In preparation for starting our road trip tomorrow to NSW, I want to protect my new found…

…Victorian sensibilities against the harsh heat and humidity up north 😉. Fortunately, Helen bought me a great Christmas present for the job: a ventilated seat cover!

I know the Tesla Model 3 new “Highland” 2024 model comes with built in ventilated seats. But our 2022 Model 3 does not.

Installation was fairly simple. I just looped the hole over the headrest, spent several minutes pulling it down hard, far enough to pop in under. I pushed the back of the cover under the plastic back of the seat. I couldn’t find something under the seat for the hooks to grab. It is powered by the 12V outlet in the centre arm rest.

It does the job well, preventing my back from getting sweaty and sticking to the seat. I wish I had this for our earlier Queensland trips. The mini fans in the seat cover keep my back and bum ventilated and cool. The buttons allow setting the different fan speeds.

The seat feels a bit lumpy, especially where the fans are. It makes a high pitch fan noise, especially when I move around. Small prices to pay.

While I was at it, I vacuumed the seats and hosed the floor mats. Ready to set off tomorrow!

Charging:

I can run the seat fans off the battery while driving, and for hours while parked. Similar to our air con and our car fridge that we sometimes take on road trips, the ventilated seat draws small power from the massive car battery (through the 12V system). We don't need to keep an engine running. No fumes in the car park while trying to keep cool 😎.