Precondition Tesla manually: How does it work?

If you drive a Tesla, you've probably heard of "preconditioning the battery".

But what exactly does this mean, how does it work and, above all, can you precondition your Tesla manually?

In this article, we clarify all the important questions surrounding this topic.

Tesla preconditioning and why it's important

Pre-conditioning is a clever feature that brings the battery of your Tesla to the ideal temperature before you charge at a fast charging station. Why is that? Simple: when the battery is at the optimum temperature, charging time is shortened and efficiency is maximized. This gets you back on the road faster - without any unnecessary waiting time.

The whole process runs automatically when you enter a Supercharger as a destination in the Tesla navigation system. During the journey, the vehicle then starts preconditioning so that the battery is ready when you arrive.

Manually preconditioning the Tesla battery?

This is where it gets exciting. Many Tesla drivers have asked themselves whether they can start preconditioning manually, for example via the Tesla app or the vehicle menu. The short answer is: No, at least not directly.

Tesla has not yet built in a function that allows you to precondition the battery manually. The process is controlled automatically as soon as a fast charging station is selected as the destination.

However, if you want to drive to a charging station that is not stored in the Tesla navigation system, you face a small problem.

Are there any workarounds

A common trick among Tesla drivers is to enter a nearby Supercharger as a destination in the navigation system, even if you ultimately want to drive to a different charging station.

This starts the preconditioning. However, this method is cumbersome and only works if there is a Supercharger nearby.

You can also do it manually - with accessories

If you absolutely cannot do without the function of manually preconditioning your Tesla battery and do not want to settle for workarounds, you will have to use third-party accessories.

The function is made possible by the popular S3XY buttonsfrom the manufacturer Enhance. Thanks to the associated "Commander", these buttons have OBD access to the vehicle software and therefore offer numerous additional features - including regulating recuperation, changing the acceleration mode and even preheating the battery.

The accessory is available for all Tesla models, and the functions are easily controlled via app. If you don't fancy buttons, there is an even more elegant solution with the S3XY-Knob.

Why isn't there a native option yet?

The topic is always hotly debated in the Tesla community. Many drivers would like Tesla to introduce a manual control for preconditioning - similar to the option of activating the air conditioning or seat heating via app.

So far, however, Tesla has not implemented this wish, presumably because the focus is on the most seamless and automatic user experience possible.

Conclusion

Currently, you cannot start preconditioning manually in the menu or via the Tesla app. The car manufacturer relies on automatic processes here, which work well in most cases.

However, there are situations in which a manual option would be practical. Until Tesla responds to this, the only option is the aforementioned workaround with the Supercharger - or accessories such as S3XY buttons or S3XY knobs.

Do you have your own experiences or tips on preconditioning? Feel free to share them in the comments or with other Tesla drivers.