Airport Parking

[psthankiya12]

Hi, QQ when we can start flying again.....is it possible to park in an Tesla parking spot for an extended period of time? Or is the other option to park in a regular spot. Two questions:

1. If you park in a Tesla parking spot, do you get charge like you would with a park and fly?
2. If you park in a regular spot, is that ok for the battery to sit unused for a extended period of time?

 

[azjohn]

I would leave the Tesla at home and get a ride/Uber/airport van instead

 

[Axilla09]

Park it down the street for free, then use smart summon to pick you up at baggage claim.

 

[dabbler]

Park in one of the off-site lots and take the shuttle back to the airport. Some of these lots have EV charging stalls.

 

[jsight]

One of the airports near here is being renovated and adding a number of chargepoint stalls. I have been wondering this same thing. It seems like those would be too slow to be useful if you weren't leaving the car in them while traveling.

Tbh, I really wish the airports would just add a line of 120V outlets. They fit the airport use case really well.

 

[skgolf91]

Hope it is not sitting at the airport for a long time. If you are away for a long time, unless you can get it plugged in, I wouldn't leave it at the airport. Pick a parking lot/garage with charging stations or have outlets somehow. If not, leave it at home and take uber/taxi/limo or get a ride like someone else suggested. We had a situation with tesla model s at the airport and it was worse than the range anxiety while driving!

 

[Rockster]

Tbh, I really wish the airports would just add a line of 120V outlets. They fit the airport use case really well.

This +1000

Why airports think that they need to install elaborate 240 volt chargers for long-term parking is beyond me. Just install a slew of 120v outlets and charge an extra few dollars a day for such spaces. Problem solved. Even in extremely cold climates it should work as long as the customer arrives with enough charge to make it home because all the 120v needs to do then is offset vampire loss.

 

[DanDi58]

Hi, QQ when we can start flying again.....is it possible to park in an Tesla parking spot for an extended period of time? Or is the other option to park in a regular spot. Two questions:

1. If you park in a Tesla parking spot, do you get charge like you would with a park and fly?
2. If you park in a regular spot, is that ok for the battery to sit unused for a extended period of time?

I always park in an off-airport lot when I fly, assuming it's for a few days. Anything longer, like a week, I make alternate arrangements. Gets too expensive. I'd do the same with my Tesla, with the added security that these places provide (i.e., they are generally fenced in and have someone on site 24 hours a day.).

 

[DaveORD]

One more possible option, sometimes neighboring hotels will let you park in their lots for very cheap and you can take their shuttle to the airport. So perhaps if you find the right hotel close to the airport, you can leave it plugged in and keep sentry mode on for added peace of mind. Just a thought...

 

[psthankiya12]

thanks for the responses. Another question, the battery should be find if I just park it with no plug in....there is no issue leaving the car for a few days idle correct? Minus Im sure some software updates and such that the car will do itself...

 

[Kamban]

If you are away for a long time, unless you can get it plugged in, I wouldn't leave it at the airport. Pick a parking lot/garage with charging stations or have outlets somehow.

One more possible option, sometimes neighboring hotels will let you park in their lots for very cheap and you can take their shuttle to the airport. So perhaps if you find the right hotel close to the airport, you can leave it plugged in and keep sentry mode on for added peace of mind. Just a thought...

As more and more EV's come on the roads, I do not think the parking lots and hotels will let you leave your car plugged in for a 3+ days. After all, other customers also need the same limited number of charging spots, especially if they are 240 volt level 2 chargers.

I like the idea of 110-120V plug in. The 5 miles per hour charging will be more than enough to charge it up fully in 3 days and also take care of Vampire losses and Sentry mode.

 

[DaveORD]

As more and more EV's come on the roads, I do not think the parking lots and hotels will let you leave your car plugged in for a 3+ days. After all, other customers also need the same limited number of charging spots, especially if they are 240 volt level 2 chargers.

I like the idea of 110-120V plug in. The 5 miles per hour charging will be more than enough to charge it up fully in 3 days and also take care of Vampire losses and Sentry mode.

