Older VW ID. and Škoda Enyaq EVs finally get battery preheating for winter fast charging

Early Volkswagen ID. models and Škoda Enyaqs no longer have to pull up to a fast charger with a cold battery. Both brands are rolling out over-the-air updates that add manual battery preheating, a feature newer versions of the same cars already had.

The scale is unusual for a retrofit. Škoda alone says its update reaches about 200,000 Enyaqs built from launch to the end of 2023, and it will ship in waves to keep the rollout smooth.

On the Enyaq, the update adds an “Optimising rapid charging” screen to the charging menu with a “Start battery heating” button. It only works when the battery is below 20 °C, and Škoda says the pack needs 30 to 40 minutes to approach its ideal temperature of about 25 °C, so drivers should press it roughly 45 minutes before a DC stop. Slower AC charging doesn’t need it.

From the user’s perspective, battery pre-heating is a very simple and straightforward function, but from our perspective it requires intervention in the three most important control units of the vehicle.

Jiří Vlček, project manager for online updates, Škoda

Cars on software 3.8 get two downloads: the first, starting in calendar week 47, prepares the car, and the second, from week 49, adds the feature. Older 3.x cars must first update to 3.8 online, while cars on 2.x need a dealer visit.

Volkswagen’s version is ID. Software 3.9.1, aimed at the 2023 model-year ID.3 and early ID.4, ID.5 and ID. Buzz, as Golem reports from the company’s notes. It goes first to cars already on version 3.7 or later, needs at least 50% charge, and locks the car (no driving, no charging) while it installs. VW also adds cooling after fast charging, a fix for sudden AC power drops, more reliable door handles in the wet and security patches. Installing it is a condition for any future over-the-air update, and there is no way back to older software.

The catch is that it stays manual. Newer cars on software 4 start heating on their own when a charger is set as the navigation destination, and this update does not bring that. Neither brand has said how much faster a preheated battery actually charges, and Volkswagen has not confirmed the update for US cars.

Reported by Škoda Storyboard, Volkswagen, Golem, EVXL. Compiled with AI tools.