Canadian YouTuber FrozenTesla conducted a test with his 2024 Tesla Model 3 Long Range AWD vehicle on one of the coldest winter days in the country. The YouTuber tested how long he could stay inside the car in extremely cold weather, at -37°C.
The aim was to see how much energy the car consumed to keep the cabin warm and what the cost of recharging would be at the end of the test. For this, he left the car outside for 12 hours and recorded the results. The experiment began around 11:00 PM, with the battery at 80% charge. The car was set to Camp Mode, and the climate control was set to 15.5°C. While not a very high temperature, it was sufficient to ensure the safety of occupants on a freezing night.
40% Charge Consumed in 12 Hours
The YouTuber found that 30% of the battery was consumed after 9 hours. When the experiment ended 12 hours later, the battery level had dropped to 40%. This means the car used 40% of its battery to keep the cabin warm. This implies that with a 100% charge, the car could keep its occupants warm for 30 hours. The user also checked if the extreme cold had damaged the vehicle. The trunk opened normally, the windows operated without issues, and the charging port was also unaffected by the cold.
The vehicle was then taken to the garage and recharged to 80%. A total of 36 kWh of energy was supplied to the battery for this process, which translates to approximately 3 kWh of consumption per hour. Calculated at the average electricity price in the US, which is $0.189/kWh, the cost of the experiment was approximately $6.8. If we adapt this to Turkey, taking the higher tier of household electricity at 4 TL per kWh, the same experiment would cost 144 TL. Of course, if charged at fast-charging stations, this cost could increase by up to 4 times.
According to the results, the Model 3 consumes 3.33% of its battery per hour to keep the cabin warm. If you are stranded with a battery level of 30%, it could theoretically last for about 9 hours. However, since there would be no energy left to move afterward, it is more logical to keep the car running for 6–7 hours. This way, at least enough energy would remain to reach a charging station or home. Of course, since such extreme cold is rarely experienced in Turkey, it would be possible to stay inside the vehicle for much longer.
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