stayfocus18
Member
Whats the temperature going to be? that matters a whole lot... I've left mine unplugged 7 days in the summer and it was a 2% loss each day.
-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Battery drain while parked or car in storage
- Thread starter starmanj
- Start date
AlanSubie4Life
Efficiency Obsessed Member
List of things to do.
I would add that for checking on car status, you can use the Apple widget without waking the car. It updates every time the car wakes up/updates the servers (which it does on its own as needed).
I'd also turn off WiFi when you leave the car (it will turn back on every time you get in the driver's seat). Make sure ALL USB devices are unplugged or at least turn off TeslaCam (remember to turn back on).
Note that if the battery gets really cold, it will look like it has lost more miles. But this can be distinguished from true vampire drain, because the projected 100% charge will change a lot.
I was recently on a road trip, and when my car was left outside in 30-40 degree temperatures, my 100% projected charge was 298 miles. But for the entire rest of the trip, assuming the battery was nice and warm, the 100% projected charge was 304 miles.
So I followed the steps above and it looked like I lost 6 miles of charge overnight. But actually I had only lost about 1 mile or less. I could tell because I started the night at 92%, woke up to 92%, but had 6 fewer miles in the morning. There was no snowflake symbol (it wasn't that cold).
I have never had an opportunity to test all of the above steps, unfortunately. So no idea if it really works to get really low drain. But it won't be a total disaster if you follow these steps, for a 15 day period, assuming you have a decent charge to start with.
Last edited:
Turn off Sentry Mode and that new prepare for Smart Summon option. Disable any apps you might have that poll the car, or turn the rates down. Don't check the car with the app often.
CharleyBC
Active Member
Probably not an issue this time of year, but turn off Cabin Overheat Protection, in addition to the other good advice above.
funkright
Member
Posted to a similar thread, so copied for you below...
We were in Europe for almost 20 days, checked the Model 3 about a week in and the battery had dropped to 33% of what it was when we left the vehicle at the Park n Fly @ YVR. I had left the sentry mode on and they must have parked it in a very high traffic location as this was the only thing that could have caused this drain (car constantly alerting on sentry mode). That said, I emailed Park n Fly @ YVR and they plugged it in (they did offer this service when I dropped it off, though no one actually replied to the email, funny enough). Additionally, I then turned OFF sentry mode and once charged up (they then unplugged it) the only drain over the next 13 days was about 10 km. So, moral of this story, turn Sentry mode off.
We were in Europe for almost 20 days, checked the Model 3 about a week in and the battery had dropped to 33% of what it was when we left the vehicle at the Park n Fly @ YVR. I had left the sentry mode on and they must have parked it in a very high traffic location as this was the only thing that could have caused this drain (car constantly alerting on sentry mode). That said, I emailed Park n Fly @ YVR and they plugged it in (they did offer this service when I dropped it off, though no one actually replied to the email, funny enough). Additionally, I then turned OFF sentry mode and once charged up (they then unplugged it) the only drain over the next 13 days was about 10 km. So, moral of this story, turn Sentry mode off.
Trekboy
Member
I TOTALLY concur with this. I had my car in the body shop
a day after the big "Smart Summon" update. I had no idea why it seemed to be loosing what looked like 7-8 percent a day - and I was freaking out as I couldn't imagine how the body shop would deal with a dead Tesla. Thankfully, they just plugged it in after I called them, but the moral of the story is...turn "Smart Summon Standby" off in the car before you leave it - as it is impossible to do if from your app like you can with Sentry Mode.
Vampire drain used to be 1-2 miles a day, but it went down a bit a few updates back. It's now about 1/2 miles a day for my Model S. Though different features are going to affect drain. If you shut off every feature that might drain power while unplugged and parked then made sure to never check the car with the app while away, you could probably park it for a few months, but I'd feel much more comfortable with the car plugged in.
In that situation I would ask a friend to come drive my car once a month to the supercharger and charge it to 80% then take it back to where I parked it.
Or park it at someone else’s house (friend/family) where it could get plugged into a standard outlet from time to time to charge.
Or leave it at a car storage facility. Many of these have an outlet in the area specifically for trickle charging.
SeanM
Member
If you are so concerned, then charge it to 100% before leaving for the airport (hope it's not that far away from your home). So, you will have max charge remaining for one week.
My long range battery gets used by Sentry mode around 8-10 miles per day in the winters when the car is parked outside in the elements. So, in my opinion, do keep the Sentry mode on and not check the app on my phone at all for that week. Do a "test" to check your car's battery drain by Sentry mode in this cold weather by keeping your car parked in the driveway for one day.
All the best.
