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Tesla owners' winter driving insights proves EVs' are great cars for sub-zero conditions
Thanks to outdated assumptions and what appears to be an ongoing misinformation campaign against electric cars, some mainstream car buyers may assume that vehicles like the Tesla Model 3 would be grossly ineffective in sub-zero temperatures. Yet despite this persistent stereotype, actual experiences from electric car owners have recently proven these notions wrong once again.
Tesla owner and president-founder of the Saskatchewan Electric Vehicle Association Matthew Pointer recently shared some of his winter driving experiences with CBC News. A resident of Saskatchewan, Canada, Pointer is no stranger to cold weather driving. His home, after all, experiences sub-zero temperatures on a regular basis, at times requiring him to drive in -45 C (-49 F) weather. If the stereotype holds true, then Pointer’s Tesla should be near-useless in certain parts of the year. But this has not been the case.
On the contrary, Pointer stated that his Tesla actually works better than his previous internal combustion cars in the cold. While he stated that his electric vehicle does experience some range loss during winters, the car works perfectly in extreme weather. Just this Thursday, for example, Pointer noted that he passed by several dozen ICE owners struggling to start their vehicles on his way to work. His Tesla, in comparison, handled the cold without any issues, even with its reduced range.
“I passed several dozen people that couldn’t even get their car started in front of their house this morning, as I kind of ripped by them in my electric vehicle that apparently doesn’t work in those sort of temperatures. I wake up with a ‘full tank’ every morning because I plug in at night, and I wake up, and my car’s fully charged in the morning. I’ve got more than enough range to do all the regular stuff that I need to do on a daily basis,” Pointer said.
Explaining further, the Tesla owner stated that it’s just a matter of design between EVs and internal combustion cars. Electric cars have far fewer components compared to gasoline or diesel-powered automobiles. Thus, there are far fewer things that can get compromised by the cold. Couple this with Tesla’s excellent battery management system, and the company’s vehicles become incredibly effective for winter.
“The great thing about an electric vehicle is that it has significantly less moving parts, and you’re essentially driving one massive battery that’s very good at maintaining its heat and keeping itself going. There’s no moving parts that need to go through this magical movement and means of combustion and getting things preheated all at a minus-45-degree temperature. Essentially for us to start our cars, we just touch a button, the screen pops up, and we just drive to work from there,” he explained.
In a statement to the publication, Tyler Krause, a fellow resident of Saskatchewan and a Tesla Model 3 owner, described how easy it is to live with an electric car during the coldest months of the year. “Yesterday it was -37 C (-34.6 F), and it wasn’t a problem. I went to heat it up. It took like 10 minutes and I was off. I drove by probably three or four people that were getting boosted on the side of the road and I had no issues,” he said, adding that none of the local Tesla Owners Club members have reported any issues during winter.
Perhaps one thing that usually gets forgotten by electric vehicle critics is the fact that all cars, even those powered with the internal combustion engine, lose range during the coldest months of the year. With this in mind, it all comes down to convenience, and based on the accounts of actual Tesla owners from one of the colder places in North America; EVs have ICE beat by a wide margin. The proof lies in actual experiences from Tesla owners, as well as the company’s sales figures from cold countries such as Norway and the Netherlands, where the Model 3 has been making its presence known.
Tesla has expanded the footprint of a massive safety feature worldwide with a recent Software Update labeled as 2026.20.6. The expansion of the “Blind Spot Warning While Parked” feature represents the more widespread availability of the feature, which aims to prevent “dooring.”
Dooring is when a driver or passenger opens a car door into the path of an oncoming road user, usually a cyclist or motorcyclist. It is among the most common types of cycling accidents, the League of American Bicyclists says.
For this reason, Tesla created a feature that warns occupants not to open the door because an object is approaching. The feature will sound a chime, and it will also delay the opening of the door to prevent an incident.
The release notes state (via Not a Tesla App):
“If you attempt to open a door while an approaching object is detected in your blind spot (for example, a bicyclist approaching from behind) a chime sounds, and your door will not open upon initial button press. Wait a short time and press the button a second time to override the warning.”
Tesla initially rolled out this feature back in 2024 with the Model 3 “Highland.” However, it remained with the Model 3 exclusively for over a year; that was until Tesla added it to the Cybertruck this past Spring.
Now, it is making its way to the new Model Y, 2021 and newer Model S, and 2021 or newer Model X.
The prevention of dooring incidents could eliminate many injuries to cyclists, especially in an urban setting. Dooring accounts for 10-20 percent of bike-related crashes in major cities, and over 17,000 dooring-related incidents were treated in the U.S. over the course of a decade. These usually involve fractures, contusions, and head trauma.
