YouTuber attempts to fast charge his Tesla Model 3 Performance during winter storm at -14°F

Most EV owners and prospective buyers are probably well aware of the fact that electric cars can lose quite a bit of range when driving during winter. However, drivers who do not have access to a heated garage could, at least in theory, also be surprised when they try to charge their battery-powered vehicle at very low temperatures, which has now been illustrated by an experiment involving the Tesla Model 3.

The sympathetic host of the YouTube channel Out of Spec Reviews, Kyle Conner, parked his personal 2019 Tesla Model 3 Performance close to a Supercharger in the state of Colorado as a winter storm brought extremely low temperatures to many parts of the United States. His goal was to find out how the car would react to a charging attempt at -14 degrees Fahrenheit if its battery has not been preconditioned, which would usually be the case when navigating to a Supercharger on long road trips.

The intriguing winter experiment can be watched in a corresponding YouTube video. In the end, it took about 45 minutes before the EV even began to charge. Up until then, the energy from the Supercharger was used to heat up the battery pack to an adequate temperature. After that, it took another 45 minutes to charge the electric sedan from 35 to 90 percent. All in all, the Tesla Model 3 Performance did pretty well in these frigid temperatures, but the test also highlights the importance of preconditioning the battery before visiting a Tesla Supercharger during the winter.

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