How Well Does the Model 3 Handle Heat? Read on...

[Phlier]

On August 21, at the tender age of 14 days, my car (a P3D-) had to carry me back down to the Las Vegas Tesla store in order to re-sign some paperwork that they had lost.

It's 145 miles each direction across the desert on Interstate 15 to get there.

When I left St. George, Utah for Las Vegas, the temperature was 112F. Pretty warm. 20 miles down the road, just on the south side of Virgin River Gorge, the temp was up to 115. Passing Mesquite, Nevada (about 40 miles south of St. George) the temp hit 116F. Just south of Mesquite, and for the rest of the drive to Vegas, the temp hit 117F and wavered between 119 and 117 for the rest of the drive. Freaking HOT.

The temp inside my car? 68F. The sound from the AC? Negligible. The fans weren't even running hard... at all. Maybe two steps up from their absolute lowest setting. Efficiency? 285Wh/mile. Not bad, considering I was cruising at 80 mph in temps over 115F!

The car didn't even bat an eye at these kind of temps. I was seriously impressed. My old 2016 Honda Accord (which my Model 3 replaced) could never keep up with temps like this. The AC would blast non stop at max speed and the temp might reach 80 degrees in the cabin.

So if you're planning a trip through a very hot climate in your Model 3, don't stress. The car will handle it with ease, while keeping you nice and cool.

 

[ngogas]

Nice to know.

 

[Kleenerth3]

I couldn't believe it either. I was sure there'd be a bit of battery degradation. The heat warning index said 116°. I drove thru Phoenix over 2 weeks ago and couldn't get over how well my 3 handled 122° in traffic. It was so hot I had to document it. It was also amazing how many tires we saw exploded on the way.

 

[Kleenerth3]

I just noticed the song that was playing...
Perfect...

 

[Phlier]

I couldn't believe it either. I was sure there'd be a bit of battery degradation. The heat warning index said 116°. I drove thru Phoenix over 2 weeks ago and couldn't get over how well my 3 handled 122° in traffic. It was so hot I had to document it. It was also amazing how many tires we saw exploded on the way.View attachment 449568

Darn it! I should've taken a few pictures of the temp on the screen. Good thinking.

 

[KenC]

How high do the tire pressures get in the heat?

 

[smartypnz]

Several of us have reported crossing Death Valley with no problems - actually very comfortable.

 

[Phlier]

How high do the tire pressures get in the heat?

I didn't check, but I will for sure on my next desert cruise.

 

[zhu-]

Do you have window tints?

 

[RiverBrick]

If they lost the paperwork they should have overnighted the documents to you to sign or found another solution not requiring you to drive.

 

[Wildbill]

It’s possible Tesla offered to Fedex the paperwork for signature, but Phlier declined and decided it was a great chance to take his new Model 3 for a spin—290 miles

 

[Phlier]

Do you have window tints?

Nope, it's completely stock... for now.

If they lost the paperwork they should have overnighted the documents to you to sign or found another solution not requiring you to drive.

It’s possible Tesla offered to Fedex the paperwork for signature, but Phlier declined and decided it was a great chance to take his new Model 3 for a spin—290 miles

It's a bit of a long story, but the TL;DR version is that they didn't realize they had lost the docs until I called them up and asked about it. They said that I needed to be there to have my signature notarized, then over night the docs from their office for the fastest response. Had to do with getting a temp tag in a state other than Nevada (Utah). I saved one day by driving down to sign with their notary.

 

[AdamVIP]

The climate control is the best interior feature of the car. It looks gimmicky on videos but it really works great. The best is setting up the drivers vent to blow through the steering wheel. Cant do that on any other car.

Watch out in high heat areas though if you have the overheat protection on. It triggers at 105 which isn't that hot for a car interior if you are parked in the sun. You'll lose significant battery.

 

[Phlier]

The best is setting up the drivers vent to blow through the steering wheel.

Yup, I have it set to blow that ice cold air over my legs. I do keep cabin overheat off. Hope I'm not causing any damage by allowing the cabin to get seriously hot.

 

[Kleenerth3]

Yup, I have it set to blow that ice cold air over my legs. I do keep cabin overheat off. Hope I'm not causing any damage by allowing the cabin to get seriously hot.

One of the many things I love about the 3. Best HVAC system I've ever seen... Or felt! I keep my cabin overheat off but I use a sunscreen on the windshield. The computer is probably most affected, yellowing is reported in a few threads from extreme heat and sun. After the trip I showed you, I went for LLumar ceramic tint including clear on the windshield. What a difference when I took our niece back to school...
In another heat warning. What a difference! If you're having to make that kind of trip often, or even once in a while, you might want to consider it. I was on the fence until that trip.

 

[Petrocelli]

Helpful information. Thanks!

 

[Lifeinabox]

Spent this past weekend in Palm Springs. The Model 3 handled the desert heat without a sweat.

 

[Phlier]

One of the many things I love about the 3. Best HVAC system I've ever seen... Or felt! I keep my cabin overheat off but I use a sunscreen on the windshield. The computer is probably most affected, yellowing is reported in a few threads from extreme heat and sun. After the trip I showed you, I went for LLumar ceramic tint including clear on the windshield. What a difference when I took our niece back to school...
In another heat warning. What a difference! If you're having to make that kind of trip often, or even once in a while, you might want to consider it. I was on the fence until that trip.

Great ideas, thanks! Yeah, living in the desert makes for interesting exploits in heat management. I really like the idea of the clear ceramic tint on the windshield. Utah has extremely strict tint laws, though, so I'm not sure what I could get away with on the other windows.

Spent this past weekend in Palm Springs. The Model 3 handled the desert heat without a sweat.

Love the color.

 

[Kleenerth3]

Totally! The only place I've seen new windshield wipers completely come apart after a long, hot spell.
I'm sure even in Utah they'd let you go dark in back. My front windows are 35 which is easy to see inside the vehicle. Windshield film from LLumar is 99% UV and 43 % heat reflecting and perfectly clear. I've seen a lot of threads where they've actually tinted the windshield. This is totally illegal in all 50 states and when busted, a waste.
Good luck with that and LOVE THAT BLUE!

 

[youngmcdonald]

Good to know because I tried something like this when conditions were the the exact opposite and it was not good news on any fronts!

On August 21, at the tender age of 14 days, my car (a P3D-) had to carry me back down to the Las Vegas Tesla store in order to re-sign some paperwork that they had lost.

It's 145 miles each direction across the desert on Interstate 15 to get there.

When I left St. George, Utah for Las Vegas, the temperature was 112F. Pretty warm. 20 miles down the road, just on the south side of Virgin River Gorge, the temp was up to 115. Passing Mesquite, Nevada (about 40 miles south of St. George) the temp hit 116F. Just south of Mesquite, and for the rest of the drive to Vegas, the temp hit 117F and wavered between 119 and 117 for the rest of the drive. Freaking HOT.

The temp inside my car? 68F. The sound from the AC? Negligible. The fans weren't even running hard... at all. Maybe two steps up from their absolute lowest setting. Efficiency? 285Wh/mile. Not bad, considering I was cruising at 80 mph in temps over 115F!

The car didn't even bat an eye at these kind of temps. I was seriously impressed. My old 2016 Honda Accord (which my Model 3 replaced) could never keep up with temps like this. The AC would blast non stop at max speed and the temp might reach 80 degrees in the cabin.

So if you're planning a trip through a very hot climate in your Model 3, don't stress. The car will handle it with ease, while keeping you nice and cool.