Tesla confirmed this morning that it has sent the first production units, manufactured with no steering wheel or pedals, to on-road testing in Austin, sharing video of the first rides with no human controls.
The lack of steering wheels and pedals in the Cybercab aligns with Tesla’s self-certification of Robotaxi as Level 4 SAE, a platform it plans to make widespread through internal vehicles and customer-owned cars that will operate and generate revenue for individuals.
The start of these engineering tests is a major signal for Tesla, which plans to bring driverless, wheel-less, and pedal-less Cybercabs to market in the coming months. With production already well underway at Gigafactory Texas, where the Cybercab is built, there is some inclination to believe the first public rides could happen sooner rather than later.
Engineering tests of the first production Cybercab have begun in Austin pic.twitter.com/fk3KQvcE8a
— Tesla (@Tesla) June 30, 2026
Tesla’s engineering tests will put the Cybercab in real-world scenarios, testing not only the hardware, but more importantly, the software that drives the car around Austin with nobody supervising it within the car.
This is perhaps the biggest part of the internal testing process, especially prior to allowing regular, everyday people to hail the Cybercab for an autonomous ride. These early rides serve as a true benchmark for Tesla: How many rides can it achieve safely? How many miles did it travel consecutively without needing an intervention? What scenarios challenge the Full Self-Driving suite the most?
The proper precautions have already been put into place as well, as Tesla released the First Responders Guide to Cybercab over the weekend, ensuring that emergency services have 24/7 access to Robotaxi Assistance, as well as other boundaries, such as Geofencing features that can be used to redirect autonomous vehicle traffic due to accidents, road closures, construction, or maintenance.
Cybercab seems genuinely close to being added to the Robotaxi fleet in Austin, but Tesla has prioritized safety throughout this entire process. Therefore, we think it could be months before it truly starts giving rides to the public. People have been frustrated with this, but Robotaxi in Austin has a tremendous safety record so far, so the slow rollout has kept people safe and accidents to a minimum.
The most important thing is that Tesla continues to show consistent progress in the Cybercab’s ramp-up toward fleet addition. A few weeks back, we saw the EPA reward the Cybercab a Certificate of Conformity, allowing it to enter the stream of commerce. Then, we saw Tesla add decals, signaling that it was likely about to start testing it publicly. That has now happened.
The next big move will be the announcement of the first rides, so this Summer should be filled with anticipation.
For years, there have been images and videos across social media platforms that have reminded me of when I was a 15-year-old kid teased by “Xbox 720” videos on YouTube. These videos are of the supposed “Tesla Phone” that Elon Musk was secretly developing in between leading Tesla with its electric cars and SpaceX with its reusable rockets.
Would you buy a Tesla phone ? pic.twitter.com/aaTwvvIJit
— Tesla Owners Silicon Valley (@teslaownersSV) October 6, 2023
Although Musk has put those rumors to bed several times, it was never completely out of the realm that he could get involved in cell phones in some capacity. Think outside the box and more macro-level, though. Instead of reinventing the computer, Musk reinvented connectivity by developing Starlink with SpaceX.
It could be something similar, TD Cowen analyst Gregory Williams said in a note last week, where he hinted SpaceX could be gathering some steam to acquire T-Mobile.
Williams said it would be the “clear choice” for SpaceX if it decided to go through with a network acquisition. He also suggested AT&T.
The move would be possible through selling more of its own stock, which would help SpaceX raise the money to purchase T-Mobile, which would cost roughly $300 billion. It could be one of the moves SpaceX makes post-IPO in terms of an acquisition: it already acquired Cursor AI for $60 billion.
Other analysts, like Dan Ives of Wedbush, believe SpaceX and Tesla will eventually merge into one anyway, and that conglomeration could come as soon as this year, some have said.
The implications of SpaceX purchasing T-Mobile are massive. A combined entity would create a truly ubiquitous network: T-Mobile’s terrestrial 5G towers and Starlink’s growing constellation of Direct-to-Cell satellites. This would essentially eliminate dead zones across the U.S. and potentially globally.
SpaceX would instantly become a full-scale facilities-based carrier with satellite differentiation; a huge advantage. This would pressure AT&T and Verizon heavily.
There are also concerns like a potential reduction in long-term competition, and of course, a deal of that size would face intense scrutiny from government agencies.
The strategic fit is compelling due to the existing Starlink–T-Mobile partnership and complementary technologies (space + terrestrial). It could create a dominant integrated communications player. However, the regulatory, financial, and execution hurdles are enormous — this remains highly speculative with no indication SpaceX is actively pursuing it right now.
Tesla expands massive safety feature worldwide in latest update
Tesla sends production Cybercab with no steering wheel, pedals to on-road testing
