If you drive a Tesla, you have 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 your Tesla's battery to the ideal temperature before you charge at a fast charging station. Why? Quite simply, if the battery is at the optimum temperature, the charging time is reduced and efficiency is maximized. This gets you back on the road faster - without any unnecessary waiting time.
The whole thing 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 on arrival.
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 will face a small problem.
Are there 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 do not want to do without the function of manually preconditioning your Tesla battery and are not satisfied with workarounds, then you will have to resort to third-party accessories.
The function is made possible by the popular S3XY buttons from the manufacturer Enhance. Thanks to the associated "Commander", these have OBD access to the vehicle software and thus 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 is there no 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 a user experience that is as seamless and automatic as 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.
