By: Otaiba Ahsan

Pearl White Tesla Model Y with a Carbon Fiber Body Kit

If you’ve had the luxury of using a car starter, it’s one of those features that are hard to give up, especially if you’re in extreme climates. For example, it feels great when the snow is melted, and your vehicle is already warm and ready to go during cold winter nights. Tesla has taken the idea of a car starter to the next level, with their Scheduled Departure feature. Continue reading for steps on how to set up scheduled departure on a Tesla Model 3 or Model Y.

Scheduled Charging and Departure

Tesla has two features that enhance your car ownership experience greatly. The first is Scheduled Charging, which allows you to set a time for when you want charging to start each day.

For instance, you can arrive home at 5:00 pm and plug your Tesla in, but if you have the charging time set to 7:00 pm it won’t start until then. This is useful if your town or city has off-peak electricity hours, and you only want to charge during those times. We’ve created a guide on the cost of home charging that explains this in detail.

Along with Scheduled Charging, Tesla also has Scheduled Departure, which is a time you can set for when you want your Model 3 or Model Y to be ready. This means that the car will precondition itself for an optimal driving experience right when you wish to leave. Preconditioning helps the battery get warm and will get the desired temperature that you normally have your Tesla set to.

NOTE: It’s always good to precondition your car, whether you use Scheduled Departure or not. If you don’t have it set, you can simply begin conditioning your car by turning the climate on using your Tesla app. This will help bring your Tesla to its desired temperature and helps the battery warm up as well. In colder climates, this is especially important as the car will perform worse if the battery is cold and you immediately begin driving.

In summary, think of Scheduled Charging as when you want your car to begin charging, and Scheduled Departure as when you want the car to be primed and ready to drive.

Using Scheduled Departure

The easiest way to set up Scheduled Departure is by opening the Tesla app, and tapping Schedule > Departure > Precondition. You can then choose the time you want the car to be ready, and toggle whether you want weekends or weekdays.

If you’d like to do it from within your vehicle, tap Controls > Charging > Schedule, and set a time and days you prefer.

Schedule Departure from Within Your Tesla

Once set, your Tesla Model 3 or Model Y will automatically calculate when it needs to start preconditioning or charging. This ensures that charging is complete, the cabin temperature is optimal, and the battery is preconditioned for your departure time.

The Bottom Line

The steps on how to set up scheduled departure on a Tesla Model 3 or Model Y are simple. If you’re doing it from the Tesla app, hit Schedule > Departure > Precondition and choose the time and days you’d like. If you’re doing it from the car instead, then hit Controls > Charging > Schedule and follow the same steps. It’s a simple, but useful thing to set up, especially if you have a set schedule for when you leave for a destination.