Tesla asks not to wet the wires at charging stations (2 photos)

The trick used by electric car owners has been around for years. If you wrap a wet towel or other cooling cloth around the handle of the Supercharger plug on a hot day, the electronics that monitor the cable's overheating from excessively fast charging can be easily fooled, thereby increasing the intensity of the electricity flow. This has attracted the attention of the automaker.





Wet towels are most effective at old-style V2 Supercharger stations, which do not have actively cooled cables, writes InsideEVs. It is reported that the charging speed can be increased from 60 to 95 kW, and in some cases even higher.



Tesla's Supercharger network is the largest and most reliable in the United States, with more than 2,000 stations. And while there have been no reported incidents involving wet towels, the company has been forced to issue a special statement saying that their use for cooling is unacceptable, as it creates interference in operation and risks overheating and equipment failure.