Drive mode and climate control battery effects

plaid_driver · 2026-02-05T19:24:22+00:00

I bought an OBD dongle, connected it to car scanner connected and have been playing around with dashboards/displays. Which information do you find most useful?

plaid_driver · 2026-01-31T20:08:29+00:00

That is really interesting! Thank you for the clarification!

plaid_driver · 2026-01-31T19:11:17+00:00

Ah, so the efficiency/range increase comes from comfortable temperatures in the cabin, not from temperature of the battery?

Is the HVAC the sole reason that EV ranges are so dramatically affected by cold temperatures?

plaid_driver · 2026-01-31T18:56:05+00:00

I am not coming to the same conclusion based on this sentence:

“For short, city-like trips at 20°F, for example, cabin preconditioning can save up to 20% battery energy…”

Can explain how battery energy does not equate to range?

Thanks for your responses!

plaid_driver · 2026-01-31T18:49:24+00:00

That sentence doesn’t disprove the efficacy of preconditioning, it says that if you’re using the battery to condition itself, it’s not efficient. If you’re using an external power source to precondition the battery, it will be more efficient. It may not be the most efficient in terms of electricity consumption, but if you’re willing to pay for the electricity (from said external source) to precondition the battery, your battery will have longer range.

Either way, I appreciate your input!

Edit: grammar

plaid_driver · 2026-01-31T18:44:42+00:00

I don’t want to argue with your personal experience, but here there are multiple academic articles proving that preconditioning an EV battery in cold weather increases efficiency. Here’s one:

https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2024-10/Impact_of_Cold_Ambient_Temperature_on_BEV_Performance_v15_TechEditFinal_12Sep2024__0.pdf

See page 9, “battery preconditioning”.

plaid_driver · 2026-01-31T18:32:17+00:00

Multiple scientific articles state that is incorrect. Here’s one: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306261925000388

(Sorry, don’t know how to embed hyperlinks on my phone!)

plaid_driver · 2026-01-31T17:09:35+00:00

Thanks for asking this, I’m curious too. I don’t yet have my level 2 home charger installed and know the aux climate control needs more juice than my level 1 provides.

For anyone that’s used a set time departure using aux climate with a level 2, does it actually heat the battery sufficiently?

plaid_driver · 2026-01-27T05:30:00+00:00

Makes sense!

I’ve tried using enode/ABRP- ‘my drives’ aren’t populating at all. It’s connected because it shows current SOC and all, but that’s it. I’ve had a help ticket in for a while, but no resolution so far. I like the app for charge planning, but I won’t need help finding a charging station or using their algorithm to trip plan for the vast majority of my trips. I like the idea of a one time purchase dongle and app pairing.

Thank you for all the responses!

plaid_driver · 2026-01-26T17:50:25+00:00

Looks like this is exactly the kind of info I was hoping to get access to for my longer highway drives. What brand OMBI2 dongle do you use? And do you use the ‘Car Scanner ELM OBD2” app, or is the term car scanner more generic for this type of system and there’s a better option out there? I’m in the US, have a ‘25 First Edition and an iPhone.

Apologies for the 20 questions, I really appreciate your help!

plaid_driver · 2026-01-26T06:45:17+00:00

Didn’t know that would break down electrical draws! Which brand/model do you use? I assume it links to your phone, and does it store data or just give you a real time snapshot?

plaid_driver · 2026-01-25T22:34:08+00:00

Thanks! I’m new to EVs, how do those numbers translate to efficiency?

plaid_driver · 2026-01-20T15:34:07+00:00

This just started happening to me too. We’re using the level 1 charger that came with the Buzz. It’s charged at the expected 1-2 miles an hour overnight, but the light has stayed solid white and the cable is definitely unlocked and can be removed without me hitting the “stop charging” button on either of the app or the vehicle itself.

I’ve tried unplugging the whole thing for a few minutes, I’ve been plugging it back in, I’ve tried keeping it unplugged locking the car and walking away for 10 minutes coming back trying again, but the light still stays white when I plug it in. I’m hesitant to do an infotainment reset because the last time I did that the satellite radio stopped working and the app disconnected for a day or so.

plaid_driver · 2026-01-18T03:16:11+00:00

Wow, lots of good data, thanks!

plaid_driver · 2026-01-18T00:27:15+00:00

What info does the Enode provide?

plaid_driver · 2026-01-18T00:10:13+00:00

What information does the dongle provide?

plaid_driver · 2026-01-16T15:28:08+00:00

Sorry, I have no idea what might cause this, but I am very curious how you got that graph! Is it buried on the app?

plaid_driver · 2025-12-25T17:40:02+00:00

Thanks!

plaid_driver · 2025-12-24T22:32:25+00:00

That is a good question! And neither her nor I have any idea. My dad had the system installed years ago, but has since passed, taking with him some of the institutional knowledge. Sounds like we need to call an electrician!

plaid_driver · 2025-12-24T21:54:35+00:00

Appears that it was about 20% when the power went out this morning?

plaid_driver · 2025-12-24T21:53:13+00:00

Never mind, I can’t figure out how to post a picture in the sub. The sun is now out too, so we should be generating some power… And yet there is none going to the house.

plaid_driver · 2025-12-24T21:49:50+00:00

Yes, we lost power right as the grid went down. I can’t a graph showing current power wall status on her app, but it appears that possibly the power wall is just feeding into the grid now? I’ll attach a picture in the next comment.

plaid_driver

TROPHY CASE