Amidst heat waves in Texas and power utility company ERCOT asking residents to limit their energy use, Tesla’s CEO has noted a feature on the electric vehicles (EVs) that could be a game-changer.
@Elon Musk noted on Monday that the Cabin Overheat Protection found in Teslas will be useful during record heatwaves in Texas, adding the ability to modify the activation temperature.
“Tesla’s automatic cabin overheat protection should make a real difference with record heatwaves. Ability to adjust activation temperature coming with next software release,” Musk tweeted.
Tesla’s automatic cabin overheat protection should make a real difference with record heatwaves.
Ability to adjust activation temperature coming with next software release.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 12, 2022
While notifications for the feature can be toggled on and off, Musk’s claims hold that drivers will actually be able to turn activation levels up or down — an especially useful feature on extremely hot days, when the average cabin temperature may be higher.
Currently, Cabin Overheat Protection will turn when interior temperatures hit 40C (104F). “Cabin Overheat Protection operates until 12 hours has elapsed since you exited, or until the Battery energy drops below 20%, whichever comes first,” says Tesla.
In the Tesla mobile app, tap ‘Climate’ then scroll up to where you will see Cabin Overheat Protection at the bottom. There are options for “Off”, “No A/C” and “On”.
In May, Tesla sent a notification to drivers asking them to charge during off-peak hours amidst a heatwave.
Tesla also lobbied the state of Texas to let home solar customers sell energy back to the grid to help support it in times of distress.
Last year, Tesla was approved to sell electricity in Texas, as another option than ERCOT.
