US man takes his Tesla to Death Valley to drive in 131°F heat and swears never to do it again after seeing what it's like
Published on Jun 18, 2026 at 4:02 PM (UTC+4)
by Ben Thompson
Last updated on Jun 18, 2026 at 4:02 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Mason Jones
When this American man took his Tesla out to Death Valley, he realized that 131°F heat was no joke.
This YouTuber took his Tesla out into the desert en route to Las Vegas.
He was already experiencing severe range anxiety.
Things weren’t going to get better any time soon.
What happened when this man took his Tesla out into Death Valley
YouTube channel WHAT’S INSIDE? FAMILY has done a lot of videos on Teslas over the year.
From sleeping inside Cybertrucks to getting appraisals, he’s covered practically every facet of the Tesla experience.
But even for him, this was a bold move.
He took his Tesla Model 3 Long Range out to Death Valley, where he got the chance to see if it could handle the extreme temperatures.
This car, which would usually have a 260 to 270 mile range, was rapidly losing mileage by sitting idly with the air condition running.
“It is not the easiest, most glamorous life with a Tesla if you’re in extreme temperature,” he lamented.
“If you are in 130 degrees Fahrenheit, you lose all your range, and there’s no where to charge, and the Supercharging network is not robust enough to help you.”
This left this driver with a tough call to make if he wanted to reach Las Vegas.
He’d either have to stay overnight at a local resort where he could charge the car slowly.
Or he could detour to Beatty, Nevada where a Supercharger network was on-hand.
What did he do in the end?
Even though Beatty was out of the way, he opted to head that way and made it there with 63 miles of range left.
He charged up and continued his journey onwards to Las Vegas.
Although he’d gotten around the problem, he vowed never to take the Tesla out into such extreme temperatures again.
“Don’t take a Tesla on a road trip to 131 degree temperatures when the door handle is 185, when the road temperature has gotta be over 150, maybe close to 200, and it’s just blasting up on the batteries,” he said.
“What effect does driving a Tesla in the world’s hottest temperatures have on the vehicle? I would say I don’t recommend it. I can’t say that this is a good thing to do for your Tesla.”
EVs and extreme temperatures often don’t go well together
Extreme temperatures – whether hot or cold – have long been judged to not be friends of EVs.
More and more effort has been made to push EVs to their limits, like this man who took out four electric cars in sub-zero temperatures.
Chinese EV makers have been making huge progress on this front.
Remember the brutal range test out in Inner Mongolian involving 67 EVs?
And who could forget the stunning scenes when BYD tested charging one of its cars in -22°F temperatures?
Ben joined Supercar Blondie in February 2025 after being published by international organizations including LADbible, The Sun, the New York Post, and the Daily Mail. He covers supercars, rare and collectible vehicles, aviation, luxury assets, and the fascinating people behind them. His reporting has explored everything from seven-figure supercars and historic Ferrari collections to unusual aircraft adventures and extraordinary automotive discoveries from around the world. Ben has also gained first-hand insight into vehicle craftsmanship and customization, including visiting specialist workshops to see bespoke vehicles up close.
