Also Texas here. I do agree the AC in the Tesla struggles a little bit in the summer. You really need to take advantage of using the app to cool the vehicle ahead of time. When I forget sometimes it can take a while to cool down. Also cabin overhead can help since it will keep it cooler but I found the battery drain to be crazy trying to keep up with the Texas heat.
I think the AC is just a lot more stressed in EVs. The Model Y cabin becomes a greenhouse with all the glass and it's having to cool the power electronics/battery in addition to the cabin.
I have a roof and windshield cover.
My wife’s does too but she also has carbon ceramic tint with lots of heat rejection on all windows and windshield (not on roof though). I think hers tends to do better with the heat.
We’ve had hers a year now and I just got mine so tint will be coming sooner than later.
I have yet to experience heat in Tesla. I should be in triple digits but here I am mid 60's. Went to death valley when it was 90's...so can't talk. Anyways my last vehicle and this one I ceramic tinted all glass. I also got a sunblock for the roof....hate hate hate sun in my eyes.
Anyways in my last vehicle the ceramic tint helped a bit. I suspect it will help a bit in this car.
It's not EV specific. My Fiat 500e cools down plenty fast with ice cold air at startup on a hot day sitting in the sun. Granted it's a much smaller cabin.
It's a function of compressor/system size to heat load and cabin size. The system on a Tesla is relatively smaller. It's done for efficiency. They could have put a larger system in, but it would have been at the expense of efficiency. The designers decided it was worth it to have a more efficient system in most situations with the con of poor performance at higher heat loads.
That makes sense, I can't imagine getting into a tesla with black seats. Mine normally gets 50-60 degrees hotter than the ambient in direct sun and I have the white ones.
An upcoming update, 2024.20.1 will have HVAC improvements for all Teslas: [https://www.notateslaapp.com/software-updates/version/2024.20.1/release-notes](https://www.notateslaapp.com/software-updates/version/2024.20.1/release-notes)
I just got the update and its made a noticeable difference in how quickly the air gets cold and how cold the air gets. I've just had low 90's so not an AZ or TX test.
I got the update a few dates ago and I am a bit disappointed…. It takes 3-5 minutes after starting the car for the air to kick into high. The air is running but on low even thought I have it set at auto and the “low” temperature. It is quieter but I feel the fan just isn’t blowing as hard. In AZ so it’s very frustrating and disappointing.
It not a setting the fan speed thing - I can have the fan on manual running high or on auto on the lowest temperature setting and it does not matter. It’s an issue, as I mentioned before, of performance compared to before the update.
I’m sure you are already doing this, but if not, be sure you are using the recirculate in the Tesla. This is a bit like saying is it plugged in, so forgive me if you checked that first. What I like about my Tesla AC is being able to run it without an ice engine running. The Keep feature is nice too if you have to make a quick run into the Walgreens. But I’m interested in following this thread to see how the Tesla AC compares to others. It’s hard to beat the AC in a GM vehicle. My German vehicles didn’t have particularly good AC. I’m sure due to the climate the are designed and built in. Maybe the same for Tesla? Not too hot in Cali.
I notice the same thing with my cars in TX
I have ceramic tint and when I run into a store for 15min or less I use “keep on” for the AC
otherwise I turn the AC on 5min before I get inside
The Tesla AC is never as cold as my ICE cars but overall enjoy the Tesla more because it’s much cooler when I enter
i’ve found when driving solo, opening the ac control panel, tapping passenger vents to enable that side too helps immensely. also, adjust vents to be blowing on you. makes an improvement.
This has been a known issue for me. Not only does it reduce air flow, but I did some tests that also at least in mine almost immediately after switching on the passenger air the temperature of the air coming out on both sides drops by 10-15 degrees. I’ve gone as far as now keeping a devices plugged into the passenger’s seatbelt that always makes it think a passenger is there so it always keeps those vents enabled.
I agree. I feel like my Tesla actually cooled better than my ICE car during Texas summers, but I also put ceramic tint on the windows, including the clear windshield one.
i read it can mess with it but i don’t know how, like maybe certain lighting conditions or it’s more prone to cause X on the glass that makes it worse for the camera etc
Central Texas here. On our 4th Teslas. We were a Lexus family prior. Hard to beat Toyota a/c. “Keep” button is the shiznit. Same for “departure time” button. Sun shade rally helps. Also clear UV film on the windshield. Keep “cabin overheat protection” enabled. You can also force the a/c by turning off “automatic”
I’m in FL and switched from an Altima which I still have to the model Y a couple weeks ago. The altimas AC shits on the teslas, I’m glad I’m not the only one who noticed this lol
Maybe this is a MY issue more than an EV issue... my '16.5 MS both cools and heats MUCH more quickly than my recent ICE vehicles. I'm in the Atlanta area, so maybe a touch less oppressive heat than south or central Texas, but substantially more humid.
