Tesla Starts Rolling Out Software Update To Address The Heat Pump Not Working In Extreme Cold

In Tesla Inc.'s TSLA quest to increase electric vehicle range and efficiency, the company last year switched all of its models to a heat pump system. This is a way of controlling a car's interior temperature that is much more efficient than other methods, thus leading to a greater electric range. 

Unfortunately, as detailed on a thread on Twitter, some people in extremely cold areas (-22F/-30C or lower) were having a problem when their heat pump suddenly stopped working. The heat pump would produce no heat at all, causing the cabin to become dangerously cold and has even given people problems with their windows fogging up with no way to clear them. 

Just days after the tweet detailing the problems went viral, another thread popped up detailing how Tesla is working on a fix. Strangely enough, the information didn't come from the company directly, but from the Twitter account of a non-official Tesla forum. 

FYI: information regarding the heat pump issues some are facing in extreme cold. From Saskatchewan Tesla Owners club: @elonmusk

— Tesla Owners Online (@Model3Owners) January 12, 2022

And soon after this updated information, a software update addressing the issue started rolling out to customer vehicles, as shared by Drive Tesla Canada. 

In a calculated move by Tesla, the company has a specific list of VINs for cars in colder climates that will be prioritized with this update, which addresses a problem where extremely cold air enters the front of the car, telling it the climate system as failed. The update allows the heat pump to keep working, despite detecting this cold air. 

Photo: Model Y, Courtesy of Tesla