# Helpful hints for driving Tesla 3



## Panda (Apr 25, 2017)

The reason for this thread

Hello Tesla 3 club,

Soon we will have plenty of Tesla 3 drivers with valuable insights into the do's and don'ts around driving the car including instruction manual type advice so we can all learn as much as we can while waiting for our turn to have one delivered.

Note: If I'm accused of living vicariously through others while I desperately wait, you are completely right.


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## Dan Detweiler (Apr 8, 2016)

Don't hit anything...

I think that one is pretty safe. 

Dan


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## Vin (Mar 30, 2017)

Don't drool on the car when you first see it in person 

However, I may give it a nice big kiss!


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## garsh (Apr 4, 2016)

Don't forget to plug the car in at night.

When I do that with my Leaf & can't make it to work, I end up driving to an L2 charger close by and sitting in the car for 30-40 minutes until it has enough charge to make it. I'm hoping the Tesla app can be set up to warn me when I forget to do this.


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## ModFather (Apr 3, 2016)

Don't loan your car to your BIL, you know which one I mean!

I like what Franz told the Motor Trend writer, "Drive it like it's yours!"


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## Vin (Mar 30, 2017)

Pre-heat the car on cold mornings so battery won't use as much energy/charge as not pre-heating when you start your drive.


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## Brokedoc (May 28, 2017)

My best advice (aside from the awesome suggestions already) is be gentle on the accelerator. and use smooth adjustments. Torque is instant and if you push the pedal too much, you and your passengers will feel it. Alternatively, if you lift your foot off the accelerator too fast, full regen kicks in and then your passengers feel it the other way. I estimate the neutral point at about 25-30% of travel on the accelerator where there is no regen and there is no acceleration so if you want to coast, you need to find that balance point on the accelerator but still keep your foot there.

The second thing is that the bearings on this car must be much higher quality than ICE cars. If you are stopped at a light on an incline, you will start moving as soon as you let go of the brake. Part of this may also be due to the lack of creep (unless you select it) Brake hold is a very useful feature that you need to take advantage of. Basically when you apply the brake and the car comes to a stop, There's a little brake symbol with an H in the middle that appears on the dash. That means brake hold is on and you can lift your foot but the brake is still applied. This will hold the car until the light turns green and you step on the accelerator. IF you stop at the light and take your foot off the brake but then tap the brake, brake hold releases and you're essentially in neutral until you step on the accelerator.


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## mig (Jul 10, 2017)

garsh said:


> Don't forget to plug the car in at night.
> 
> When I do that with my Leaf & can't make it to work, I end up driving to an L2 charger close by and sitting in the car for 30-40 minutes until it has enough charge to make it. I'm hoping the Tesla app can be set up to warn me when I forget to do this.


I did that several times a year when I had a LEAF. Luckily there is a Blink DCFC nearby, and I could limp there and get 75 miles in 30-45 minutes. However, a lot of times that charger was broken down, and I had to just slowly drive back home and call it a work-from-home day.

It is much nicer having a ~7kW charger in the i3. I check the state of charge in the morning and if I forgot to plugin, it is just an extra hour or so at home charging.

This will be a lot less of a problem in an EV with a 200+ mile range. I'll have to forget to charge multiple days in a row for it to be an issue.


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## Brokedoc (May 28, 2017)

Vin said:


> Pre-heat the car on cold mornings so battery won't use as much energy/charge as not pre-heating when you start your drive. (preferably pre-heat while plugged in)


I believe the charger disconnects after reaching the preset charge level (usually 90% for Daily and 100% for Road Trip) This prevents overcharging. I've left the car plugged in and after a few days, instead of my usual 213 miles, I may see 210 or 211. I don't think preheating while plugged in will use charger power unless the battery falls to a certain level where the charger kicks in again.


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## Brokedoc (May 28, 2017)

One tip for ownership is battery charging habits. HEAT is the number one enemy of batteries. Tesla has an amazing oil cooled heat dissipation system for their batteries and I credit that for the amazing longevity of the battery packs. Many owners report only 10-15% degradation after several years whereas my phone battery seems to be unusable after only 2 years.

Supercharge AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE because you are dumping massive amounts of energy into the battery quickly and creating TONS of heat. I know users that stop at superchargers regularly and use that as their primary mode of recharging thinking that they're getting free electricity but their battery longevity will suffer. Plus, M3 owners will not have free supercharging available so don't use it if possible. On road trips, I make limited stops at superchargers and try to choose hotels with destination chargers so if I stop overnight I can top up the battery slower than at a supercharger. Most hotels that have destination charging allow charging for free if you stay there - likely for M3 owners also.

Also, I don't charge every night because my daily commute is only about 40 miles. I typically charge every 3rd or 4th day when I get under 100 miles of range. Charging less frequently and letting the battery cycle a little deeper supposedly also increases battery longevity. Finally, Although I have a max 40 Amp available for me to charge (on a 50 Amp NEMA outlet), I adjust the current (selectable on the user screen) to the lowest current that will have the car fully charged by the time I need it in the AM. Usually that's around 20-25 amps for 8 hours. Again, less current equals less heat and longer battery life.


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## Ormond (Aug 2, 2017)

I also prefer charging at home drawing less amps. 

I use plugshare.com to get information on the availability of charging options on a trip. The hotels with destination chargers are usually nice. I inquire at the destination to make sure they're in service.


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## Ninja (Jun 25, 2017)

Do:

If its a cold winter day and you want to drive your Model 3, go to the Tesla App via phone and turn on the heat so the car can warm up. No need to walk outside in the frigid temps.


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## Brokedoc (May 28, 2017)

Ormond said:


> I also prefer charging at home drawing less amps.
> 
> I use plugshare.com to get information on the availability of charging options on a trip. The hotels with destination chargers are usually nice. I inquire at the destination to make sure they're in service.


I have yet to use a destination charger at a hotel. Have you come across situations where another EV is done charging but still plugged in? Destination chargers are slower than Superchargers and don't carry penalties for being plugged in when fully charged so I'm curious what will happen as more Teslas are on the road.


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## Ormond (Aug 2, 2017)

Brokedoc said:


> I have yet to use a destination charger at a hotel. Have you come across situations where another EV is done charging but still plugged in? Destination chargers are slower than Superchargers and don't carry penalties for being plugged in when fully charged so I'm curious what will happen as more Teslas are on the road.


I have limited experience, but the hotel valets moved the Teslas to take turns charging. I've only taken one trip in my X.


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## Brokedoc (May 28, 2017)

The CORRECT way to drive your new Tesla is on Autopilot while reading M3OC! (Just kidding. I was parked.)


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## Panda (Apr 25, 2017)

Solid advice from everyone and only day 1 of thread. Thanks to all for starting the ball rolling.


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## Randy (Aug 1, 2016)

Vin said:


> Don't drool on the car when you first see it in person
> 
> !


Don't slip in the puddle of drool from the other vehicle's owner's lusting over your new M3
Randy


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## Panda (Apr 25, 2017)

Gars


Randy said:


> Don't slip in the puddle of drool from the other vehicle's owner's lusting over your new M3
> Randy


Garsh beat you to the punch line in post 3.


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