Tesla advises against using wet towels to accelerate Supercharging

[Shawn Knight]

A hot potato: Tesla is warning users about a popular "charging hack" that can allegedly result in shorter wait times at select Supercharger stations. The trick, which has been circulating within the Tesla community for at least a few years now, involves wrapping a damp towel around a Supercharger handle when charging. The idea is that the wet rag acts as a cooling agent, tricking temperature sensors inside the handle into thinking the system is running cooler than it actually is.

Some claim the hack can increase the charging rate, especially on hot summer days, resulting in a faster charge and less waiting around. Now, Tesla has issued official guidance on the matter.

According to the official Tesla Charging account on X, placing a wet cloth on a Supercharger handle does not increase its charging rate. In does, however, interfere with the system's temperature monitors and could lead to overheating or damage. Tesla advises against the towel trick to help ensure their systems can operate correctly.

Another extreme wet rag supercharger test. Plugged in at 2% SoC - ramped up to 147kW as normal and thermal throttled at 34% down to 58kW. Slapped that room temperature soaking wet rag and it climbed back to 119kW where it hit the internal charge profile limit. Amazing! â¡ï¸Â pic.twitter.com/0o6VGgdhc9

– Out of Spec Studios (@Out_of_Spec) August 31, 2020

Inside EVs points to several instances that seem to refute Tesla's claim that the trick does not work, at least with older V2 Supercharging systems. One Tesla user put a damp cloth over the charging handle on a V2 Supercharger, which increased the charging rate from 60 kilowatts to 95 kW on a hot day. Another user plugged in at two percent stage of charge and reached 147 kW before thermal throttling kicked in at 34 percent and slowed the rate down to 58 kW. Applying a wet rag reportedly drove the charging rate up to 119 kW.

V3 and newer Superchargers utilize active cooling. According to Inside EV, the towel trick does not really help at all on these systems unless you are charging a Cybertruck.

Tesla owners would probably be best served to take the company's advice and not fool with the trick. Saving an extra few minutes simply is not worth the risk of damaging your vehicle or Tesla's equipment.

Image credit: Kindel Media

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Tesla advises against using wet towels to accelerate Supercharging

 

[ShadowDeath]

It just goes to show you that you don't have to be intelligent to make a lot of money.

Imagine wrapping a wet towel around an electrical plug. Also, the wet towel would initially be cool but once it's been on the handle long enough it would warm up with the handle and potentially cause it to charge slower because all the thermal energy would be trapped in the moisture in the wet rag....

 

[Squid Surprise]

Well, it's one thing to hack a computer or game system - if you screw up, at worst you're down a couple thousand bucks... Once you're talking tens of thousands, I think the risk of water mixing with electricity is pretty dumb - with only a few minutes of savings to show for it.

 

[wiyosaya]

It just goes to show you that you don't have to be intelligent to make a lot of money.

IMO, that's Musk for you.

Imagine wrapping a wet towel around an electrical plug. Also, the wet towel would initially be cool but once it's been on the handle long enough it would warm up with the handle and potentially cause it to charge slower because all the thermal energy would be trapped in the moisture in the wet rag....

The heat would eventually dry out the rag and negate the cooling effect completely, so its kinda useless, IMO, depending on how much heat is generated and how long it takes the rag to dry out..

Once you're talking tens of thousands, I think the risk of water mixing with electricity is pretty dumb - with only a few minutes of savings to show for it.

TBF - I am reasonably sure that all EV/PHEV chargers have GFI protection built-in, so if a short were to develop, the charger would cut out.

 

[yRaz]

Well, it's one thing to hack a computer or game system - if you screw up, at worst you're down a couple thousand bucks... Once you're talking tens of thousands, I think the risk of water mixing with electricity is pretty dumb - with only a few minutes of savings to show for it.

You could be out hundreds of thousands or more. Imagine you start an electrical fire that damages the other cars and chargers around you.

I know there are failsafes built in, but failsafes can fail too. Especially if what your doing is tricking a failsafe.

 

[axiomatic13]

My Ford Lightning has CSS, and it does get hot, but not nearly as hot as the tesla charger does. I've used both. I have my tesla adaptor.

 

[maxxcool7421]

It just goes to show you that you don't have to be intelligent to make a lot of money.

Imagine wrapping a wet towel around an electrical plug. Also, the wet towel would initially be cool but once it's been on the handle long enough it would warm up with the handle and potentially cause it to charge slower because all the thermal energy would be trapped in the moisture in the wet rag....

jesus christ that is not how evaporative cooling works ... my god the education system in this scumbag country ...

 

[WaphleStomp]

IMO, that's Musk for you.

IMO Musk is the personification of Ralph Wiggum ... "I'm helping".

 

[kiwigraeme]

This is a great hack, another one I do is replace all the fuse wires in my houses electrical box with nails. It definitely works as now I get no more switches flicking off.

Not as good as charging my iPhone in a microwave.
2 other microwave hacks

Perfect hard boiled egg. I minute 35 seconds on high at high power 1000watts, adjust pro rata to your specs, Just perfect amount of soft yolk

If lightbulb in microwave doesn't work , you can reuse a blown incandescent lightbulb to light it up, it's brighter anyway - the microwaves activate the gas in the bulb to emit photons , no filament needed

Back to main hack, a wet towel can keep cool for shopping bags in your car.
Or if you have nothing cool to put on a burn, wet a towel and spin it fast to cool it

I would just stick with the last 2 hacks, others use at your discretion

 

[BuckarooBonzaii]

Soon we will have chargers to record the owners vehicle registration along with cameras so if the charger is damaged they will pay for the repair. I guess social media has better education then learning/teaching physics in school.

 

[WaphleStomp]

Not as good as charging my iPhone in a microwave.

Works awesome if you need to charge it quickly so the cops pounding on the door don't have to go through the hassle of finding the correct charging cord ;o)

 

[Squid Surprise]

Soon we will have chargers to record the owners vehicle registration along with cameras so if the charger is damaged they will pay for the repair. I guess social media has better education then learning/teaching physics in school.

Most stations already have cameras… have had them for years - both gas stations and charging stations…

 

[Plutoisaplanet]

Well, it's one thing to hack a computer or game system - if you screw up, at worst you're down a couple thousand bucks... Once you're talking tens of thousands, I think the risk of water mixing with electricity is pretty dumb - with only a few minutes of savings to show for it.

In case you didn’t think about it, cars are designed to handle the outdoor elements… This includes EV’s charging in the pouring rain. Even if you had a wet plug, it’s be no problem lol.

So water isn’t the problem here at all.

 

[BuckarooBonzaii]

Most stations already have cameras… have had them for years - both gas stations and charging stations…

I know gas stations had them for years but did not quite know charging stations have them too.

 

[DrSuess]

Yes,
Water + Electricity = Shocking Results

There is books marts and then there is common sense, I usually give a little more weight to common sense than I do book smarts.

 

[BabaYaga]

Yes,
Water + Electricity = Shocking Results

There is books marts and then there is common sense, I usually give a little more weight to common sense than I do book smarts.

You do realize EVs charge in the rain. <insert facepalm emoji here>

 

[BabaYaga]

Most stations already have cameras… have had them for years - both gas stations and charging stations…

Unfortunately charging stations that I've been to don't. It's some parking lot that might not even be lit. Definitely don't advise to charge at night. You can't even pull away and leave if someone walks up to your car because you're plugged in. Have to get out first and unplug.