smoother than the older USS-based solution. It can also park and maneuver in tighter locations.
Today, Smart Summon is sometimes useful at best, usually a party trick, or downright dangerous at worst. It’s excellent and best used in straight lines, where you have a clear line of sight of the vehicle, and can stop it if doesn’t see an obstacle.
I used Smart Summon today, just before writing this article – my 2022 Model Y (with USS) – did manage to show up just fine – in a straight-line location from where I was parked, after exiting the parking spot fairly cleanly. However, I’ve previously used Smart Summon and have had the vehicle turn towards obstacles, such as cart returns or curbs. Overall, it’s a sometimes-useful feature that has a lot of drawbacks right now.
Smart Summon is also restricted to a certain distance – and it's pretty small. The max distance is shorter than most parking lots, being only about 215 ft (65m). If you’re lucky enough to park close, it's very useful to bring your car right to you.
Actually Smart Summon
ASS will bring FSD V12-like capabilities to Smart Summon – the vehicle will primarily use Vision to drive toward you (or the location you’ve indicated). ASS has been supposed to be coming since about September 2022 and has seen many delays – we’re almost at the 2-year point today.
We’re looking forward to Actually Smart Summon being able to bring the vehicle – safely – right to you. ASS is also one of the key steps towards bringing some other cool features that Elon Musk has previously mentioned – Park Seek and Banish Autopark.
We’re also hopeful that Actually Smart Summon will increase the maximum range a vehicle can be summoned, because the current range is fairly small. Alongside Park Seek and Banish Autopark, we’re closing in on a Robotaxi-based future.
Park Seek and Banish Autopark
When the FSD v12.4 showed up, Elon also mentioned that going forward, vehicles would automatically park themselves when arriving in a parking lot – Park Seek – and that if you got out of the car at the entrance to a business, you could get it to automatically park itself in the parking lot – Banish Autopark. These are two features that are needed for Robotaxi to work – which itself is delayed to October 10th of this year. We’re looking quite forward to them – as in combination with Actually Smart Summon, Tesla has reached the cusp of vehicle autonomy.
A vehicle that arrives, driverless, at the location you’re at, then drives somewhere, parks itself there, and waits for you – is the definition of a Robotaxi.
While we’re likely to have to wait for Banish Autopark and Park Seek just a bit longer, Actually Smart Summon being around the corner is exciting! Gone will be the days of having to run out to your car when you forgot your umbrella – your car will just come right to you instead.
TeslaFi logs your drives and charging sessions, letting you keep a log of your vehice's activity. We highly recommend checking them out if you use your car for business trips and would like to keep track of reimbursements, if you like to see how much you spend on charging or if you just love statistics. Visit their site and see everything they have to offer!
Tesla Android Project enables you to run Android apps in your Tesla. The platform is Open Source and you can deploy it on your own Raspberry Pi 4. Consider supporting the initiative by donating or purchasing the Compute Module 4 Bundle that delivers the best experience. Get $20 off by using the code: NotATeslaApp
The official Tesla app only notifies you if your car is broken into. By installing Sentry Pro on your phone, you will be notified for all Sentry Mode events. Stay connected and avoid potential surprises by receiving notifications. Stop constantly checking the cameras to ensure safety. Check only when necessary, save battery and get peace of mind. Get a 7 day free trial here!
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