Tesla Improves Track Mode with Powertrain Endurance Option In Update 2024.38.4

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From the article: Tesla has added a new feature to Track Mode v3 with software update 2024.38.4 and higher. This update lets users configure how aggressively their powertrain is cooled. One of the biggest challenges of racing or tracking Teslas has been sustained performance as drivetrain components start to heat up. Previously, performance was optimized for maximum power, which would result in very high performance initially, but performance would quickly degrade after multiple laps. With this update Tesla is now giving users more control of their vehicle’s performance and cooling.

All that because of the flow design of the rest motor of Performance model 3, as some people start getting leaks

This is cool.  It always made sense to chill the battery as much as possible before a long track run for longevity rather than heat it for peak discharge performance which would lead to quick heat soaking and degraded performance.

Uh, what?

What does this have to do with the leaking rear motors? That's a separate fix.

This is awesome! Very excited about some track days now

I really hope Tesla adds the ability to see the number values for component temperature instead of only being given the colored bars.

Lol and definitely not a software fix

Maybe let us set the threshold for things like brake overheating too

Cant believe people are impressed with this. Tesla are essentially admitting the cars are over heating and are reducing power and/or regen to stop over heating so you’re getting less performance. If you were getting the same performance you would just do it.

I don't track my car so I'm guessing this is for the 0.001% of the population that does

Early 370 Z and C7 Z06 were notorious for thermal problems, but they never got a software update to help manage thermal load over time. Power reduction on ICE is common if charge air, coolant, oil gets too hot.

They need to give us economy mode.

All well-tuned race cars will run close to the limit of their performance, which in many cases means close to overheating. The difference with Tesla is you can control it with software. Others will either rely on the drive’s good behaviour (e.g. “don’t redline it”) or just have artificially limited performance.

All Teslas have this? You can control the acceleration pedal setting, which prevents you from accelerating too quick…which is the only thing that drains the battery faster

No, as in limit the car to 250w per mile, type economy mode.  Chill Mode isn't an economy mode.

Can't enable chill and track mode at the same time.

So what if you’re going up a hill it just won’t let you exceed 10mph?

I think that would be a safety issue. If your ICE engine can only do 30 up a hill while someone is going too fast and runs into the back of you, hey that little engine can only do so much. Life. If you were in the same scenario but the Tesla can only accelerate so much cause the user turned on a setting; people will want to sue.

That's like saying "I spend too much when given access to my own money, my bank needs to limit my card to no more than $50/day". This might be necessary budget management for some, but what happens when you find yourself needing to buy gas & groceries on the same day? What happens in economy mode when you find yourself needing to drive up a hill on a cold day, or needing to quickly burst ahead to avoid getting rear-ended by a careless driver? Efficiency varies greatly by [speed](https://i.imgur.com/I6bO0Bb.png), [air temp](https://i.imgur.com/igfGIcC.png), [cargo](https://i.imgur.com/CiIs3WU.png), [tire pressure](https://i.imgur.com/bfyfnSc.png), [headwind](https://i.imgur.com/mLK6MRd.png), [HVAC power](https://i.imgur.com/1ZRk48r.png) and [slope](https://i.imgur.com/50abtTy.png). Aside from shutting down all cabin heating and going full Apollo 13, speed is the biggest lever you can pull while driving to maintain average efficiency. My 6-year-old Model 3 AWD matches it's [rated efficiency](https://www.reddit.com/r/teslamotors/comments/iws58g/model_3_factfinding_an_endtoend_efficiency/) of 145 Wh/km (234 Wh/mi) at 105 km/h. Increasing speed by 10% increases energy use by ~21% thanks to aerodynamics. Drive slower overall, or use Tesla's Speed Limit mode if you can't control your right foot.

The brake overheating is based on a calculation i think. I don’t think they have actual sensors in there. It assumes brake temperature based on how much you’re braking. It’s what I’ve heard so don’t quote me on this.

You're what ifing. Nobody forces you to drive in Track mode just like nobody forces you to drive in an Economy mode. These newer cars use more power. You can literally drive from a supercharger going slow and it will still use 500-1000 Wh/km. So you might wanna upgrade your car before you talk.

Someone can run into the back in you in Chill mode. I had someone run into the back of me while in Standard mode.

Are you going to go up a hill in Chill mode? Or are you going to go up a steep hill in Standard mode?

Wugz has been posting for years and knows what he's talking back. I mean can you force an ICE engine into 30mpg mode? No, not if you want it to actually behave like a normal car.

you can go up a hill in either mode, that doesn't change the energy consumption to hold a steady speed. This is basic physics. All the mode does is change the pedal mapping if the vehicle speed is fixed and the road load changes.

