Away For A Week

[mileszat]

I'll be out of town for a week. Keep my S plugged in?

 

[Barry]

Yes

 

[gaswalla]

Yes...plugged in and some would say set charge to 50%

 

[UberEV1]

Ditto ... yes ... set charge to something less than 80% (72.5% works well )

 

[PaulR]

I leave for 2 or three months at a time while traveling abroad.... I leave it plugged in. "A plugged in Tesla is a happy Tesla."

 

[Rocky_H]

I'll be out of town for a week. Keep my S plugged in?

The car's manual answers this exact question. (See how politely I phrased that without an acronym?)

 

[mileszat]

The car's manual answers this exact question. (See how politely I phrased that without an acronym?)

Thank you all.

 

[Veritas1980]

I have also heard that plugging in is always the best way to have a happy Tesla, it is however not always possible.

I don't have a charger where I live, so it is not a option for me. What would people recommend for going away for 7-10 days without the charging option?

I was thinking to aim for ~55% charge when I park at home (heated parking garage) so It would be ~50% after 7-10 days with power saving on and always connected off.

 

[MoonChou]

I was away for a month. During that time I left it plugged in and set it for a 60% max charge and the day before I returned I set it to 90% via the app while I was at the airport.

 

[Veritas1980]

Yes, I do get that plugged in is the best option, but I am more curious about what the best strategy is when you can't plug in, but at the same time would like to maintain battery health.

 

[MoonChou]

Yes, I do get that plugged in is the best option, but I am more curious about what the best strategy is when you can't plug in, but at the same time would like to maintain battery health.

I would say to get the battery to around a 90% charge so that it'll have power to keep the battery warm if it gets cold. At the same time parking in a garage or somewhere to keep the temperature consistently warmer would probably help. You could also add a battery tender to the 12V battery if you really wanted.

 

[JHuberman]

My friends boat has a 3 sq/ft solar panel that he keeps plugged into a 12v socket. This keeps a small trickle charge into the battery. I wonder if this is either possible (where can it connect) or useful, is there a significant amount of charging.

 

[Veritas1980]

I would say to get the battery to around a 90% charge so that it'll have power to keep the battery warm if it gets cold. At the same time parking in a garage or somewhere to keep the temperature consistently warmer would probably help. You could also add a battery tender to the 12V battery if you really wanted.

Well, it's a new garage so it pretty much keep the temperature around 15-20°C (59-68°F) all year round, so I don't think the battery temperature management system will try to adjust the temperature.
I just had it parked for 76 hours for the first time and I only lost 1% on the battery, I guess it would be more significant if the battery needed cooling/heating.

It's just my understanding that I would keep battery in the best condition, when standing still for awhile, if I keep it around 50% and letting it stand with either high or low SOC could be a problem in the long run?

 

[kort677]

I have also heard that plugging in is always the best way to have a happy Tesla, it is however not always possible.

I don't have a charger where I live, so it is not a option for me. What would people recommend for going away for 7-10 days without the charging option?

I was thinking to aim for ~55% charge when I park at home (heated parking garage) so It would be ~50% after 7-10 days with power saving on and always connected off.

plug it in to a 110 outlet

 

[Veritas1980]

plug it in to a 110 outlet

Unfortunately not a possibility where I park.

 

[brkaus]

Personally, I'd just charge to 80-90% and not worry about it. 14 days in an enclosed garage should not be a big deal.

 

[jerry33]

For a week, don't sweat it, just leave it plugged in anywhere in the daily section of the slider. For several weeks, set the slider to the lowest point and leave it plugged in. The only reason to plug it in to a 110V outlet is if you are taking up a shared charging stall, otherwise there is no benefit. When left in, charging will happen about once every two days for a short period of time. Range mode should be turned off in case the weather turns nasty (assumes outside parking).

 

[Veritas1980]

For a week, don't sweat it, just leave it plugged in anywhere in the daily section of the slider. For several weeks, set the slider to the lowest point and leave it plugged in. The only reason to plug it in to a 110V outlet is if you are taking up a shared charging stall, otherwise there is no benefit. When left in, charging will happen about once every two days for a short period of time. Range mode should be turned off in case the weather turns nasty (assumes outside parking).

I don't have the possibility to plug it into any type of electric outlet whatsoever. But I guess I don't have to be too concerned when it is just for a week or so.

Thanks for your input guys!

 

[jbcarioca]

Well, it's a new garage so it pretty much keep the temperature around 15-20°C (59-68°F) all year round, so I don't think the battery temperature management system will try to adjust the temperature.
I just had it parked for 76 hours for the first time and I only lost 1% on the battery, I guess it would be more significant if the battery needed cooling/heating.

It's just my understanding that I would keep battery in the best condition, when standing still for awhile, if I keep it around 50% and letting it stand with either high or low SOC could be a problem in the long run?

I was in your situation for nine months. I charged to ~90% before leaving, washed the car, covered the car with the Tesla car cover and left. It was alone in my garage (~70 F mostly) for two to three months. It suffered no damage, and still have the same 100% range that it did when I bought it, 253 miles (P85D) just as originally specified.

I did have a failed 12v, but that happened during my home charger installation with some error that was never revealed to me. The provider was EverCharge, which was in constant contact with Tesla. Tesla sent a truck to pick up my car, left em a loaner and replaced the battery. I was told by both EverCharge and Tesla that the problem came from EverCharge but they declined to explain. I dd not pay nor suffer inconvenience. Somebody more knowledgable than am I might have understood more.

Anyway, zero harm came about from my failure to be connected for months at a time.

Now I leave the charge setting at 50%, and charge more as required when I will be driving long distances.

 

[jerry33]

I don't have the possibility to plug it into any type of electric outlet whatsoever. But I guess I don't have to be too concerned when it is just for a week or so.

That's no problem unless the weather is very, very cold. Then it can use quite a bit of power keeping the battery warm.