Featured Image Credit: FrunkToTrunk/TikTok
Topics: Cars, Electric Cars, Technology, Tesla, Weather, TikTok
Ellie Kemp
Topics: Cars, Electric Cars, Technology, Tesla, Weather, TikTok
A Tesla owner has offered up a simple tip to help people save their car batteries this winter.
There are so many reasons to dislike this time of year, and the freezing cold weather is the top of my list.
Coupled with the dark days, the cold makes it harder to do just about anything - from simply getting out of bed in the morning or leaving the house to head to the gym.
For drivers, there's another additional step to worry about; the dreaded task of defrosting the car every single morning.
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On top of that, electric car owners already know that low temperatures spell trouble for our batteries.
Their capacity drops when the temperature does, reducing how far our Teslas and other EVs can travel.
It's because the electrolyte fluid that passes charged particles becomes thicker in colder weather, making the flow of electricity slower and weaker.
Colder weather also means our batteries need more time to charge - how relatable!
In fact, an Idaho National Laboratory study found that at 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius), an EV battery took in 36 percent less energy than when the battery was charged for the same amount of time at 77 degrees Fahrenheit (25 degreed Celsius).
One Tesla owner has taken to TikTok to share a quick tip which can help maximise battery charging as temperatures turn chilly.
Under the username @TrunkToFrunk, he demonstrated how to get your vehicle to begin preconditioning your battery for charging.
While driving, he pointed out how he only had 96 miles of range left and instructed drivers to put their desired destination into their GPS.
"This right here will tell me when I plug in my destination, how much range I will have, to determine if I need to stop at a supercharger," he explained.
If you do need a supercharger, you simply use voice command to ask where your nearest ones are.
This will bring up the options on your dashboard.
The TikTok user then explains what happens next: "If I navigate towards the closest super charger, my Tesla is going to start preconditioning my battery.
"This is important because in these freezing temperatures my Tesla will warm my battery for the fastest charging once I arrive."
The trick took no more than 30 seconds to do and could help get the most out of your battery this winter.
One to bear in mind when you're next needing to recharge.