Lights and Snow: tested, fail (ice covered headlights)!

[MyOtherTruck]

Had a chance to take the truck out in the endless snowstorm in southern Vermont. This evening there was some snowfall, nothing heavy / but the lights totally are inadequate. I have three other vehicles where there hasn’t been an issue (volvo wagon, g63, f250). The lights get clogged with snowfall, then the bits that melt freeze and create a sort of ice wall blocking the lights. This can’t be removed without a hammer (my scrapper couldn’t). Super bummed out about it as I was counting on it being a beast in the snow. I didn’t take pics while driving but if you don’t take my word for it, you’ll experience it soon enough if in snowy locations.
I’m wondering if a put a lower light bar if it’ll help…

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[HaulingAss]

Duh!

 

[bigmoose70]

Had a chance to take the truck out in the endless snowstorm in southern Vermont. This evening there was some snowfall, nothing heavy / but the lights totally are inadequate. I have three other vehicles where there hasn’t been an issue (volvo wagon, g63, f250). The lights get clogged with snowfall, then the bits that melt freeze and create a sort of ice wall blocking the lights. This can’t be removed without a hammer (my scrapper couldn’t). Super bummed out about it as I was counting on it being a beast in the snow. I didn’t take pics while driving but if you don’t take my word for it, you’ll experience it soon enough if in snowy locations.
I’m wondering if a put a lower light bar if it’ll help…

This has been my experience to. Waiting for Tesla to sell an accessory leveraging the frunk power. No word on this happening buts it’s 100% needed.

 

[Okanoganjim]

It’s a negative aspect of LED lights. No heat. We had an Audi with similar problem. Had to press our butts to the light to melt the ice. Good times! Lesson learned is to carry spray de-icer and hope it doesn’t stain the stainless steel.

 

[Mal]

I wonder if a length of 12-48v heater wire stretched along the bottom of the headlight strip (and powered by the tap in the frunk) would be enough to keep the headlights clear in heavy snow and ice. Seems like someone's going to need to come up with a kit for this, if not Tesla themselves.

 

[MyOtherTruck]

I wonder if a length of 12-48v heater wire stretched along the bottom of the headlight strip (and powered by the tap in the frunk) would be enough to keep the headlights clear in heavy snow and ice. Seems like someone's going to need to come up with a kit for this, if not Tesla themselves.

That’s a good idea. I was reading another post a week ago and dismissed it but something needs to happen. Winter tested on snow and ice sure, but not during snow!

 

[Guylouis]

Dam… this is really disappointing. With all the tech that’s readily available to us such as heated windshields, heated windshield wipers, heated mirrors, they couldn’t add a heated headlight feature?

 

[Gavinbee]

I was looking forward to winter with my cybertruck, but it is hard to after seeing these photos...

 

[bigmoose70]

Anyone saying it’s LEDs it’s not. Plenty of other vehicles with LEDs and not an issue. It’s the cybertruck. Tesla hopefully builds an accessory for this.

 

[Crissa]

Anyone saying it’s LEDs it’s not. Plenty of other vehicles with LEDs and not an issue. It’s the cybertruck. Tesla hopefully builds an accessory for this.

This is flatly untrue. It happens to any vehicle that doesn't have defrosters, more or less depending upon nose shape and the kind of weather. Here's a Bolt: the driver had to clear the headlights. And the tail lights.

Normal vehicles don't work in the snow. You need special tires and washer fluid and ways to keep your lights and windshield clear (like that scraper).

Google's kinda useless right now, but there are companies that make stick-on defrosting surfaces that you could plug into the truck.

-Crissa

 

[bigmoose70]

This is flatly untrue. It happens to any vehicle that doesn't have defrosters, more or less depending upon nose shape and the kind of weather. Here's a Bolt: the driver had to clear the headlights. And the tail lights.

Normal vehicles don't work in the snow. You need special tires and washer fluid and ways to keep your lights and windshield clear (like that scraper).

Google's kinda useless right now, but they do make stick-on defrosting surfaces that you could plug into the truck.

-Crissa

None for the consumer market. Really need Tesla to create a solution. Whether it’s headlights upgrades with these heaters or the heaters themselves.

 

[devdrone6]

I wonder if something like this would work: https://www.oemheaters.com/product/6109/12v-dc-heat-cable-5-wattsfoot

 

[Crissa]

I wonder if something like this would work: https://www.oemheaters.com/product/6109/12v-dc-heat-cable-5-wattsfoot

Well, no, but something else using the same basic principles, sure.

Something like this, but just the footprint of the lamp and bumper.
https://frostfighter.com/clear-view-defrosters-about.htm

If you're encountering this sort of weather, you might also want strips along the weather seals of the doors and frunk, maybe the tonneau.

-Crissa

 

[TheMachinewon]

Put your thinking caps on !!! Yell out to Tesla, put a few IR leds in the fixture. That will heat the lens and nothing more then a design / function of the type of light wave ..Lot smarter people out there then me …

 

[TheMachinewon]

Had a chance to take the truck out in the endless snowstorm in southern Vermont. This evening there was some snowfall, nothing heavy / but the lights totally are inadequate. I have three other vehicles where there hasn’t been an issue (volvo wagon, g63, f250). The lights get clogged with snowfall, then the bits that melt freeze and create a sort of ice wall blocking the lights. This can’t be removed without a hammer (my scrapper couldn’t). Super bummed out about it as I was counting on it being a beast in the snow. I didn’t take pics while driving but if you don’t take my word for it, you’ll experience it soon enough if in snowy locations.
I’m wondering if a put a lower light bar if it’ll help…

Put your thinking caps on !!! Yell out to Tesla, put a few IR LED's in the fixture. That will heat the lens and nothing more than a design / function of the type of light wave ..Lot smarter people out there than me …

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