In Denver? I would be surprised if an idle Tesla would drain so much to not make it to the nearest charger, even if it's a slow charger you'd have to pay airport garage prices for. Consider this: the higher your SoC, the more you have to lose. I recommend pulling in with <20% so that the car is already in battery saving mode. /s
My DEN experience: 16 days Model X storage - no charger
When I fly out of DEN for more than a couple days, I park at canopy in valet they will keep it charged or have it charged when you get back. It's also covered at that level which can be nice if the weather is bad etc. and canopy valet is cheaper than the airport covered self parking. Since they opened it I have been parking at the 64th and Pena lot and taking the train to the terminal. The 64th and Pena lot is cheap and has many L1 1772 chargers. Its often cheaper to park there and take the A-line than it is just to park anywhere else close to DIA and so far I have always found an open charging spot there. Leaving it plugged in is a huge relief as well and you can check your app and leave everything on etc. There are several L1 & L2 chargers in level 1 of both East and West parking garages but finding one available is rare and parking there is the most expensive option. It can be ok but be prepared to not find an open plug and get stuck paying the max for no charging. On my last trip I was gone for 10 days and parked at 64th and Pena plugged in. My total including train fare was about $50.
Had a similar experience with my S at the airport for two weeks. It texted me it was losing 40 miles a day. The last update has a bug that causes this problem. There has been some discussion of this. Typically my car loses 2 miles a day.
I took delivery last Saturday with 6 miles on the odometer and 280mi range charged. I'm at a total mileage of 281 now. I've enjoying driving it, but I've noticed two problems. The first one isn't a huge concern as I know it will eventually get to V10 when I take it in for service on Dec6, the second is concerning, but I know I have low miles still and maybe the car is still adjusting?
1. My firmware is still v9 2019.31.103.1 28824e; no sign of firmware update to V10 yet. Did anyone else with a 2020 get V9 and have you successfully upgraded to V10? I created a service appointment for December 6th.
2. I noticed after my first charging session (at a Tesla supercharger) yesterday afternoon that the car is loosing charge while parked. I know I lost miles between 12:30pm and 5:00pm that day, but last night it lost 20miles overnight (temp did drop to high 50s and when I last checked around 11pm the interior was 60). Today I parked at work about 8:30am@191mi and by 5:52pm (parked all day) I was at 180mile and the cabin temp was 77. I got home at 6:30 with a range of 148, now at 9:46pm its 147. I'm keeping an eye on it to see what it is tomorrow morning. Anyone else experiencing similar issues? I have sentry mode set to exclude home.
1. My firmware is still v9 2019.31.103.1 28824e; no sign of firmware update to V10 yet. Did anyone else with a 2020 get V9 and have you successfully upgraded to V10? I created a service appointment for December 6th.
2. I noticed after my first charging session (at a Tesla supercharger) yesterday afternoon that the car is loosing charge while parked. I know I lost miles between 12:30pm and 5:00pm that day, but last night it lost 20miles overnight (temp did drop to high 50s and when I last checked around 11pm the interior was 60). Today I parked at work about 8:30am@191mi and by 5:52pm (parked all day) I was at 180mile and the cabin temp was 77. I got home at 6:30 with a range of 148, now at 9:46pm its 147. I'm keeping an eye on it to see what it is tomorrow morning. Anyone else experiencing similar issues? I have sentry mode set to exclude home.
I don't have v10 either its for early access people.
Your car battery will drain for a variety of reasons. If you keep checking it on the app your batter will go drain. It wakes the car every time you open the app. Also if you gave another app access like teslafi for example it will continuously wake your car on its own to download data.
Your car battery will drain for a variety of reasons. If you keep checking it on the app your batter will go drain. It wakes the car every time you open the app. Also if you gave another app access like teslafi for example it will continuously wake your car on its own to download data.
Do you have WiFi configured for the car?
That's is the primary IP pipeline for downloading firmware updates.
Turn OFF the silly Sentry Mode.
It is a power hog.
Problems solved.
a
ZappCatt
Member
Could your car have gotten up to 105 at any time while parked at work? In that case, Overheat cabin protection could have engaged and spent a bunch of charge.
I am not sure if Sentry was available in v9, but that also eats up energy while working.
I believe Smart Summon was v10, so that probably did not use up any of your charge.
Thanks that is very helpful to know V10 isn't general release yet, the way its being promoted by Tesla it sounded like it was. I no 3rd party apps, everything is the way it came from delivery except sentry mode, and the stereo settings.
Yes to WiFi. I had sentry mode on from the start, only started loosing range after my first re-charge. I can't charge at home yet, the Tesla certified electrician for my area can't come out till December 6th
South Florida is experiencing a cool front so I doubt it ever reached even 90. Tonight will be 63 and tomorrows high will be 78 so I'll see how much range it looses overnight.
Similar threads
- Question