It’s not “an improvement” though as NATA claim. Its simply a lower power option to prevent over heating

You suggested the mode, chief, I'm just pointing out the obvious safety flaws with artificially limiting the car's power to obtain an arbitrary efficiency when you can do the same without the risks by using judicious modulation of the Go pedal. Even when [I purposely thrashed my efficiency](https://www.reddit.com/r/teslamotors/comments/kq39dy/model_3_factfinding_winter_edition_effects_of/gi1nq0b/) by yo-yoing the speed at -20°C to heat up the battery I still only saw 402 Wh/km (just under triple my car’s rated efficiency). 1000 Wh/km at 30 km/h is 15x the expected usage; you'd practically have to be hauling a family of sumo wrestlers up the slopes of K2 to see that. With the efficiencies introduced by the heat pump and the newer drivetrain in Highland, [EPA rated energy consumption has gone down](https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=40385&id=47908) with successive generations of Model 3.

> The brake overheating is based on a calculation i think. I don’t think they have actual sensors in there. It assumes brake temperature based on how much you’re braking. It’s what I’ve heard so don’t quote me on this. Too late, I got you!

Shit, I’m cooked!

You drive a Model 3, I don't. I shouldn't burn 1000w/ a mile when leaving a supercharger. Having an Encon mode won't do anything. ICE cars have it.

A Toyota Camry has no problem going up a hill. And it produces way less power than a Tesla.

ICE cars have economy mode. I don't care what you think he knows. ICE cars have this feature. You don't have to use it. >What Is Eco Mode? >Eco mode is an economical mode for modern vehicles. If you activate Eco mode, your car will sacrifice some power and responsiveness for better fuel economy. Therefore, it is a good function for those who want to save fuel. >When Eco Mode is activated, the features of the vehicle are altered to provide more efficiency. However, it is also known for reducing performance in order to achieve this efficiency.  >What Does Eco Mode Do? >Eco Mode restricts performance from the transmission and engine to achieve better fuel efficiency. Even if you push hard on the accelerator while Eco Mode is activated, you aren’t going to receive mind-blowing power. Instead, it’s going to only operate within the constraints programmed by the automaker. >Eco Mode can also alter the fuel and air intake to create a better mixture for efficiency. These adjustments further add to the lack of responsiveness and power.  >To activate Eco Mode, the driver can push the button or turn the dial. This action can be taken while the car is moving, and doesn’t require any special tools to complete.  >Eco Mode Pros > >When the manufacturer installs Eco Mode, the adjustments are automatically set to save as much fuel as possible. In all cases, this involves throttling back the output of the engine and transmission. >However, some models also adjust the air and fuel mixture to further promote efficiency. It’s estimated that using Eco Mode could cut back on fuel consumption by 3-10% when used in the right circumstances.  >2. Easy to Use >It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out how to use Eco Mode. In fact, manufacturers couldn’t make the system any easier to use. >In some vehicles, there’s a special button to activate Eco Mode. Other models use a dial selector for altering the drive modes, with the Eco option as one of them. Thankfully, Eco Mode is just as easy to turn off when you are ready for some on-road fun again.  >Eco Mode Cons > >To achieve better fuel economy, the automaker puts limits on the engine power while running in Eco Mode. If you are on the highway, you likely won’t appreciate the benefits this fuel-saving system provides. >Additionally, if you like to step on the accelerator and get moving quickly, it’s not going to happen with this system activated. Instead, pulling out from a stop is going to feel a little more gradual.  >2. Torque Reduction >There are some times when extra torque is needed. For example, if you are towing or you are facing a steep incline, torque is necessary for a smooth ride. >When Eco Mode is activated, torque is reduced for better fuel economy. That’s why Eco Mode isn’t favorable among people needing high-torque performance.  It's foolish to say it can't be done.

Medium rare plz.

Now do snow mode!

