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12 volt battery question

Weighit

Member
Sep 21, 2019
30
9
prescott
I have to leave the Model X for about a month parked in the garage. On the other vehicles I have a trickel charger set up to keep them charged. Would it be Ok to do that to the 12 volt battery in the Tesla too?
 

P85_DA

Supporting Member
Apr 25, 2015
4,171
2,872
CA
Why not just keep the car plugged in ? I assume you have a 14-50 or equivalent to charge ur car ..let the car manage the 12v
 

Steinmetz

Maker of Lightning
Sep 25, 2019
64
22
Penngrove California
Even if you do not have the Wall Charger, or 14-50 receptacle, you can just leave your mobile connector plugged in operating on normal 120 Volts. Set your charge limit to 80% if not already there.
 

Les236

Member
Jan 20, 2018
134
78
Kissimmee, FL, Boston, MA
I have left mine for well over a month not plugged in without any issues. Hadn't thought about using a battery tender. Like others have suggested you could just leave it plugged in, even if on 120v. Not sure if it is good practice or not, but when leaving it parked for a long time and plugged in, I usually charge to 80% but then set the charge limit to 50% and let it slowly discharge over the month or so.
 

lakemirror

Member
Mar 17, 2019
111
122
Polk County, Florida
Tesla service techs have told me on more than one occasion that it's best to leave the car plugged in. If leaving for an extended period, they said to set the charge level low and plug in. The 12v battery will stay charged if plugged in, but I believe that if not plugged in the 12v will not charge from the main battery. Various components will use 12v even if the car is not used, and it will eventually drain.
 
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Reactions: spaghetti

teethdood

Member
Jan 30, 2017
388
519
Visalia, California
Tesla service techs have told me on more than one occasion that it's best to leave the car plugged in. If leaving for an extended period, they said to set the charge level low and plug in. The 12v battery will stay charged if plugged in, but I believe that if not plugged in the 12v will not charge from the main battery. Various components will use 12v even if the car is not used, and it will eventually drain.
How low is "low"? The sweet spot for the main battery to be in is between 50-80%. I agree with the plugging in advice, but not the leaving the level low advice.
 

Les236

Member
Jan 20, 2018
134
78
Kissimmee, FL, Boston, MA
Mine won't let me set the Low charge level below 50%. So before a long trip, I charge to 80% and then lower the level to 50%. If it gets near there, I turn it to 60%, charge and then put it back at 50%. For some reason I don't want it to add 1 or 2% at a time to keep it charged.
 

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