Preconditioning your battery and cabin

Preconditioning means getting the battery or the cabin to the right temperature before you need it. It makes charging faster and the car more comfortable.

Battery preconditioning for fast charging

A cold battery accepts charge slowly. When you navigate to a Supercharger in the car, the car warms the battery on the way so it's ready to charge fast on arrival. The battery icon or the navigation shows when it's happening.

For non-Tesla rapid chargers, recent software lets you start battery preconditioning manually from the charging screen, or by navigating to a third-party charger the car recognises. Start it 20 to 30 minutes before you arrive in winter.

Preconditioning uses some energy, but on a long trip the time saved is worth it.

Cabin preconditioning

From the Tesla app you can heat or cool the cabin, defrost the windscreen and warm the seats before you get in. If the car is plugged in, the energy comes from the charger, not the battery.

• Scheduled Departure in the car's charging settings warms the cabin and battery for a set time every weekday.
• Defrost Car in the app is handy on frosty mornings and helps free frozen handles and the charge port door.

How long does it take?

From a cold start on a frosty UK morning, allow about 15 to 30 minutes to defrost and warm up. The app shows the cabin temperature as it rises.