If you find yourself with a flat battery on your Tesla, you are no doubt annoyed!
The big question is though, can you jump start your Tesla just like a normal car?
Yes, you can jump start your Tesla. Because it has a 12V battery under the hood just like any other car.
However, keep in mind that it is not such a big deal as with a normal car, because you are not having to “jump” the starter motor for the engine. You are only having to supply enough power back to your battery from an outside source to get it running again.
So, when you talk about jump starting a Tesla you are actually only really partially recharging the 12V battery.
The procedure for jump starting a Tesla is similar to most other cars. But, it depends a little on the Model of Tesla that you have. Below are the different procedures for accessing and jump starting the 12V battery in your Tesla.
Note: You also need to have some charge in the car battery as well, because the 12V battery runs the electrical systems but does not move the car. So, if that is completely flat, you will also need to plug the car in.
Table of Contents
How Do You Jump Start A Model 3 or Model Y?
Here are the steps you need to jump start a Model 3 or Model Y:
- Open the hood
- Remove the maintenance panel by pulling up from the windshield area
- If installed, remove the HEPA air filter and intake
- Attach the red positive (+) cable to the red (+) terminal on the battery
- Attach the black negative (-) cable to the black (-) negative terminal on the battery
- Turn on the external power if necessary
- Wait for the battery to be recharged enough to function
- Test by waking the touchscreen
If You Cannot Open Your Model 3 or Model Y Hood?
Because the hood of the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y are powered by the battery, it is possible that you cannot open it if the battery is flat.
In order to open the hood you need to do the following:
- Open the tow eye cover on the front of the vehicle (push top right to pivot)
- Pull the two wires inside outwards
- Attach your external power supply to the wires
- First, attach the red positive (+) cable to the red (+) cable
- Next, attach the black negative (-) cable to the black (-) cable
- Ensure your external power supply is on and the frunk should automatically open
Now you can proceed to jump starting the battery (per above instructions).
How Do You Jump Start A Model S
On older Model Ss it was very very difficult to open the Frunk and get to the 12V battery. So, unless you have a newer Model I would just call roadside assistance.
There are two frunk release cables on the older Model S hidden behind the plastic in the wheel wells (front side). Then once you are inside, you need to remove a lot of plastic to get to the battery.
Can You Jump Start Another Car With A Tesla?
If you are talking about a normal ICE / Gas powered car then the short answer is no, you can’t jump start a car with a Tesla.
Unlike normal petrol or diesel cars, Teslas do not have the power in their 12V battery to jump / crank the engine in another car. And Tesla does not recommend even trying to jump start another car.
It is possible over a long period of time to simple trickle charge the other car to give it enough juice to start, however, this takes a very long time if their battery is truly dead.
