Learn Everything About Preconditioning Battery For Fast Charging

by

Who does not want to increase their car’s battery efficiency? Preconditioning your battery is such a step.

If you are a Tesla owner, you may often think of your battery’s health. As tesla vehicles are marching to electrify America, their electric car keeps the tesla owners thinking about battery charging. 

Supercharging or fast charging is a concern of Tesla’s service. Battery preconditioning is a way to increase the battery capacity and fast charging.  

Tesla owners should have already known about the Precondition of the battery. If you have just come around this term, do not worry. Our article will help you understand everything regarding the Precondition of your tesla battery. 

Precondition = Preheat 

What is a precondition? In this electric vehicle case, preconditioning refers to preheating the car battery. 

Tesla owners need to preheat or warm the battery pack at a low temperature. During the winter months, the tesla battery cell becomes cold. A cold battery does not work correctly. 

So, you need to increase the battery temperature. The preconditioning system raises the battery temp to an optimal temperature. And it does it with the help of the thermal management system.

Preconditioning Battery For Fast Charging

The primary purpose of preconditioning a tesla battery is fast charging. Though the Tesla battery has supercharging tech, it can not function properly in cold weather. 

So, preconditioning means warming up the tesla battery. It helps the battery to charge fast, even in cold weather. Also, it improves battery efficiency and battery life. You can precondition your tesla battery by the tesla app, navigation feature, and scheduled departure.

Tesla battery can not manage extreme cold temperatures up to 50 degrees F- and extremely hot temperatures up to 80 degrees F. 

When it is cold, you will notice your battery is charging slowly. Due to extreme cold, it takes too much time to charge. Preconditioning the battery minimizes this charging time. 

Why Does The Tesla Battery Need Preconditioning

We have already mentioned that the tesla battery needs preconditioning for fast charging. Except for supercharging, your tesla battery needs preconditioning for other benefits too. 

Improving Battery Efficiency 

It is preheating, which increases the efficiency of the Tesla battery. If you precondition your battery, it will also improve the driving range. Making the battery warm, makes driving more comfortable. 

Improving Battery Life 

It will take too much pressure if you try to charge your cold battery. This extra stress can damage your battery. Preheating a high voltage battery can prevent damage. 

According to Elon Musk, frequent supercharging does not affect battery capacity much. Also, preconditioning optimizes regenerative braking. It is helpful to avoid battery degradation.

How To Precondition The Tesla Battery 

If you are in the group of tesla owners and you need to face cold weather, you must know how you can precondition your tesla battery. 

Let’s understand the process. 

1st Method: Tesla App 

Tesla made the preconditioning process easy for you. They launched an application named the tesla app for your service. So, you can control the Climate of your can through this app. 

  • You need to activate the “preconditioning” or “defrost” option. 
  • Keep your car plugged in during preconditioning 
  • Run the tesla app and find the Climate button
  • Tap on the Climate button, then the Turn On button
  • To defrost, tap on Climate and scroll down to Defrost option

You can visit Tesla support for tips on driving in winter. 

2nd Method: Schedule Departure 

In two ways, you can execute this feature. Let’s see the process

Touchscreen 

  • From your screen, select the climate control setting 
  • Select the Preconditioning option and press Turn On 
  • Find and press the Schedule option from there 
  • Now set your suitable departure time to be ready 

App 

  • Run the Tesla app on your phone
  • Find and select the Schedule option
  • Set your suitable departure time 
  • Press the Precondition button and Turn it On  

3rd Method: Navigation/ On-Route Feature 

You can manually preheat the battery before supercharging. It is known as the Navigation feature. 

  • Set an On Route Battery Warmup time
  • A notification will pop up before reaching a supercharging station
  • It will pop up on the screen
  • It will start to preheat the battery from 10-25 miles from the SC station 
  • The notification will go away when you plug in the charger

Tips Regarding Preconditioning 

Smart-Preconditioning 

You may wonder about a way to precondition your car automatically. Smart-precondition is the solution. 

It allows you to set the timing for your regular drive precisely. If you have a regular driving routine, you can use this feature. 

From your tesla app, go to Settings. Then select the Vehicle option. Finally, turn on the Smart-Preconditioning feature from there. 

Overnight Preconditioning 

If you drive in the morning, you can precondition your battery overnight. Tesla battery works excellent at its optimum temperature. 

If the battery stays cold overnight, it will be hard to charge fast in the morning. So, you can preheat the battery at night. It will also give you an extra range. 

Model Consideration 

The preconditioning process and system depend on different tesla models. Different models offer you additional features. 

The tesla model S and Model X have exemplary warming systems. On the other hand, model 3 and Model Y have a great cooling system. 

Model 3 And model Y takes a lot of power to warm the battery. On the contrary, Model S and X take time and energy to cool down the battery on a summer day. 

People Often Ask 

Is Preconditioning Expensive?

No, it is not. A non-conditioned electric car may cost 21% more than a preconditioned car. Also, a preconditioned car costs 39 percent less than a gas engine car. 

What Is The Chill Mode In Tesla? 

In the winter months, the tesla used to lose some range. Chill mode helps to regain them. However, chill mode limits the acceleration to preserve range and energy. 

Is A Tesla Car Suitable In Snow?

Tesla cars are rather excellent in Snow. The cars have advanced dual motor and EV all-wheel-drive powertrain. These features help the car to deal with challenging roads in Snow. 

When Parked, Does Tesla Cost Battery Power?

Tesla car may cost or use its battery power when the smart preconditioning is on. It will heat not only the battery but also the car cabin even though it is parked. 

How Much Time Is Precondition Needed Before Charging?

It depends on the situation and weather temperature. The colder it is, the more time it will need. But, the battery will charge faster if it is warm or preheated. 

Finally, Improve Your Battery Efficiency 

Preconditioning your tesla battery is an advanced feature. It has a beneficial impact on your car on cold days. As a Tesla owner, you must know about this feature. 

Though Tesla owners use preconditioning batteries for fast charging, the feature develops the battery efficiency, battery life, and driving range too. 

However, the preconditioning tesla battery is not a complex task. You can easily utilize the feature through the tesla app. Also, the manual touchscreen process is not that difficult. 

 

Related Post: