Winter driving and charging
Cold weather cuts range and slows rapid charging. In a UK winter, expect noticeably less range than in summer. A few habits make a big difference.
Why range drops
- Warming the cabin uses energy. Newer Teslas have an efficient heat pump, but heating still costs miles.
- A cold battery can't release or accept energy as freely until it warms up.
- Winter tyres, wet roads and headwinds add resistance.
Habits that help
- Precondition while plugged in. Set a departure time or start climate from the app before you leave. The energy comes from the grid, not the battery.
- Use seat and steering wheel heaters. They warm you directly and use far less energy than heating the whole cabin.
- Navigate to chargers. The car warms the battery on the way so it charges faster. See Preconditioning.
- Keep the charge a bit higher. In very cold spells, leaving with more charge gives a safety margin.
- Check tyre pressures. Pressure drops in the cold, which costs range.
Charging in the cold
The first few minutes at a Supercharger may be slow if the battery is cold. The car heats the battery while charging, and speeds rise. On short trips the battery may never warm up, so rapid charging after a short drive in winter is slower.
Frozen car
Use the app to defrost the car before you set off. Don't force frozen door handles or the charge port door. See Charge port won't open.