Snowflake — Cold Battery
The blue snowflake icon on Tesla means the battery is not yet warmed to operating temperature. Regenerative braking is limited or disabled, and range may be 20–40% below the expected number.
What this indicator means
Tesla lithium-ion cells operate optimally at 25–40 °C. Below 5 °C efficiency drops sharply: internal resistance rises, cutting both charging speed and regen. The snowflake warns that the system is actively warming the pack (via heat pumps or heaters).
Common causes
- Long standstill in hard frost (below -5 °C)
- Morning after a night without preconditioning
- Leaving a cold garage onto the motorway
- Discharged battery in the cold (no way to warm)
What to do as a driver
Activate preconditioning via the Tesla app (Charging → Precondition) or navigate to a Supercharger — the car will warm the pack automatically. In motion enable "Range Mode" to save energy. Warm-up takes 10–30 min depending on temperature.
Safety
Informational: no danger, but plan charging and range with a -30% adjustment in cold weather.