Tesla Asks Owners To Stop The “Wet-Towel” Charging Trick, What Is It?
Hopefully Malaysians care more about safety so we don’t utilise this dangerous “trick”
The internet is rife with car maintenance hacks and tips, however, one particular hack involving Tesla’s Superchargers in America has recently caught the company’s attention, leading to an official response aimed at curbing the practice. This viral trick involves placing a cool, wet, or damp towel on the handle of a Tesla Supercharger.
The admittedly odd idea is that the towel can cool down the handle, thereby allowing the charger to deliver electricity to the car more quickly on hot days, when charging rates might otherwise be throttled due to overheating.
Moreover, some Tesla owners have reported notable improvements in their charging speeds by using this method. For instance, one Model S owner shared on TeslaMotorsClub.com that their vehicle’s charging rate jumped from 60 kW to 95 kW after wrapping the Supercharger handle with a towel.
Similarly, Out Of Spec Studios tweeted about using this trick on a Tesla that was experiencing thermal throttling, where the charging rate dropped from 147kW to 58kW. With the addition of a “room-temperature” wet rag, the rate reportedly increased to 119kW.
On top of that, despite the apparent success of this hack, Tesla has stepped in to discourage its use. The company issued a statement on X (formerly Twitter) explaining that the practice does not actually increase charging rates and could potentially interfere with the temperature sensors on the Supercharger handles.
This interference could lead to overheating and possible damage, not only to the Supercharger equipment but also to the vehicle. Tesla emphasised that using a wet cloth could obstruct the accurate detection of true charging issues, which is critical for maintaining the system’s efficiency and safety.
According to Inside EVs, the towel trick appears to be effective primarily with older V2 Supercharger stalls, as these units lack the advanced cooling features of newer models. In contrast, the V3 Superchargers are already equipped with cooling systems for their handles.
However, there is an exception with the Tesla Cybertruck, which utilises an 800-volt system. This system operates like two 400-volt batteries in series and can make even the V3 Superchargers’ cooled handles run warmer than usual.
In short, while the towel hack may offer a temporary boost in charging speed, it poses risks that Tesla wants to mitigate. We got all this from Carscoops and their full article is linked here. Thank you Carscoops for the information and images.
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