Can You Have a Tesla in the Cold?

If you drive a Tesla, and the temperature drops to the cold areas where snow and ice form, you need to be aware of some special instructions.

It’s possible that all-electric cars have issues in colder weather, but right now, we are only talking about the models that Tesla offers. What’s been found is that the driving range can drop with the temperature, and you need to make some preparations when you’re going to use your Tesla to be the only vehicle you own and drive through the winter months.

Get Your Car Ready for the Wintertime

Not often will a winter storm suddenly take you by surprise. If you pay minimal attention to the weather, calendar, and where you live, you’ll have a reasonable idea of when colder temperatures and winter weather will arrive. Here are some things you can do to ensure you can maximize your driving range.

Use the Schedule Departure Feature

Tesla offers a feature called Schedule Departure to help you have a battery that’s warmed and ready to go when it’s cold outside. To enable this, you need to use the climate control settings on your touchscreen and turn on the schedule setting. This allows you to schedule the charging and readiness of your vehicle.

Have the Interior of Your Car Warm Before You Leave

Another feature you’ll find is found in the Tesla app on your smartphone. This is where you can go to the climate section and turn on the defrost icon to ensure the vehicle is warmed up for you. If you’re at work all day and your car is charging while there, this can be a great way to make sure you have a warm car that’s ready to drive when your workday is done.

Look for the Snowflake Icon

If you see a blue snowflake on the touchscreen of your Tesla, that means the car battery is too cold to use all of the stored energy. You’ll need to give yourself a little bit of time to have the battery warmed up so that you can begin to drive and use the energy of your battery. Charging, driving, and preconditioning are all ways you can warm your battery.

Conserve During Your Drive

You’ll want to reduce energy lost when you’re riding around on the roads in the winter. You can do this by driving conservatively, limiting the amount you accelerate or decelerate rapidly, and use the seat heaters for more warmth while reducing the cabin temperature.

All of these tips are offered to you by Tesla to let you know that you can drive your Tesla in the winter, but you need to take some precautions to protect your investment and have the comfort desired.

Tips for Optimal Charging of your Tesla

We love the technology that Tesla has built into the various cars that are offered for our driving experiences. It seems like this company has thought of everything to ensure you can have the drive you want and keep your battery and all systems protected. Here are a few tips for charging your battery properly when it’s cold outside.

Use a Fast Charger

If you have Tesla Supercharger stations nearby, this is where you want to go to give your battery the charge you’re looking for. It’s important to plug in close to your destination and allow this item to heat up your battery. If you can’t find one of these stations, use the precondition function to start heating your battery before you leave to make your drive.

Navigation Helps

Even if you know the route to where you’re going, if you input directions toward a Supercharger, your Tesla will automatically begin to heat up the battery to reduce charging time when you arrive. This preheated function allows battery charging times to be smaller and your battery to stay warm and ready to provide you with the power needed.

Keep the Cord Attached

You might need to park your Tesla while you spend your day in the office at work. During the colder months, you will want to keep your car plugged in as much as possible when it’s not in use. This will allow the charging system to keep your car and your battery warm and allow you to have more available power in the battery for your drive on the way home.

Don’t Allow Snow or Ice to Keep You From Driving

You’ve watched others stand out in the cold to wipe ice and snow off their vehicles. It’s possible you’ve had to do this activity yourself. If you own a Tesla and you want to drive around in the cold, you need to adjust some of the items on your car to ensure you can drive without any trouble.

Put the Wipers and Mirrors in the Right Place

To avoid snow and ice buildup on your vehicle, your wipers will need to be in the service position. You’ll also need to deactivate the auto-fold function of your mirrors to prevent them from icing over. These functions can be found in the menus of your touchscreen.

DefrostLike a Roast

Your Tesla has a defrost feature that you can access on your smartphone app to begin to melt snow and ice when it’s cold outside. You’ll be glad to have this feature to remove the cold stuff from the surfaces that you’ll need to use when you’re ready to take a drive.

Check the Important Surfaces of Your Tesla

As a vehicle that relies on technology to help you drive, you’ll want to make sure the important surfaces of your Tesla are free of ice and snow before you head out for a drive. These surfaces are:

• Door Handles
• Mirrors
• Windows
• Autopilot Sensors and Cameras
• Charge Port

Ensuring these surfaces are free of the cold stuff will make it much easier for you to enjoy all of the functions of the Tesla that you love to drive.

In conclusion, and in answering the initial question, you can have a Tesla in the cold, but like any other car, there are specific precautions you should take to make sure you can drive without worry and without damaging your vehicle.