Tesla drivers, forget the wet towel!!!

Tesla has been forced to remind its customers that a wet towel next to an electrical outlet is a bad idea.

But how did we get to this astonishing situation? Over the past few days, the popular “wet towel” trick has gone viral on social media. It involves wrapping a wet towel around the outlet of a Tesla Supercharger to speed up the charging process. Immediately, if you say water and high voltage, you think “Not good, very bad idea!” Well, not some idiots. Tesla reminds that this practice is dangerous and could damage the vehicle’s charging system and the Supercharger infrastructure… and incidentally kill you in case of a short circuit!

This trick is not new and even dates back to the early days of electric automobiles. The principle is relatively simple: by cooling the Supercharger handle, the built-in temperature sensors are led to allow a higher charging rate because the system thinks the handle is colder than it actually is. But that’s where the danger lies! Tesla Superchargers and all fast chargers in general are equipped with thermal management systems designed to prevent overheating by regulating the charging speed based on temperature readings. No pun intended, if we bypass these safety mechanisms – considering that the thousands of years of study by the engineers who designed them are just smoke and mirrors – we put ourselves in danger.

Better to read the manual before buying a Tesla

But you’re not done with surprises… Following Tesla’s warning, some owners expressed their frustration, arguing that the company should improve the cooling systems of its Superchargers rather than scornfully reprimanding them. It’s crazy that Tesla didn’t think of this before this handful of poor Einsteins.

More seriously, even though it’s not always easy, all manufacturers know that the rise in temperature of chargers and batteries is a barrier to faster charging. Armies of technicians work on this every day with millions of euros in R&D, and the progress is staggering. So please, be patient, accept the fact that by choosing an electric car you expose yourself to waiting times during charging cycles, and don’t act foolishly. A few minutes are not worth a life.

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