Tesla’s ginormous panoramic glass roof looks slick, but it’s leaving some owners feeling the heat. As more all-electric rides roll out with panoramic sunroofs sans sunshades, Tesla owners are talking about ways to beat the burn. One Tesla owner told GearMusk the huge sunroof forced him to stock sun protection gear in his car, Tesla Europe tweeted the Model Y glass top has an “infrared reflection coating” to keep the inside chill.
Thing is, Tesla’s Model Y manual doesn’t actually mention that. So what gives with this mystery coating? Tesla hasn’t explained how it works or how well. Of course, owners can slap on an film, but darker films cut down on light and the view.
An cooler option might be electrochromic glass that tints on demand using electric zaps. This glass can go from transparent to nearly opaque and back again. It could dim the interior and let passengers rest easy without worrying about roasting under glass. Electrochromic glass already comes in Boeing 787s.
Any glass roof, though, is primed to heat up a car since glass conducts heat. Without a sunshade, the best you can do is aim the AC vents up top.
Interestingly, even during summer, temperatures in Tesla’s former headquarters in Fremont, California rarely exceeded 30°C. However, Tesla’s headquarters have now moved to Austin, Texas, where temperatures can reach up to 40°C. Perhaps the Tesla team and Musk will reconsider their approach to panoramic sunroofs in light of this new environment.
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