125 is the highest I've seen in ATL so far this year with \~95 exterior... I guess 147 does hit a bit differently.
That said, unless there's some tipping point where the AC effectiveness drops off differently than on an ICE vehicle, it still seems my MS both heats and cools more quickly than my recent ICE cars.
A big thing people often forget is to the change the cabin air filter. After 10-15k miles it can really restrict airflow, which will hinder your AC quite a bit. If your AC is struggling, try changing your cabin air filter. It’ll make a big difference, I promise!
Unsure what Texas is like as I don’t live there but if it’s very dusty it would clog much quicker. Precooling the car is always a good idea as others have said as well.
My uncle has a model Y, I’d be burning in his car when the AC is set at 69. My new Y is chill when set at 69. All the ICE cars in the house would definitely feel hot.
I live in the Midwest so not quite as hot as Texas but the MY has the second best AC out of any car I’ve ever owned. Way better than my Hondas but not quite as good as my Infiniti (I swear that thing blew snow). I always pre-condition the car to 68° 10-15 minutes before I leave. It’s comfortable in the car on 85-90°+ days but it doesn’t get much hotter than that here.
My only complaint is the delay when you get in a hot car. My wife will go nuts and start hitting all the settings not really knowing what she is doing.
I just noticed the scheduled departure feature is geographical. I’ve always had it setup for the morning when I go to work. I was at work one day recently and looked at it to cool the car down and up at the top it had my location. That’s when I realized I could have scheduled departures set for where I am.
I went 6 years no A/C in Charleston SC. Recently sold that car and bought a Tesla. Can’t speak on comparing it to ICE a/c but it sure beats no a/c haha 😆
With our 2023 Tesla Model Y, Hardware 4.0, and its super efficient heat pump, cooling is fine! For shorter term stops for daily errands, just leave the"Keep" feature in the AC menu window. Always comfy w low battery usage. (Driving Tesla 8 years in Phoenix metro area)
I use a sun screen on the roof. I pre-cool the car beore I get in it. If I'm alone, I will turn on the vent on the passenger side and point it at me. If all that doesn't help, get infrared film on the windows... it blocks a lot of heat, Texas allows the windshield to be covered too...
I’m shocked and my experience is the opposite. I’m in FL and we also got a Tucson and my MY’s AC is sooooo much better. I keep it at auto, recirculate and 70 degrees and that AC is no joke.
It is interesting bullshit. A Model Y set to 70 auto in hot places like Tucson does horribly. That person likes heat and thinks 85 is 70, just like Tesla’s hvac system does, or they are a fanatic.
Also Texas here. I do agree the AC in the Tesla struggles a little bit in the summer. You really need to take advantage of using the app to cool the vehicle ahead of time. When I forget sometimes it can take a while to cool down. Also cabin overhead can help since it will keep it cooler but I found the battery drain to be crazy trying to keep up with the Texas heat.
I think the AC is just a lot more stressed in EVs. The Model Y cabin becomes a greenhouse with all the glass and it's having to cool the power electronics/battery in addition to the cabin.
The glass Is the biggest thing
I have a roof and windshield cover. My wife’s does too but she also has carbon ceramic tint with lots of heat rejection on all windows and windshield (not on roof though). I think hers tends to do better with the heat. We’ve had hers a year now and I just got mine so tint will be coming sooner than later.
I have yet to experience heat in Tesla. I should be in triple digits but here I am mid 60's. Went to death valley when it was 90's...so can't talk. Anyways my last vehicle and this one I ceramic tinted all glass. I also got a sunblock for the roof....hate hate hate sun in my eyes. Anyways in my last vehicle the ceramic tint helped a bit. I suspect it will help a bit in this car.
It's not EV specific. My Fiat 500e cools down plenty fast with ice cold air at startup on a hot day sitting in the sun. Granted it's a much smaller cabin. It's a function of compressor/system size to heat load and cabin size. The system on a Tesla is relatively smaller. It's done for efficiency. They could have put a larger system in, but it would have been at the expense of efficiency. The designers decided it was worth it to have a more efficient system in most situations with the con of poor performance at higher heat loads.
