Tesla Model 3 & Y To Get Heated Charging Port Via Upcoming Update

Winter is right around the corner, and Tesla is prepping updates accordingly.

tesla model 3 charge port tesla model 3 charge port

With winter already setting in in some areas, vehicle owners need to be proactive. Wouldn't it be fantastic if you didn't have to worry about your Tesla Model 3 charging port freezing? How about some aftermarket products or a trip to a Tesla Service Center to help out? Fortunately, none of this is needed since Tesla is adding a heated charging port. You'll probably get the new feature while you're sleeping, and it's free.

Tesla has the unique ability to update its cars remotely via over-the-air software updates (OTA). While this has proven helpful on a regular basis for a variety of reasons, there's at least one reason that many people may overlook.

Traditional automakers make updates to vehicles with each new model year. Cars aren't necessarily updated every year, but many are. Then, midcycle refreshes happen, as well as full redesigns over the years. When you buy a Tesla vehicle, it gets better on a regular basis as you own it. It can get more efficient, it can get more powerful, and it can get more range. There are also many new features that come as OTA updates.

People may overlook the fact that Tesla's OTA update capability could be a huge advantage in times of natural catastrophes, inclement weather, and any other unexpected situations. When hurricanes and wildfires hit, Tesla has been able to increase the range of its vehicles to make it easier for people to flee. When Tesla vehicles started selling in larger volumes in colder climates, Tesla was able to update features designed to help with winter weather.

According to a recent tweet from Teslascope (@teslascope), as well as information from Tesla hacker green (@greentheonly), Tesla Model 3 software update 2020.40.0.4 will include a heated charging port.

According to Tesla's release notes, the “Charge Port Inlet Heater" will be available for the Model Y, too. The notes read (via Teslarati):

“Your car can now use the charge port inlet heater to help defrost the inside of the charge port. The charge port inlet heater can be activated in cold ambient temperatures by enabling preconditioning using the mobile app, activating the rear defrost button on the vehicle’s touchscreen, or preconditioning the vehicle using scheduled departure."

As you can see from green's tweet, this feature seems to be coming to the Model S and Model X in the future as well. Let us know if you already received such an update.

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