Camper Mode Question

[EVCarGUy]

How long does the cigarette lighter receptacle stay active in the camper mode?

If you initiate this mode with by shifting into neutral and use the parking brake from the touch screen, the 12v socket remains live until the battery dies.

 

[David99]

Further, what if the car is in park and I take a nap in the back while charging, using the app to turn the climate on for 30 minutes. If I lock the car with the app, but still have my fob on me, can someone else get in the car by touching the handle?

Press the little lock button in the top left of the touch screen. It locks the doors.

 

[⚡️ELECTROMAN⚡️]

I know how to fix your car so 1) it doesn't use and depend on the 12v at the armrest and 2) stays on as long as you wish.

How's that?

 

[Akikiki]

I know how to fix your car so 1) it doesn't use and depend on the 12v at the armrest and 2) stays on as long as you wish.

You folks looking for a persistent 12v power source in the rear of the car can refer to the instructions for wiring the Lighted Rear Applique'. If you are not familiar with the Lighted Rear Applique, read about it here EV Appliques The instructions link is located here:
EV-Appliqués - Installation and here https://docs.google.com/document/d/1a-G4Ry1lO81c65rj8hGadJ-IJBQBlQHfSrS-...
In the Gen III Telsa Model S Lighted Rear Applique' instructions go down to the top of page 17 with paragraph titled 12V Power:

You might want to consider adding a fuse panel or small fuse box coming off the lift gate control module connector and getting power from the fuse panel. This will allow a graceful 12v power connection for other additional devices you might want to add later - in the trunk.

 

[green1]

You folks looking for a persistent 12v power source in the rear of the car can refer to the instructions for wiring the Lighted Rear Applique'. If you are not familiar with the Lighted Rear Applique, read about it here EV Appliques The instructions link is located here:
EV-Appliqués - Installation and here https://docs.google.com/document/d/1a-G4Ry1lO81c65rj8hGadJ-IJBQBlQHfSrS-...
In the Gen III Telsa Model S Lighted Rear Applique' instructions go down to the top of page 17 with paragraph titled 12V Power:

You might want to consider adding a fuse panel or small fuse box coming off the lift gate control module connector and getting power from the fuse panel. This will allow a graceful 12v power connection for other additional devices you might want to add later - in the trunk.

I'd strongly caution against running something with as high a draw as a cooler off an already existing circuit in the trunk, the rear lighted applique draws a LOT less power. The wiring and fuse will be rated for the existing load, and not to add your cooler as well. Best case you blow fuses, worst case you burn your car to the ground.
Don't take a shortcut. Use either the existing accessory outlet at the armrest (designed to have free capacity for you to use) or run your own dedicated wires all the way to the battery.
If you want always live power, either replace the 12v outlet relay with a jumper wire, or run your own circuit.

 

[ecarfan]

If you initiate this mode with by shifting into neutral and use the parking brake from the touch screen, the 12v socket remains live until the battery dies.

Which battery are your referring to? The 12V battery or the main pack? Or, does the main pack automatically recharge the 12V battery even when the car is off?

Who has an authoritative answer to those questions and isn't just speculating...

 

[green1]

Which battery are your referring to? The 12V battery or the main pack? Or, does the main pack automatically recharge the 12V battery even when the car is off?

Who has an authoritative answer to those questions and isn't just speculating...

The main pack charges the 12v battery as required, even when the car is off.

 

[croman]

Is it possible to keep the car on (HVAC and audio) without it logging the energy useage? I ask because I used "camper mode" while I worked and my daughter slept. This morning my average energy use was 1500+wh/mi and all it showed was this giant mountain on the graph with no top visible (as I drove no distance but used a lot of energy). My LEAF would only log data on energy use when it was in a drive mode (R or D/B). My S seems to ignore when I just sit in the car in Park. It does not when in neutral and I would like useful data to determine how efficiently I am driving rather than how much energy I use while my daughter naps.

 

[green1]

Is it possible to keep the car on (HVAC and audio) without it logging the energy useage? I ask because I used "camper mode" while I worked and my daughter slept. This morning my average energy use was 1500+wh/mi and all it showed was this giant mountain on the graph with no top visible (as I drove no distance but used a lot of energy). My LEAF would only log data on energy use when it was in a drive mode (R or D/B). My S seems to ignore when I just sit in the car in Park. It does not when in neutral and I would like useful data to determine how efficiently I am driving rather than how much energy I use while my daughter naps.

I believe that as long as the car is in "park" no energy use is logged. the audio and hvac will stay on for 30 minutes, and then can be re-activated by touching the screen. If you want just the hvac to stay on, some apps have a "camper mode" which automatically reactivates it every 30 minutes.

