Tesla Improved Charging Times In Latest Update

Range anxiety has a quick fix: improved charging times. The deployment of new charging points is only part of the equation, since it is also necessary to improve and optimize the charging processes themselves so that the waiting time is significantly reduced. Tesla actually does not have many problems in this regard, but the company constantly improves its processes and its controls so that its electric cars continue to be a global reference as regarding charging speed. The latest OTA software update basically improves the process in superchargers, but also presents new features in other fields.

The latest version of Tesla's software is starting to roll out to users in North America: version 2022.40.1 has many new features, the main one being improved efficiency during supercharging. Tesla Engineers have greatly improved thermal controls during the fast-charging process, not only for the company's superchargers, but also for non-Tesla charging stations, basically all the ones that offer high-power charging.

Thermal management is essential in the battery recovery procedure. At excessively high or low temperatures the charging capacity is limited in order to prevent any damage to the battery. All companies focus on that delicate balance, and Tesla experts have managed to improve the already excellent procedure via software updates. The update will not only allow cars to charge faster and more efficiently, but will also save users money.

The official release note specifies that "...during DC fast charging, the thermal system controls have been optimized for the power capacity of each charging station, improving both charging and battery preconditioning efficiency en route. This results in a faster charging time and reduced energy costs". But this has only been one of the improvements introduced. Other improvements focus more on usability, such as the new unlock mode for the driver's door. Once the function has been activated, you can press and hold the lock button on the driver's door to unlock the rest of the doors and open the trunk at the same time. This way, Tesla allows users to choose the format for unlocking the doors they prefer, either only the driver's door or all the doors at the same time.

Finally, it should be noted that from now on Sentinel Mode and Dog Mode will be able to work together, something that was not possible until now. The latest update allows you to control your pet and your car at the same time. Tesla specifies that when activating both functions, the alarm will be turned off so as not to scare the dog, but the users will continue to receive the usual alerts on their mobile devices. At the moment the deployment of the latest version is focused on the United States and Canada only, although it will most likely arrive in Europe in the very near future.

All images courtesy of Tesla Inc.

Nico Caballero is the VP of Finance of Cogency Power, specializing in solar energy. He also holds a Diploma in Electric Cars from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, and enjoys doing research about Tesla and EV batteries. He can be reached at @NicoTorqueNews on Twitter. Nico covers Tesla and electric vehicle latest happenings at Torque News.