What the Blue Snowflake Means in the Tesla App and on the Car's Display

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Like all vehicles, Teslas require a little extra attention during the cold winter months. A common query among Tesla owners is the appearance of a blue snowflake icon next to the battery indicator on their vehicle's touchscreen and in the Tesla app. This icon is not just a quirky design choice; it carries important information about the state of your vehicle's battery, particularly in cold weather conditions.

What the Blue Snowflake Means

The blue snowflake icon warns that the battery is too cold to access its full power and range capabilities. When this icon is visible, owners might notice a reduction in regenerative braking and acceleration. The vehicle’s range is also reduced and charging may be slower than usual, especially at Superchargers. This is a protective measure by Tesla to prevent damage to the battery under cold conditions. The lithium-ion batteries used in Tesla vehicles, like those in other electric vehicles, are sensitive to temperature extremes. Cold temperatures can significantly impact the battery's chemical reactions, reducing its ability to store and release energy efficiently.

How Much of the Battery Is Affected

The Tesla app visually represents the battery's charge level, with the affected portion displayed in blue. By tapping on the battery icon or the charge button in the app, or similarly on the vehicle's touchscreen, users can jump to the Charging section in settings. Here, the portion of the battery displayed in blue represents the "locked" or unusable part of the battery due to cold temperatures. The extent of this blue section gives you a rough idea of how much of your battery's capacity is currently restricted.

Range Impact and Restoration

The vehicle's displayed range already accounts for the portion of the battery that is currently unusable by cold temperatures. This means the actual available range might be more than what is shown. As the battery warms up -- either through driving, charging, or preconditioning -- the additional range will be unlocked, and the blue snowflake icon will disappear. It's important to note that the colder the battery, the more range is temporarily inaccessible. Achieving normal operating temperature is crucial to unlocking this additional, temporarily unavailable range. Moreover, a cold battery can also diminish the vehicle's acceleration performance.

Why It Happens and How to Prevent It

The primary reason for this phenomenon is to safeguard the battery's integrity in cold weather. To minimize the impact of cold temperatures and prevent the snowflake icon from appearing, Tesla recommends keeping the vehicle plugged in whenever possible and maintaining a charge level above 20% when unplugged. Additionally, storing the vehicle in a garage and keeping it plugged in can help keep the battery from getting too cold. However, seeing the snowflake on colder days is still normal. Preconditioning the vehicle before use, a feature that preheats the battery and cabin can also mitigate the effects of cold weather on the battery.

Preheating enhances comfort and ensures that the battery operates efficiently from the moment you start driving, meaning that not only will you have full access to the vehicle’s power, but also its regenerative abilities and range. This approach, coupled with keeping the vehicle charged and stored in warmer conditions, can significantly reduce the occurrence of the blue snowflake icon, ensuring that your Tesla performs optimally, even in colder climates.

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Tesla FSD in Europe: June Update

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The road to bringing FSD to Europe has been a long and complex one and filled with regulatory and bureaucratic hurdles. Elon Musk, as well as other members of Tesla’s AI team, have previously voiced their grievances with the regulatory approval process on X.

However, it appears that there is finally some progress in getting things moving with recent changes to upcoming autonomy regulations, but the process still seems slow.

Waiting on the Dutch

Elon commented on X recently, stating that Tesla is waiting for approval from Dutch authorities and then the EU to start rolling out FSD in Europe. Tesla is focusing on acquiring approvals from the Dutch transportation authority, which will provide them with the platform they need to gain broader acceptance in Europe. Outside of the Netherlands, Tesla is also conducting testing in Norway, which provides a couple of avenues for them to obtain national-level approval.

The frustration has been ongoing, with multiple committee meetings bringing up autonomy regulation but always pulling back at the last second before approving anything. The last meeting on Regulation 157, which governs Automated Lane Keeping Systems, concluded with authorities from the UK and Spain requesting additional time to analyze the data before reaching a conclusion.

Tesla, as well as Elon, have motioned several times for owners to reach out to their elected representatives to move the process forward, as it seems that Tesla’s own efforts are being stymied. 

