Anyone Not Preconditioning Their Car?

I’ve been skipping preconditioning my car before starting it since it needs to stay plugged into the charger. Because of that, I always see my range drop a few miles quickly, and the battery percentage goes down by 1% or so. Today, though, I tried preconditioning for 15 minutes, and surprisingly, my range stayed steady at 230 miles and even went up to 232! Drove to some nearby shops, around 2.1 miles away, and the range still read 232. The battery only dropped from 85% to 84%. I have the extended range all-wheel drive, and I’m hoping that maybe, just maybe, the range at full charge will cross 300 miles someday. It feels like progress at least.

You know there are settings that let you precondition even if the car isn’t plugged in, right?

Gerald said:
You know there are settings that let you precondition even if the car isn’t plugged in, right?

Yeah, I know, but wouldn’t that just use up the battery, defeating the point?

That’s not how battery technology works. Preconditioning mainly helps when it’s cold outside, so the battery can hold a decent charge. It won’t ever give you more capacity. Climate control for the cabin can help too, but it uses a lot of energy over time, and opinions vary on how much that actually helps.

@Lucypiper
So, do you think it being 11 degrees outside wouldn’t make a difference?

Why are you expecting your range to magically increase to 300? It’ll likely stay around 230 miles and could even drop more as the weather gets colder. This is just how it works, nothing unusual about it. People need to stop treating the range like it’s some kind of status indicator.

@Adley
But isn’t the Premium Extended Range supposed to go over 300? Are you saying it’s just meant to stay at 250?

Gracie said:
@Adley
But isn’t the Premium Extended Range supposed to go over 300? Are you saying it’s just meant to stay at 250?

Depends on the model year. The older all-wheel drive models are rated just under 300. But remember, that’s with a full charge and city driving only. Highway trips, winter temps, or charging to the recommended 90% will bring that down. The range estimate tries to be accurate based on your driving patterns.

Gracie said:
@Adley
But isn’t the Premium Extended Range supposed to go over 300? Are you saying it’s just meant to stay at 250?

Are you charging all the way to 100% each time?

Honestly, I just drive. The only reason I precondition is to have a warm cabin.

Wait, so are you asking if preconditioning always helps? It only really makes a difference when it’s cold enough that the battery struggles to hold a full charge. Otherwise, the range depends on your driving efficiency and the battery’s actual capacity. If you want to match the EPA range, you should be getting around 3.1 miles per kWh. That would put you close to the estimated range at 100%.