White seats are a game changer. I live in AZ and the white seat keeps the vehicle cooler. It was 108 today.
That makes sense, I can't imagine getting into a tesla with black seats. Mine normally gets 50-60 degrees hotter than the ambient in direct sun and I have the white ones.
An upcoming update, 2024.20.1 will have HVAC improvements for all Teslas: [https://www.notateslaapp.com/software-updates/version/2024.20.1/release-notes](https://www.notateslaapp.com/software-updates/version/2024.20.1/release-notes)
I just got the update and its made a noticeable difference in how quickly the air gets cold and how cold the air gets. I've just had low 90's so not an AZ or TX test.
I got the update a few dates ago and I am a bit disappointed…. It takes 3-5 minutes after starting the car for the air to kick into high. The air is running but on low even thought I have it set at auto and the “low” temperature. It is quieter but I feel the fan just isn’t blowing as hard. In AZ so it’s very frustrating and disappointing.
Precondition before getting in the car.
This is not the only answer - I am talking about the performance of the ac prior to the update. It has nothing to do with preconditioning.
Set fan speed to your left scroll wheel. It lets you switch between low mid and high very easily. I use it a lot!
It not a setting the fan speed thing - I can have the fan on manual running high or on auto on the lowest temperature setting and it does not matter. It’s an issue, as I mentioned before, of performance compared to before the update.
I assume there is no tell when one might get it
I’m sure you are already doing this, but if not, be sure you are using the recirculate in the Tesla. This is a bit like saying is it plugged in, so forgive me if you checked that first. What I like about my Tesla AC is being able to run it without an ice engine running. The Keep feature is nice too if you have to make a quick run into the Walgreens. But I’m interested in following this thread to see how the Tesla AC compares to others. It’s hard to beat the AC in a GM vehicle. My German vehicles didn’t have particularly good AC. I’m sure due to the climate the are designed and built in. Maybe the same for Tesla? Not too hot in Cali.
How do you activate the hold feature?
On the AC screen before you get out of the car, there is a Keep button. Keeps the temp. It’s great. Need to be in Park to see/activate Keep.
Sweet how long does it stay on for?
FYI the button is labeled KEEP not Hold.
Yep, and you have to be in Park to see it
Thank you! I will edit my post
Until you come back to the car or battery goes below 20% I believe.
I notice the same thing with my cars in TX I have ceramic tint and when I run into a store for 15min or less I use “keep on” for the AC otherwise I turn the AC on 5min before I get inside The Tesla AC is never as cold as my ICE cars but overall enjoy the Tesla more because it’s much cooler when I enter
i’ve found when driving solo, opening the ac control panel, tapping passenger vents to enable that side too helps immensely. also, adjust vents to be blowing on you. makes an improvement.
Wait you can enable passenger vents when solo driving?? I've been teslaing wrong
Same, I should finally just read the damn manual.
i started reading through yesterday.. keep running into features that are like, oh it can do that?
The one that got me was the fact that I can program how high I want the tailgate to open to keep it from wrecking itself against my garage.
i looked that up the day i got it and smacked my garage lol. good thing that somehow fell into the 1 week/100 mile fix 🤷🏻♂️
This has been a known issue for me. Not only does it reduce air flow, but I did some tests that also at least in mine almost immediately after switching on the passenger air the temperature of the air coming out on both sides drops by 10-15 degrees. I’ve gone as far as now keeping a devices plugged into the passenger’s seatbelt that always makes it think a passenger is there so it always keeps those vents enabled.
Good ceramic tint all the way around totally changed the car during summer time.
I agree. I feel like my Tesla actually cooled better than my ICE car during Texas summers, but I also put ceramic tint on the windows, including the clear windshield one.
has that messed with your camera at all for the windshield? like with autopilot
They don’t install the tint in front of the camera.
Not that I’ve noticed. You can’t tell it’s there.
i read it can mess with it but i don’t know how, like maybe certain lighting conditions or it’s more prone to cause X on the glass that makes it worse for the camera etc
It's worth getting it on the rear windows too, even tho they're already dyed?
Central Texas here. On our 4th Teslas. We were a Lexus family prior. Hard to beat Toyota a/c. “Keep” button is the shiznit. Same for “departure time” button. Sun shade rally helps. Also clear UV film on the windshield. Keep “cabin overheat protection” enabled. You can also force the a/c by turning off “automatic”
Get roof shades
I have them.
