Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

2021 Model 3 preheating

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
2021 Model 3 was driven for an hour and a half on the freeway at 45 degrees temperature outside and when I stopped to charge the battery at a Tesla super charger it would only charge at 75 KW and was preheating the battery? I'm wondering why the battery would need to be preheated during the charge.
Thanks for any info,
Rob
 
2021 Model 3 was driven for an hour and a half on the freeway at 45 degrees temperature outside and when I stopped to charge the battery at a Tesla super charger it would only charge at 75 KW and was preheating the battery? I'm wondering why the battery would need to be preheated during the charge.
Thanks for any info,
Rob

Because the battery has to be hot in order to accept the maximum charge speed. If you navigate to the supercharger, it will automatically preheat prior to your arrival.
 
I'm wondering why the battery would need to be preheated during the charge.

Because the car had determined that the battery was not hot enough to take a full charge. Why? Because there isnt a ton of waste heat generated when you drive an EV, so it takes quite a while for the battery to get hot enough for max supercharging speeds.
 
The ideal temperature for battery performance and longevity isn't the same as the ideal temperature for fast charging (which is much hotter) . While you drive the car will keep the battery at a lower temp, unless you tell it that you want to charge soon in which case it will let more heat go to the battery...