Heat from sunlight / Window Tinting

[honor_the_driv]

I’ve never had an EV before and I’m trying to get a better sense of realistic expectations for the “standard” 2023 Model Y, the one with an estimated 279 mile range and AWD.

I’ve only been in a Model Y once during a short Uber ride. I know that the glass roof is tinted or dyed in a way that removes at least some of the heat but if you are driving on a bright day around noon will you start to feel the heat from the sun after a few minutes?

What about the windshield, side windows, and the rear window? Do those have a similar treatment or should Windows tinting be considered like on any other vehicle?
I found this in the manual indicating that all the Windows protect against UV. I know UV alone is not where heat from Sunlight comes from so is the factory glass sufficient for really sunny weather?

 

[jcanoe]

I’ve never had an EV before and I’m trying to get a better sense of realistic expectations for the “standard” 2023 Model Y, the one with an estimated 279 mile range and AWD.

I’ve only been in a Model Y once during a short Uber ride. I know that the glass roof is tinted or dyed in a way that removes at least some of the heat but if you are driving on a bright day around noon will you start to feel the heat from the sun after a few minutes?

What about the windshield, side windows, and the rear window? Do those have a similar treatment or should Windows tinting be considered like on any other vehicle?
I found this in the manual indicating that all the Windows protect against UV. I know UV alone is not where heat from Sunlight comes from so is the factory glass sufficient for really sunny weather?

You may feel the sun's rays on your head during the mid-day sun. The solution is an easily obtained, installed interior mesh sunshade (starting at under $50.) There are one piece, two piece and now even pleated sun shades for the Tesla Model Y interior cabin.

Tinting is one of the more popular customizations that Tesla Model Y owners have done on their Tesla vehicles. There are many threads you can read regarding tinting the glass. A good quality glass tint treatment is almost a necessity if you live in Florida, California, the southwest desert or the gulf coast.

You can have the windshield, side windows and rear hatch glass tinted with a ceramic tint film that rejects more of the ultraviolet UV rays and infrared (IR) heat from the sun. The glass roof comes treated from the factory to reject UV and IR. Tests have shown that there is some additional benefit of adding a tint film to the glass roof but some choose not to tint the glass roof due to the cost.

The tint film treatment will reduce the amount of work, cooling the passenger cabin, that the HVAC system needs to perform (while the sun shines.) This will help improve your overall efficiency and effective driving range while driving the Tesla Model Y.

Mostly it is about the comfort of the driver and passengers (pets too) but many like the privacy provided by tinting the side windows (each State sets limits) or if you are trying to add tint to the front windows to closely match the factory tint of the rear windows.

 

[kpanda17]

Two Ts
One tinted and one not
Tinted, all glass
The interior temp is the same in rhe hot sun
But the intensity of the sun rays, through the tint is much less, must mean less damaging rays
Obviously add a sun shade in the windshield to make the biggest diff

 

[fholbert]

I’ve never had an EV before and I’m trying to get a better sense of realistic expectations for the “standard” 2023 Model Y, the one with an estimated 279 mile range and AWD.

I’ve only been in a Model Y once during a short Uber ride. I know that the glass roof is tinted or dyed in a way that removes at least some of the heat but if you are driving on a bright day around noon will you start to feel the heat from the sun after a few minutes?

What about the windshield, side windows, and the rear window? Do those have a similar treatment or should Windows tinting be considered like on any other vehicle?
I found this in the manual indicating that all the Windows protect against UV. I know UV alone is not where heat from Sunlight comes from so is the factory glass sufficient for really sunny weather?

Are you near Upland California?

Tesla Model Y Tinting Prices | Front Section | AcutintPRO, Auto Tinting Experts in Upland, CA

Get the best value window tinting for Tesla Model Y. Professional results by AcutintPRO, the Tesla window tinting experts. Our Quality is 100% Guaranteed!

www.acutintpro.com

 

[BitJam]

I’ve never had an EV before and I’m trying to get a better sense of realistic expectations for the “standard” 2023 Model Y, the one with an estimated 279 mile range and AWD.

