To ensure that Model 3 provides you with the best
ownership experience possible in harsh cold weather
conditions, follow these best practices.
Before Driving
When snow and ice accumulate on your vehicle, moving
parts, such as the door handles, windows, mirrors, and
wipers can freeze in place. For these reasons, and to
achieve maximum range and performance, it is helpful to
warm the cabin and Battery before you leave. There are
several ways to do so:
• Scheduled Departure: Set the time when you want
your vehicle to be ready to drive (see
Scheduled
Charging and Scheduled Departure on page 159).
•
On the mobile app, navigate to Climate > Turn On
Climate and set to HI (or customize the temperature
at which you want to heat the cabin). The Battery
also warms as needed.
•
On the mobile app, navigate to Climate > Defrost to
melt snow, ice, and frost on the windshield, driver and
passenger windows, mirrors. The Battery also warms
as needed.
NOTE: Tesla recommends activating climate settings
at least 30-45 minutes before departure (see
Climate
Controls on page 124). Preconditioning times
depend on outside temperature and other factors.
NOTE: In extremely cold weather or icy conditions, it is
possible that your charge port latch may freeze in place.
Some vehicles are equipped with a chargeport inlet
heater that turns on when you turn on the rear defrost in
cold weather conditions. You can also thaw ice on the
charge port latch by enabling preconditioning using the
mobile app, or using scheduled departure to
precondition Model 3 (see Scheduled Charging and
Scheduled Departure on page 159).
NOTE: Tesla recommends activating climate settings at
least 30-45 minutes before departure (see Climate
Controls on page 124). Preconditioning times depend
on outside temperature and other factors.
Door Handles
•
If door handles are frozen in place, you can usually
remove ice with a few forceful bumps to the door
handle using the bottom of your
fist. See Removing
Ice From Door Handle on page for more
information.
• To proactively prevent ice buildup, apply WD-40 to
the door handle pivot pins if you are expecting
freezing rain, heavy snow, or icy conditions. Reapply
as needed (see
Applying WD-40 to Door Handle
Pivot Pins on page ).
Windows
• On the mobile app, navigate to Climate > Defrost as
mentioned previously. Your vehicle heats the driver
and passenger windows to melt ice that could
prevent windows from moving.
• Model 3 automatically makes a slight adjustment to
the position of the windows to make it easier to open
doors in cold temperature.
• Use the mobile app to schedule a service
appointment for Tesla to provide hydrophobic
coating to your windows for a nominal fee.
Mirrors
If ice buildup is expected when parking, turn o Auto-
Fold Mirrors by navigating to Controls > Mirrors > Auto-
Fold. Ice can prevent exterior side mirrors from folding
or unfolding.
NOTE: Side mirrors automatically heat as needed during
preconditioning, or when the rear defroster is turned on.
Wipers
If you expect snow or ice to build up when parked,
navigate to Controls > Service > Wiper Service Mode >
ON. This raises wipers against the windshield so they
can defrost when the windshield defrosts (see Wipers
and Washers on page 60).
Winter Tires and Tire Chains
•
Use winter tires to increase traction in snowy or icy
conditions. You can purchase winter tires on http://
www.tesla.com (see Seasonal Tire Types on page
167).
•
Tire chains provide additional traction when driving in
snowy or icy conditions. Check local regulations to
determine if tire chains are recommended or required
during winter months. See Using Tire Chains on page
168 for more information.
While Driving
Cold weather can increase energy consumption because
more power is required for driving, cabin and Battery
heating. Follow these suggestions to reduce energy
consumption:
•
Use seat heaters to keep warm. Seat heaters use less
energy than the cabin heater. Lowering the cabin
temperature and using seat heaters will reduce
energy consumption (see
Climate Controls on page
124).
• Slow down your driving and avoid frequent and rapid
acceleration.
Cold Weather Best Practices
77Driving
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