 

[croman]

I believe that as long as the car is in "park" no energy use is logged. the audio and hvac will stay on for 30 minutes, and then can be re-activated by touching the screen. If you want just the hvac to stay on, some apps have a "camper mode" which automatically reactivates it every 30 minutes.

Nice, I had no idea about the apps. Unfortunately my daughter loves napping to music so I probably have to keep touching the screen if I don't want to use this camper mode trick.

Do you have to be seated in driver's seat to get the 30 minute timeout? When I step out of the car, even briefly, it shuts down unless I hit the brake to reactivate everything.

 

[green1]

Nice, I had no idea about the apps. Unfortunately my daughter loves napping to music so I probably have to keep touching the screen if I don't want to use this camper mode trick.

Do you have to be seated in driver's seat to get the 30 minute timeout? When I step out of the car, even briefly, it shuts down unless I hit the brake to reactivate everything.

If you open the door and lift your weight off the seat, it shuts down, but you can get another 30 minutes by tapping the touchscreen immediately after it goes blank.

 

[Brass Guy]

Is it possible to keep the car on (HVAC and audio) without it logging the energy useage? I ask because I used "camper mode" while I worked and my daughter slept. This morning my average energy use was 1500+wh/mi and all it showed was this giant mountain on the graph with no top visible (as I drove no distance but used a lot of energy). My LEAF would only log data on energy use when it was in a drive mode (R or D/B). My S seems to ignore when I just sit in the car in Park. It does not when in neutral and I would like useful data to determine how efficiently I am driving rather than how much energy I use while my daughter naps.

I'm not certain yet, but think it includes energy used while in "on" mode, no matter the shifter position including P.
I tried "camper mode" when I went into the store last night to see what happens in the energy app. I first opened my door and lifted from the seat to enter "off" mode which resets "current trip." Then put it in N, applied parking brake, turned off the headlights, DRLs, got out and locked it with the heat still on. In the store maybe 10 minutes.
When I resumed driving, the 1st 1/10th mile showed about 3000Wh/m, and the "current trip" seemed to include that energy, but the "since last charge" did not seem to spike as I expected it would. The 5 mile graph showed extreme use for the next ~1/2 mile, but the trip Wh/m climbed down quickly from the 2nd 1/10th mile and throughout my 15 minute trip home, and seemed to match my usual driving usage by the end.
I suppose this test is inconclusive since it was rather brief. I'll have to try it for a longer period sometime; and I'll probably try resetting "current trip" after the camper session instead of before.

 

[BBryson]

If you were sitting inside the car and drove off, the handles lock. And/or you can press the lock in the upper left corner of the screen to unlock the car. Same reasoning you can also lock the car from inside (with the fob inside the car).

Now while we are on the subject of locking/unlocking, there's a quirk that everyone needs to be aware of. This comment has really nothing to do with a camping mode. For a moment, put camping mode out of your mind.


Walk with me through this situation. Try it if you doubt what I am saying.
1. If you walk up to your Tesla and click the fob roof twice and unlock your car, the handles will present.
2. Do not open a door or the trunk, just walk away. In about a minute the handles will close back.
3. Take your fob away from the car and place it someplace >25 feet from the car, (maybe inside the house), leave it. (Do not return to the car with the fob).
4. Return to the car, walk up and touch a handle. The handles will present and you can pull to open the door.
5. Why did this work when the fob is no where near the car? Its because you used the fob to unlock the car; but you didn't finish the process by opening a door.
Do you now realize that if you use your fob to unlock the doors but do not open a door when/while you are out some place - away from home, such as in a shopping center parking lot, or the beach or at work, that you are leaving your car unlocked? All the stuff inside your car is vulnerable.

So, what do you do to correct this when you use the fob to unlock the car: a) open then close a door to complete the process, or b) use the fob and click the roof once to lock the car again, or c) use your Tesla app to lock the doors/car.

Now back to camping mode. If you are inside and you use the fob to unlock the door (double click) and didn't open a door or no one outside the car opened a door to get inside with you, then once the handles close, the car is still unlocked, and remains unlocked even though you are inside and the handles closed. What do you need to do: a) Use the fob to lock the doors, or b) use the screen to lock the doors, or c) use the Tesla app to lock the doors, or d) open a door and then close the door to complete the process - then when the handles close the car will lock.

Did you know your car would do this? This has been the way the locking behavior worked since the first Model S' were built. Its nothing new.

My owners manual says this behavior is by design to allow you to keep your car unlocked in your garage,


Bruce

 

[Akikiki]

My owners manual says this behavior is by design to allow you to keep your car unlocked in your garage,


Bruce

Thanks. Yes, you are correct. In my defense of my original state (not really important) the earlier versions of the manual didn't have this. I guess as time passed and more features were added, they also filled in the blanks on some missing explanations like this one.
Thanks for sharing with us that there is a formal explanation.