The Tesla Supercharger network is the largest and most reliable in the United States. With more than 2,000 stations across North America, very few users report issues when using these stations. Still, if you can charge faster or get a few more miles out of your session at a Tesla Supercharger, wouldn’t you try it? Check out this strange but useful trick.

Hot temperatures negatively impact EV charging times

Warmer weather is upon us, and in some areas of the country, the temperatures will be in the triple digits before we know it. Fast charging stations are programmed to maintain a specific, and safe temperature range to avoid overheating. Unfortunately, most of these stations are standing in the heat throughout the day without any shade or covering to cool them down. This added heat is the enemy of faster charging speeds, and you can help.

You can trick the Tesla Superchargers into giving you some extra juice

A charging trick has circulated the social media world for the past few years. This simple life hack involves a wet towel and an EV charger. Although water and electricity don’t mix well, a wet towel could make the Tesla Supercharger work faster, saving you a little time while charging up your EV.

If you place a wet towel or piece of cloth over the charging cable handle after the cord is plugged into your EV, you can trick the system by providing cooler temperatures at the handle. This works extremely well on hot days when the sun has been heating the charging station, causing the temperature to rise.

Does this work for all Superchargers?

Many users reported success with this trick at older V2 Supercharger stalls, but it’s also proven effective at new V3 locations. The older V2 stalls don’t have actively cooled cables, which causes the handle to get hot very quickly.

When the handle is too hot, the sensor inside the handle tells the charger to lower the charging speed. This means more time waiting for your Tesla EV to reach 80% of its full battery capacity. Placing the wet towel over the handle shields it from sunlight and lowers the temperature, allowing faster charging speeds to occur.

This trick isn’t as effective at V3 stations with active cooling in the handle. At these stations, EVs with 800-volt charging capability could benefit from the wet towel trick. This high-speed charging architecture heats these cooled handles and slows the charging speed, which the wet towel can trick.

Is this trick safe?

Tesla Supercharger stations can operate safely in the rain. This means a damp towel or cloth will not cause any issues. Also, if the charging pins detect a high temperature, the charging speed will slow. This means you can’t trick the system into a failure state.

This little trick could save some time and bring your charging speeds to more acceptable levels on hot days. It might be worth a try.

Source: InsideEVs