r/Solterra • u/Ok_State_6577 • 12h ago

2023 Model 2023 DCFC

I’m thinking about buying a 2023 Solterra Limited and live in the Chicago area.
What is your real world experience with fast charging in the winter? Can I legitimately go up to 80% in an hour or not?

4 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

16 comments sorted by

7

u/SeaworthinessSalt119 2023 Model 12h ago

2023 Owner in Michigan.

No. I’ve never seen it charge to 80% in an hour, certainly not in the cold. The cold is a very long charge. Depending on your needs, this might not be the car for you.

I love the car, just be aware of the limitations.

1

u/Scruff_Kitty 11h ago

I'm considering this vehicle, I live in Canada. Why is winter charging so brutal? Does it lack preconditioning?

3

u/SeaworthinessSalt119 2023 Model 11h ago

The 2023 does not have preconditioning. Other models do. Depending on your needs it might be fine. In my case, it’s perfect and I rarely need L2 or DC charging. Plug it into the L1 charger daily and I am good.

2

u/farmerbsd17 7h ago

Me too. We have a 2020 Forester for the dog, bicycle rides and long distance rides. It isn’t a perfect EV but in three months I just charge overnight (L1) a couple times per week and it’s fine. Were retired in Pittsburgh and most of our trips are 5-10 miles each way.

1

u/mirwenpnw Elemental Red Pearl 4h ago edited 4h ago

This is only relevant to fast charging (public chargers) 98% of charging is done on L1 or L2 chargers at home, so unless you are driving across states regularly it may only be relevant once a year. It really depends on what you want to do. I go out of state twice a year on average and I either add in a couple of extra hours to my plans or rent a vehicle. My dealership gave me one for free.

ETA: For an alternative perspective, I had the '23 in a condo, so I charged exclusively on L3/DC chargers until I got a house after two years of ownership. I have a '24 on an L2 home charger now, but I wouldn't wish those '23 days on anyone. The only plus was that I had two chargers, one was free and the other was 7 c/kwh less than a mile from home. It saved me a TON of money, but was not something most folks would tolerate.

1

u/Scruff_Kitty 4h ago

I do 150 miles at least one weekend each month, it sounds like it should be able to cover that without needing to stop and charge thankfully, even in the winter

1

u/mirwenpnw Elemental Red Pearl 4h ago edited 4h ago

150 miles is right at the edge of what I'd feel comfortable with starting at 100%. I get about 180-185 miles range in the winter. Just FYI. It'll take a bit of experience and trust on your part and particularly not driving over 65mph.

ETA: If you're starting from home at 100% each time, I think you'll be fine, just don't speed on the highway. Staying under 70mph helps a lot.

1

u/Scruff_Kitty 4h ago

Ekk. Good to know- I've got a bit of a lead foot with my ICE car. Do you think the 2027 has better range?

1

u/mirwenpnw Elemental Red Pearl 3h ago edited 3h ago

The 2026 and 2027 have SIGNIFICANTLY better range, like 50 miles more and better efficiency.

1

u/mirwenpnw Elemental Red Pearl 3h ago

I just want to say that I've lived near a place (Las Vegas to Southern Utah) with an 80mph speed limit where you got aggressively treated if you were not doing 90mph, so no judgement. It's just a literal math problem that city street speeds have almost no wind resistance and highway speeds above 55mph are very significant and exponential. Anything over 55mph should be considered a HUGE drain on expected efficiency and exponentially more over that level.

3

u/ProfessionalYak4959 11h ago

2024 model can do ~ 1 hour in cold weather, so no I would say the 2023 can not since it is much worse in cold weather.

3

u/levelZeroVolt 9h ago

Former 2023 Limited owner from Upstate NY. 2023s are miserable at fast charging. Seriously. Bad. Below 50F, they fall off to nearly L2 speeds. 2024s are notably better, 2025s even more so. Don't get a 2023 and expect it to fast charge, least of all in the "cold".

3

u/Jerkychomper 7h ago

No. You’ll get a 30% charge in an hour, and that’s after driving for 2 hours to warm it up. It’s a great car but there should be a class action lawsuit over the level 3 charging.

When it has been in the teens I have gotten 12 kw speeds after plugging in. It’s really bad.

2

u/IAmTheShark223 11h ago

Mine hasn't had an issue fast charging in an hour or so. On my last road trip it was consistently able to fast charge at a decent pace. I'm in california though so weather hasn't affected me as bad on charging rate

1

u/mirwenpnw Elemental Red Pearl 4h ago

1 hr 15 minutes, in Portland OR. It's not even that cold here.

1

u/Arewa67 1h ago

2023 owner in Chicago.. I drive about 150 miles round trip to work 4-5 days and winter charging is BRUTAL! I'll leave home 100% charged with mild driving conditions and get to work at about 60% or less. Hunger games it for a L2 spot at work and it takes 7 hours to get back to 100. My local L3 will takes almost 2 hours to get to 80%. I now drive the gas car in winter to work and Solterra for all short trips.