Nobody knows what the future holds, but I do know that right now hotels are hurting for business and from what I've heard they will do just about anything, even if that means letting people park in their mostly empty parking lots for $5 a day. Some money is better than no money, plus it makes it look like they are busy and have guests. And yes, we do not need to tie up a high power charger, just need 120V to maintain, so that should open up more options to park an EV while keeping their faster chargers open for actual guests.

Back in 2001 shortly after 9/11, I decided to drive to Nashville for a long weekend. Back then there was so much uncertainty that the hotels were practically empty and begging for business. They would do anything for their guests like free valet parking, and they even offered to come and pick me up from a club if I had been drinking, or to go out and pick up any fast food I wanted since the kitchen was not open due to no business. Given today's climate you may be surprised at how cheap it could be to park in their lots or even to get an electrical connection while parked there. It does not hurt to ask, nothing to lose but your money if you do not.

 

[jcanoe]

thanks for the responses. Another question, the battery should be find if I just park it with no plug in....there is no issue leaving the car for a few days idle correct? Minus Im sure some software updates and such that the car will do itself...

No issue at all. Obviously try and park with as much charge as you can (up to 80% or 90%.) Don't leave the vehicle parked for a week with <= 20% battery charge, you could loose almost that much charge over a week's time. Plan on losing 1% to 2% per day; to conserve the battery charge you may want to turn off Sentry Mode so the Tesla will enter sleep mode. In summer you will want to park in a covered garage if possible. Cabin Overheat Protection is only active for 12 hours after you park unless, as I have read, you remotely unlock, relock the vehicle. Cabin Overheat Protection can be set to only use the HVAC fan only mode to cool the cabin. This will limit the drain on the battery. Don't repeatedly access the Tesla App to check on the vehicle, every time you wake up the Tesla this uses some power and the Tesla won't go back into sleep mode right away.

 

[Watts_Up]

@psthankiya12 because of the pandemic, I have not been driving too much recently.

I noticed that when the car is in deep sleep, unplugged, I lost about 3% in two weeks.

I'm parked in a grage in Northen California and the temperature varies between 50 F and 60 F.

I turned Sentry off and Summon off (using the Auto Pilot sub menu), I hsve Alarm on and set a Security PIN.

 

[CyberGus]

Is there a way to protect the MC from vandalism/theft when charging with 110V in public?

 

[Gizmotoy]

Is there a way to protect the MC from vandalism/theft when charging with 110V in public?

The most they can steal is the adapter at the end with the NEMA 5-15/5-20 plug on it. The expensive part locks to the car.

But there's no real way to prevent vandalism, or someone simply coming to pull your plug from the socket.

At a place like an airport, though, I agree with others that a huge bank of NEMA 5-20s would be ideal in most cases despite the drawbacks.

 

[Impaler]

Hi, QQ when we can start flying again.....is it possible to park in an Tesla parking spot for an extended period of time? Or is the other option to park in a regular spot. Two questions:

1. If you park in a Tesla parking spot, do you get charge like you would with a park and fly?
2. If you park in a regular spot, is that ok for the battery to sit unused for a extended period of time?

For #2 - define an "extended period of time". Also, would need to know how far you're from the airport, or the nearest supercharger or L2/L3 charging solutions. I'd say 2-3 days would be okay, so long as you don't use Sentry Mode or other stuff. Just let it sit idle, and arrive with a good SoC (say, over 60%) and you should be okay. I live about 20 miles from the nearest major airport, and I would have no issue leaving it for a couple of days...but if I'm gone for a week that's pushing it in my mind...so I'd Uber/Lyft there.

 

[Raeweber]

Fine airport parking Denver
Drained our battery, we paid for detail work and our Tesla x was drained dead instead of being cared for.

 

[jcanoe]

Fine airport parking Denver
Drained our battery, we paid for detail work and our Tesla x was drained dead instead of being cared for.

Sorry to read about your experience at the Denver Airport. How long was your Tesla Model X parked at the airport? What was the battery state of charge when you left the vehicle? Did you leave Sentry mode turned on?