You [drive a Model Y](https://www.reddit.com/r/teslamotors/comments/1ge50y7/standardizing_automotive_connectivity_tesla/lu98tre/). Every Model Y [gets better fuel economy](https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=40385&id=42916&id=45018&id=47913) than the 2018 Model 3 I drive because of the heat pump. You [posted elsewhere](https://www.reddit.com/r/teslamotors/comments/1gfavbj/tesla_improves_track_mode_with_powertrain/lujvian/?context=10000) that "even ICE cars have an Eco mode", and the mechanism "puts limits on the engine power" and "torque is reduced". This is [exactly what Chill mode does](https://www.reddit.com/r/teslamotors/comments/iws58g/model_3_factfinding_an_endtoend_efficiency/g628al1/) by reducing peak current draw and lowering the resulting I^2 R losses from the drivetrain. On a full launch Chill mode saves about 10% energy, but even a full launch up to highway speed only consumes ~0.5 kWh (most of which you get back when you slow down). The bulk of energy loss on any journey is the rolling resistance and aerodynamic drag while maintaining a steady speed, neither of which can be "tuned" by a power profile unless it involves limiting speed. If you're seeing momentary 1000 Wh/mi spikes when leaving a supercharger it's because the calculation is based on distance travelled, and when you've only gone 0.1 mi from your last charging stop that's a very small divisor, so any auxiliary use such as HVAC while stationary is temporarily magnified. What's your average at the end of the drive?

Though it doesn't have a user-accessible toggle on Model 3, [Snow mode](https://www.reddit.com/r/teslamotors/comments/rggnk8/model_3_factfinding_awd_split_power_bias_snow/) happened 3 years ago...

He is speaking of the equivalent of an economy mode that caps engine power to a target fuel economy or efficiency by severely limiting power and torque and vehicle speed or acceleration. That doesn’t exist. It’s different pedal mapping and shift schedule, even torque curve, which is not the same thing as hard limits to achieve fuel economy number.  If you wanted to cap EV efficiency to say 250 wh/mile you would need to severely limit max speed and acceleration.  The market won’t accept that. It’s dangerous.

That’s not how road load works.  https://dis.epa.gov/otaqpub/display_file.jsp?docid=34102&flag=1

Look it needs no vents cause there is no engine! *Proceeds to overheat within minutes.* Why cant they sell, like a ‘Performance’ version of the car that has enough cooling in it? Are there aftermarket cooling kits? Like what you buy with a turbo kit?

they will want to sue you bc they ran into the back of you because they weren’t paying attention? or am i missing something lol

Automatic z06’s and they still didn’t cook the brakes. Tesla half baked the Performance models and they are sporty but not track ready.

I believe federal law requires cars to meet minimum performance thresholds and 250W would be well below that

Wow, you really have no idea how your car works, do you? Put a brick under your accelerator if you're really unable to keep from pressing down on it yourself.

Switch to 800v and it's WAY easier to cool the battery because less current going through I believe when charging and discharging. It's why the Ioniq 5N and Taycan have no major overheating issues. Same with the lucid

That sounds great, a "Performance" model! Maybe they could have some kind of "Track" mode that you could activate when you are on a racetrack so you could have CONSISTENT LAP TIMES.......

It happened with the launch of the first AWD Model S.

Meanwhile you are crying on Reddit. ICE cars have an economy mode. Chill mode is more of a balanced mode.

I was going off what the some of the averages I was getting. It can be 300Wh/mil for all I care.

Crying on Reddit? I come here to learn new info about features my cars have. Instead I have to read through idiotic comments about people not understanding how to control the power output from their cars. ICE cars have different engine mappings that are constantly being modified - lean vs. rich fueling, ignition advancing vs. retarding, intake/exhaust valve overlap, etc. Precisely NONE of that applies to an electric motor. None. More current flow = more power output. Want less power output? Then push down less on the throttle. End. Of. Discussion.

The wires and the electrical components can get smaller so helps for the motor, inverter, and wiring but this does not help the battery. Ioniq 5N and Taycan have better thermal systems and cell designs to manage high continuous discharge currents. There is the same heat generated from the battery pack at 400V and 800V. Let's assume you have 125 Ah, 3.65V nominal cells with 192 in series. This makes a 700.8V, 87.6 kWh pack. Running at 87.6 kW is 700.8V & 125 Amps. So 125 Amps per cell. Can make at half the voltage, be a pack with 2 cells in parallel, 96 of these groups of 2 parallel cells. This is now a 350.4V, 87.6 kWh. Running at 87.6 kW is 350.4V & 250 Amps. But since 2 cells in parallel, this is still 125 Amps per cell. Since same current per cell, this is same heat generated since heat generated is a function of current .

If you're on a track and you have chill mode on, you might not belong there

And now month later they added something similar except it only kicks in when your battery is low.

Now a month later, they just added something similar to what I asked for. The only difference is it activates only when your battery is low.

I hit turtle mode after about 7 laps at HPDE sessions. It’s annoying and you really have to come up with a strategy to minimize it. Also smoothness with the throttle does require more mastery than a gas car since the power is so instantaneous.

It does, but chill mode makes the throttle incredibly lazy so not something suitable for passing or coming off corners.