Tesla’s latest update takes aim at cold weather woes

Tesla rolled out two changes in its latest vehicle software update — 2024.2.6 — that appear to be aimed squarely at battery issues that immobilized cars during an extreme cold weather event in January. One of those new features will tell Tesla drivers how much time they can expect until their battery is warm enough for DC fast charging, while the other will automatically defrost the charge port.

According to the update’s release notes published by Not a Tesla App, the charge port will start warming automatically when drivers use the car’s navigation feature to get to a charging station. Frozen charge ports could be one of the issues that left drivers stranded during an extreme cold snap in Chicago earlier this year, especially if the drivers forgot to follow Tesla’s recommendations for dealing with extreme cold.

Another issue might have simply been that their car batteries weren’t ready to fast-charge, so having a timer telling you how long it will be until your car is ready to accept a Supercharger would obviously be handy.

Not A Tesla App notes that older Tesla vehicles would adjust battery range estimates depending on external factors, including driving history or outside temperature, but for whatever reason, that hasn’t been part of newer models. But with this update, range estimates will consider the age of the battery. Given Tesla’s issues with its range estimates in the past, that may be a step in the right direction.