I’ve only been in a Model Y once during a short Uber ride. I know that the glass roof is tinted or dyed in a way that removes at least some of the heat but if you are driving on a bright day around noon will you start to feel the heat from the sun after a few minutes?

What about the windshield, side windows, and the rear window? Do those have a similar treatment or should Windows tinting be considered like on any other vehicle?
I found this in the manual indicating that all the Windows protect against UV. I know UV alone is not where heat from Sunlight comes from so is the factory glass sufficient for really sunny weather?

Here in the high desert a lot of heat comes in through the large windshield, the glass roof, and the windows. Tinting can help a lot but not all tinting is created equal. Some tints do a good job at blocking the heat, others not so much. Some shops that do tinting have a display that rotates around a heat and light source so you can feel the difference for yourself.

You can get a reflective screen to block off the glass roof. The two piece ones work much better than the one piece. They cost about $60 and work well.

I have my windshield tinted, the front windows tinted, and the roof insulated. The car still gets mighty hot when I leave it out in the sun. I try to always turn on the AC (from the phone app) before I go out to the car. It takes about 7 or 8 minutes to cool down on a hot day. I measured it once and the temp inside the car dropped about 10F per minute. In less than 10 minutes it goes down from roughly 140F to 70F.

If I am on a quick (10 minute or so) errand then I will often just leave the AC on when I leave the car especially if there are groceries in it.

Some people have reported good results with tinting the roof. Other people say it is dangerous and can end up making it crack. I suggest going with a shop that has done it many times before.

Sometimes on a hot sunny day with the sun streaming in through the windshield I can feel a little warm. I'll set the A/C to 66F and it's not so bad. For me, a bigger issues is the non-ventilated seats. I'm still working on a good solution for that.

If you're concerned about the car getting hot, I recommend getting the white interior. After 2+ years my seats look new but some folks have had trouble with dye from blue jeans and pants transferring to the white seats.

 

[honor_the_driv]

Are you near Upland California?

No I'm in South Florida, so the humidity tends to keep the heat index high.

If you're concerned about the car getting hot, I recommend getting the white interior.

I have a young child and have another on the way so I'd be anxious about getting a white interior.

 

[kpanda17]

Btw I have top of the line Xpel window tint installed and like I said, temp is still high but the sun intensity/rays is diminished
For heat reduction, use reflective sun shades

 

[honor_the_driv]

Thanks all. You are referring to sun shades like this- https://www.amazon.com/TAUTO-Tesla-Sunshade-Sunroof-Accessories/dp/B0C1GLZW64?th=1?

 

[zoomer0056]

Some people have reported good results with tinting the roof. Other people say it is dangerous and can end up making it crack.

Tinted glass cracking is an urban legend, FUD.

 

[jcanoe]

No I'm in South Florida, so the humidity tends to keep the heat index high.



I have a young child and have another on the way so I'd be anxious about getting a white interior.

The Tesla white interior seat covers are easy to clean up/keep clean using unscented baby wipes or a damp microfiber cloth a diluted dishwashing soap and water. The only consistent staining seems to be from blue/black dye in blue jean fabrics (it can be difficult to completely remove the blue jean color once it has transferred to the white seats.)

The Tesla black and white seat covers, headrest and steering wheel can be damaged from contact with sunscreen, insect repellents that contain "Deet", certain hair care products and spilled hand sanitizer. Promptly wipe up any spills using the baby wipes or a damp microfiber cloth, then buff lightly with a clean microfiber cloth.

 

[Buckeye614]

I went on Amazon and picked up the 100% block out shade for the roof and have it up all summer. Not sure if it helps but I assume it does. I also bought a $15-20 windshield shade and it makes a huge difference. I use to jump in the car and practically burn my hands on the steering wheel it was so hot. I plan to get that 90/80% IR film on the windshield once the wallet gets thicker hoping that helps with the steering wheel and reduce the feeling of heat while driving. Eventually the sides will get the IR tint too.
And to my range: I can get close to 310 miles (calculated) if i went from 100 to 0% (this is based on going from 95-16% and doing some math using the car's guess of range and actual miles driven. One thing to note.. my state is pretty flat and my speed mostly did not exceed 70mph and in "chill" mode.