Guides
Charging in hot and cold weather
Why a cold battery charges at half speed, what preconditioning does, and how summer heat behaves differently.
Cold is the bigger problem
A cold battery physically cannot accept charge as quickly. Below roughly 10°C you may see half the charging speed you get on a mild day, through no fault of the charger. This surprises people far more than it should, because nothing on the screen explains it.
See it on your own car
Drag the temperature and watch both penalties move. They are separate effects that compound: the stop takes longer and the miles you gained don’t go as far.
At 72 degrees, a ten minute stop adds about 90 to 115 miles to a Model Y Long Range, and 10 to 80 percent takes about 30 minutes.
- 10 minutes adds
- 90–115mi
- 90–115 mi at 70°F
- 10 → 80% takes
- 30min
- 29 min at 70°F
Temperature effects follow Recurrent Auto's 2024 study of roughly 10,000 vehicles and AAA cold-weather testing, interpolated between measured anchor points. Your car, your heat-pump, and whether you preconditioned will move the figure.
Preconditioning is the fix, and you control it
Most EVs will warm the battery on the way to a charger — but usually only if you navigate to that charger in the car’s own navigation. Setting HubCharge as your destination before you set off is the single most effective thing you can do for charging speed in winter. Some cars also expose a manual “precondition battery” button.
Cold hits range too, separately
Heating the cabin draws real power, and a cold battery is less efficient. Expect meaningfully less range from the same charge in winter. Pre-heating the car while it is still plugged in uses grid power rather than battery.
Heat is gentler, but not free
In very hot weather the car may slow charging to keep the pack cool, particularly after sustained fast driving. Parking in shade helps, which is one reason our chargers sit under canopy.
Ready to try full-service charging?
Pull up, stay in your car, and let our team handle the rest — no app needed.