Users said placing a wet towel over the charging cable and plug would speed up charging.
The company says that this trick can damage batteries in the long run.
Heat is a big enemy of EVs. As the heat increases, we put more pressure on the air conditioning, which will undoubtedly reduce the range of our cars, whether they're gasoline or electric. However, the situation may be much more critical for EVs.
If the batteries are too hot, they can't perform at their best. This is why some cars are inconsistent when going from from 0 to 100 mph, and others, such as those equipped with BMW’s Super Boost feature, can only deliver their maximum power for a limited time.
The batteries can't support the maximum charging power if the temperature is too high. This is why, for long journeys, you have to make sure that the vehicle prepares the battery before arriving at the destination, lowering its temperature before reaching the charging station.
The same problem applies to charging cables. The more power they deliver, the more heat they generate, and the more difficult it is to provide maximum power for a long time. Research is underway to develop cooled cables that reduce the temperature inside and solve this problem.
However, some Tesla owners decided that they could put an end to something as simple as physics. If the problem was that the cable was too hot, they had a solution: a wet towel.
This trick became so popular among users that the company had to explain on X that it was useless.
Tesla’s statement comes in response to an InsideEVs article explaining the trick and why it works. The company points out that placing a wet towel on the handle or charger while charging “does not increase charging rates and interferes with temperature monitors creating risk of overheating or damage.”
In addition, it recommends avoiding this type of trick to ensure that its systems “run correctly” and sound an alert if they detect any error.
Tesla’s response provides some things to consider. As explained by InsideEVs, and questioned by the company, the trick must have worked with the first V2 Superchargers because they allegedly had sensors in the handle that detected a lower temperature when someone put a wet towel over them.
However, Tesla is clear about this low key way of trying to pull one over the chargers' sensors: It could cause the charger to deliver more power than recommended based on the actual temperature inside the car. Over time, this could cause overheating that damage the vehicle’s battery.
This article was written by Alberto de la Torre and originally published in Spanish on Xataka.
Image | Tesla Charging
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