Tesla battery care in Queensland heat (and the odd cold snap)
Teslas manage their own batteries pretty well. A few habits help, especially in a Brisbane summer.
Know your battery type first
Most of our fleet runs LFP (lithium iron phosphate) batteries: standard-range rear-wheel-drive Model 3s and Model Ys. Some newer or long-range cars use NMC. The car tells you what it wants on the charging screen.
- LFP: Tesla generally recommends charging to 100% regularly (at least once a week). If your car suggests 100%, it's probably LFP.
- NMC: keep everyday charging lower (the car suggests a daily range) and save 100% for road trips.
Tip: follow the car's recommendation. Punchline: the bloke at the BBQ "who read something once" isn't your battery engineer.
Beat the heat
- Park in the shade or undercover when you can.
- Turn on Cabin Overheat Protection.
- Pre-cool while plugged in. The energy comes from the wall.
- Don't leave it sitting at 100% in the sun for days if it's an NMC car.
Cold mornings (yes, Brisbane gets a few)
- Regen may be limited until the battery warms up. The car shows it.
- Precondition before you leave, and navigate to the Supercharger in the car so the battery's warm when you arrive. A cold battery charges slower.
- Seat heaters use less energy than heating the whole cabin.
Storms and floodwater
Charging in the rain is designed to be safe. Floodwater is still floodwater, though. If it's flooded, forget it.
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Daily hire on Turo · separate service
Just need it for a weekend? Try a Porsche on Turo. Our Porsche Taycan 4S and Porsche Macan 4 Electric are available for short daily hire. It's a separate daily-hire service, booked on Turo (Turo's prices, insurance and terms apply), and isn't part of our prepaid km plans.
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