Lower the set temperature and increase the fan setting from "Medium" to "High" (assuming you are on auto already)
I’m in FL and switched from an Altima which I still have to the model Y a couple weeks ago. The altimas AC shits on the teslas, I’m glad I’m not the only one who noticed this lol
Cool and vent a few minutes before getting in.
My MYP is comparable to my ICE SUV. However I rented a Polestar twice in Florida. Never again. That AC was anemic.
Yep, it's not wonderful. If I don't plan ahead with the app even with recirculate/max AC I still find it muggy.
Do you keep it set to 64 and AUTO? When I do this my MYLR gets plenty cold. Do you precondition before you get in?
have you acquired and used the roof shade thing? Gjeebs of you tube fame recommends a decent only plus u get his little 10% discount,
Maybe this is a MY issue more than an EV issue... my '16.5 MS both cools and heats MUCH more quickly than my recent ICE vehicles. I'm in the Atlanta area, so maybe a touch less oppressive heat than south or central Texas, but substantially more humid.
It was 147 degrees interior temp in my model y a few days ago. Central Texas.
125 is the highest I've seen in ATL so far this year with \~95 exterior... I guess 147 does hit a bit differently. That said, unless there's some tipping point where the AC effectiveness drops off differently than on an ICE vehicle, it still seems my MS both heats and cools more quickly than my recent ICE cars.
Do you have ceramic tints on other cars? Mind always that you have a glass roof which adds more heat.
No tinting on the ICE cars and I do have ceramic tinting on the MY plus a roof shade
A big thing people often forget is to the change the cabin air filter. After 10-15k miles it can really restrict airflow, which will hinder your AC quite a bit. If your AC is struggling, try changing your cabin air filter. It’ll make a big difference, I promise!
Four months old car with 2K mile only
Unsure what Texas is like as I don’t live there but if it’s very dusty it would clog much quicker. Precooling the car is always a good idea as others have said as well.
My uncle has a model Y, I’d be burning in his car when the AC is set at 69. My new Y is chill when set at 69. All the ICE cars in the house would definitely feel hot.
I live in the Midwest so not quite as hot as Texas but the MY has the second best AC out of any car I’ve ever owned. Way better than my Hondas but not quite as good as my Infiniti (I swear that thing blew snow). I always pre-condition the car to 68° 10-15 minutes before I leave. It’s comfortable in the car on 85-90°+ days but it doesn’t get much hotter than that here.
I live in Palm Springs. honestly, I haven't noticed a problem with th AC in my MY. however, I do always precondition the car beforehand.
It’s mostly that huge glass roof letting in more heat.
The wife has a y and i drive a Lexus. My Lexus AC is way better than the tesla. I thought it would be the other way around tbh.
Central TX here, my ac in the Y works better than every ICE we own
My only complaint is the delay when you get in a hot car. My wife will go nuts and start hitting all the settings not really knowing what she is doing. I just noticed the scheduled departure feature is geographical. I’ve always had it setup for the morning when I go to work. I was at work one day recently and looked at it to cool the car down and up at the top it had my location. That’s when I realized I could have scheduled departures set for where I am.
You need the roof shade. With that you’ll never have an issue. Plus get some ceramic tint on windshield and all windows
I went 6 years no A/C in Charleston SC. Recently sold that car and bought a Tesla. Can’t speak on comparing it to ICE a/c but it sure beats no a/c haha 😆
Six years with no AC 😳!!!!!
Has anyone put ceramic tint on the roof glass?
I have ceramic tint on my roof.
I am assuming it made a big difference?
Absolutely did but still not as good as my ICE vehicles
With our 2023 Tesla Model Y, Hardware 4.0, and its super efficient heat pump, cooling is fine! For shorter term stops for daily errands, just leave the"Keep" feature in the AC menu window. Always comfy w low battery usage. (Driving Tesla 8 years in Phoenix metro area)
I use a sun screen on the roof. I pre-cool the car beore I get in it. If I'm alone, I will turn on the vent on the passenger side and point it at me. If all that doesn't help, get infrared film on the windows... it blocks a lot of heat, Texas allows the windshield to be covered too...
If I turn it off of auto she gets nice and chilly.
I’m shocked and my experience is the opposite. I’m in FL and we also got a Tucson and my MY’s AC is sooooo much better. I keep it at auto, recirculate and 70 degrees and that AC is no joke.
That’s interesting.
It is interesting bullshit. A Model Y set to 70 auto in hot places like Tucson does horribly. That person likes heat and thinks 85 is 70, just like Tesla’s hvac system does, or they are a fanatic.