- A new over-the-air update allows Tesla owners to enable the charging port heater separately, without having to warm up the entire car.
- This update will be rolled out across the entire Tesla lineup helping owners better cope with the challenges of charging in winter.
Teslas started getting charging port heaters in the second part of 2020, although not all vehicles produced that year have it. Now all models get this dedicated heater that specifically warms the charging port to prevent ice buildup, allowing owners to easily open it in winter, but how you enable it isn’t obvious.
This is because until now you haven’t been able to turn the charger on separately. You could enable it together with the rear defrost (which also heats the side mirrors) or along with heating the cabin, but not on its own. Now, according to Not A Tesla App, the manufacturer has rolled out an over-the-air update that finally allows owners to only enable the port heater without it being paired with something else.
This was added with software version 2024.44.3.1, and the feature was confirmed on the Model Y and Model X, but it’s surely going to come to the rest of the model lineup. With this update installed, you will find an option called Charge Port Heater if you go to Controls then Service.
Owners who live in colder climates will benefit most since they will be able to keep the charge port ice-free without expending additional energy to defrost the windows or heat up the cabin. It still comes on automatically with the general defrost functions, as well as when you precondition the battery for charging or select a Supercharger as the destination via the car’s navigation.
It’s not all that common to get a charging port door that’s frozen in place and won’t open, though. Even with heavy snowfall, unless the snow melts and is then frozen, you should still be able to plug in.
A bigger issue that Tesla owners have had in winter is frozen doors and windows. Since all Tesla vehicles have frameless doors, the side windows need to roll down automatically about an inch to open the door. If there’s ice buildup that doesn’t allow the window to go down, you won’t be able to open the door.
Frozen door handles are also a source of annoyance, especially for owners of the Model S and Model X, whose door handles are powered and are meant to extend when the vehicle is unlocked. However, when the car is locked they sit flush with the body, thick ice can form on top of them and the power of their servos won’t be enough to punch through.
Model Y and Model 3 door handles aren’t powered so owners need to push on the back of the handle to make the front part pop out to open any of the doors. However, these too can get blocked, so Tesla redesigned them to be pushed from both sides to help make breaking ice easier. We know frozen charging ports and door handles are among the most common EV winter issues. Let us know in the comments if it’s ever happened to you and how you dealt with it.