This can seem odd, especially since Tesla has previously demoed FSD working exceptionally smoothly on European roads - and just did it again in Rome when they shared the video below on X.

FSD Supervised testing in Rome, Italy

Pending regulatory approval pic.twitter.com/TXh3uQIfrx

— Tesla Europe & Middle East (@teslaeurope) June 12, 2025

DCAS Phase 3

While the approval process has been slow, Kees Roelandschap pointed out that there may be a different regulatory step that could allow FSD to gain a foothold in Europe.

According to Kees, the European Commission is now taking a new approach to approving ADAS systems under the new DCAS Phase 3 regulations. The Commission is now seeking data from systems currently operational in the United States that can perform System-Initiated Maneuvers and don’t require hands-on intervention for every request.

This is key because those are two of the core functionalities that make FSD so usable, and it also means that there may not be a need to wait years for proper regulations to be written from scratch. Now, the Commission will be looking at real-world data based on existing, deployed technology, which could speed up the process immensely.

What This Means

This new, data-driven regulatory approach could be the path for Tesla to reach its previous target of September for European FSD. While the cogs of bureaucracy are ever slow, sometimes all it takes is a little data to have them turn a bit faster in this case.

Alongside specific countries granting approval for limited field testing with employees, there is some light at the end of the tunnel for FSD in Europe, and hopes are that a release will occur by the end of 2025. With Europe now looking to North America for how FSD is performing, Tesla’s Robotaxi results could also play a role.

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Tesla Launches 'TeslaVision' Contest With Big Prizes — See Last Year’s Winner [VIDEO]

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Tesla’s marketing has always been relatively unconventional, relying on word-of-mouth rather than traditional advertising. The passion of the owner’s community is always massive, but it is especially high now with the launch of the Robotaxi network just around the corner.

Tesla is now tapping into that spring of fan creativity and announced the TeslaVision video contest, with some seriously impressive prizes up for grabs.

Announcing the TeslaVision fan video showcase

Tesla owners & supporters have always been able to see our products & mission for what they truly are.

Your word of mouth has made Tesla what it is today.

The OGs will remember that in 2017, we held our first video contest. 8 years… pic.twitter.com/6pPpkqmqOH

— Tesla (@Tesla) June 10, 2025

The Contest

The core of the contest is simple. Create a video that shows how your Tesla gives you more in life. Tesla is looking for submissions that highlight themes of freedom, safety, fun, and convenience.

Prizes

The prizes definitely make this contest worth entering if you’re good with a camera and have some basic video editing abilities.

For North America, the prizes include a brand new Model Y AWD Long Range, alongside an all-expenses-paid trip to Austin for a tour of Giga Texas. The grand prize winner will also be able to custom order their Model Y, allowing them to select their preferred wheels and color.

The two runners-up won’t get a Model Y, but they’ll also enjoy an all-expenses-paid trip to Giga Texas for a tour of the factory.

The travel and tour include lodging in Austin for 2 nights, as well as economy-class round-trip tickets from anywhere in North America. Tesla will also provide a vehicle for use during the trip.

Hopefully, these winners will also have the opportunity to experience the Robotaxi network while they’re in Austin, as it’s expected to be opened to the public later this month.

Project Loveday

For long-time followers of Tesla, this contest may feel familiar. The contest is a direct throwback to the 2017 Project Loveday contest, which was inspired by a letter to Tesla from a 10-year-old aspiring marketer. That contest was won by MKBHD, with his submission below:

How to Enter

If you’re ready to start filming, here are the key pieces of information you’ll need to know:

• Video must be 90 seconds or less

• Video must be uploaded to YouTube with a public URL

• Make a post on X and Instagram tagging “@Tesla” and include the words “TeslaVision contest” in the post.

• Provide links to both social media posts in your submission to Tesla’s form

• Provide your personal details in the form

• You have until July 17th, 2025, or until Tesla receives 10,000 entries, whichever comes first.

You can find the official submission form and all region-specific details on Tesla's website.

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