Your Tesla will soon receive a new feature through a free over-the-air (OTA) software update – the ability to set your own threshold for when Cabin Overheat Protection will activate.
Cabin Overheat Protection is a standard feature in all Tesla vehicles. Once you exit your car the software will monitor the temperature inside your cabin. If the temperature exceeds a certain threshold, Cabin Overheat Protection will turn on automatically to reduce the temperature, either with just the fan or with air conditioning depending on how you configure the settings.
Currently that threshold is above 40°C (104°F), but with the next software update you will be able to adjust that temperature threshold either up or down. That’s according to Elon Musk who said last night the feature is especially useful with the heat waves that seem to be the new normal in many parts of the world.
Tesla’s automatic cabin overheat protection should make a real difference with record heatwaves.
Ability to adjust activation temperature coming with next software release.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 12, 2022
Cabin Overheat Protection was first added through the 2018.24.1 software update in July 2018 and is considered more of a convenience feature than a requirement.
It works differently than Dog Mode, Camp Mode, or Climate Keeper, all of which keep your cabin at a constant user-defined temperature, rather than only activating when it reaches a threshold (and then turns off again once it is below that threshold).
To help preserve your battery, Cabin Overheat Protection only works for 12 hours after you exit the vehicle, or until your battery drops below 20%. Although Musk didn’t say this set of rules would be changing, this won’t happen as Tesla doesn’t want you to return to your vehicle with a dead battery. Other features like Sentry Mode follows the same rules and turns off below 20% state of charge.
