Can you drive a Tesla without network coverage for an extended period?

[Llama.]

I had an interesting experience where my wife went camping with my 2021 M3 in the Lake District this weekend and was outside of network coverage.

She drove into a mobile network black spot with 65% charge with Sentry Mode on and the car didn’t reappear for four days when she drove out of the mountains.. The whole time the car (and my wife’s phone) was ‘off the grid’ and was not accessible via the app.

I was not able to connect to the car to turn off sentry mode the whole time. The car emerged with 32% charge. If it was not for the memory stick glitch which seems to disable sentry mode, the battery would probably have drained to 20% where this happens automatically. This would have made things difficult with the local charging infrastructure.

It got me thinking, can you own and drive a Tesla completely without any network coverage for an extended period. Perhaps just connecting once a year to do a software update? Will it still drive? Any other issues?

 

[Zilla91]

I’ve been on a few drives into the middle of nowhere and the map goes completely blank once it’s out of satellite images

 

[Undecided_2]

I very much doubt that you can stop it connecting as it’s an eSIM. Unless you move to the Lake District or put the car in a faraday cage.

Without connectivity you wouldn’t get OTA updates, map/navigation updates new (SUC) locations and real time traffic not rerouted to less busy SUC locations, if you use Spotify that wouldn’t work. If your car was stolen Tesla wouldn’t be able to disable it. There’s probably way more that connectivity does.

 

[Llama.]

I’ve been on a few drives into the middle of nowhere and the map goes completely blank once it’s out of satellite images

Yup. The Mrs said the map was not tracking her position accurately the last 5-10 miles of drive to the campsite.

 

[Llama.]

I very much doubt that you can stop it connecting as it’s an eSIM. Unless you move to the Lake District or put the car in a faraday cage.

Without connectivity you wouldn’t get OTA updates, map/navigation updates new (SUC) locations and real time traffic not rerouted to less busy SUC locations, if you use Spotify that wouldn’t work. If your car was stolen Tesla wouldn’t be able to disable it. There’s probably way more that connectivity does.

Yes the OTA update issue is noted, but can you drive a Tesla in very remote regions of the world without network coverage? Or is this a network dependent vehicle?

Can you just drive a Tesla as a ‘dumb’ unconnected EV?

 

[Tam]

...Perhaps just connecting once a year to do a software update? Will it still drive? Any other issues?

You only lose some convenience features like firmware update, streaming, live sentry view...

I went to Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks: I lost the satellite view of the map but the plain basic map was still there. Can't issue a verbal command like "navigate to hotel" but I can manually enter by hand and it would note routing "off line" but it still works although not very accurately.

That means your Tesla does not need internet:
It still works as a basic car without it.

 

[Undecided_2]

Ah ok. Yes. I lose connectivity regularly in Scotland and have no issues driving. I’ve rebooted the car while driving with no issues as well. I chatted to an engineer at Tesla trying to diagnose an issue with eCall SOS. He lived in Edinburgh and knew my area well.

 

[init6]

The software needs to be updated as and when it becomes available (within reason). So once a year wouldn't necessarily be often enough. From the manual:

The software update screen persists until you install the update. You must install a software update as soon it becomes available. Any harm resulting from failure to install a software update is not covered by the vehicle’s warranty. Failure or refusal to install updates can cause some vehicle features to become inaccessible, digital media devices to become incompatible.

Might also be good to get your wife to read the manual so that she is aware of the drain sentry causes. Again from the manual:

Power consumption may increase when Sentry Mode is active.

Factors Affecting Energy Consumption​

• Sentry mode.

Tips to Maximize Range​

• Features such as Sentry Mode and Cabin Overheat Protection can impact range. Disable features when not needed.

 

[sc20]

Saw an interesting video on a Model 3 that had been 'abandoned' for 2 years recently:

Looks like there are no major issues from the software side, it had v10 and upgraded to v11 fine.

 

[ucmndd]

The car functions as a car just fine without a network connection, indefinitely if necessary.

 

[Toblerone]

Saw an interesting video on a Model 3 that had been 'abandoned' for 2 years recently:

Looks like there are no major issues from the software side, it had v10 and upgraded to v11 fine.

I also watched this. It was interesting enough, but ‘Barn find’ is clickbait, as he also said the tyres didn’t have flat spots as the owner had moved it periodically. Perhaps it was driven inside the barn?

I don’t mind his videos, but they are a bit car salesperson-y.

 

[scottd9000]

Drove around in the Black Hills on vacation a couple weeks ago and lost connection for most of the day. No Spotify and some glitchy GPS readings but everything else worked. Teslafi is missing large portions of our trip and the statistics are all wrong but that's not a big deal.

 

[connectjunkie]

You will get annoying notifications that SOS isn’t working (because there is no mobile service at all, let alone LTE) and the car needs service.

In my case the car can take quite a while to reconnect to LTE once I drive out of the rural black spot I live in.

 

[SunnylandY]

I happened across this thread researching an objection from a tin foil hat guy who said he wouldn't want an EV because he is concerned the government can track him and disable his his car (but there's no way they can control whether he is able to obtain gasoline )
Is there a "kill signal" Tesla can send? Maybe there is and they don't want to publicize it. I suppose they could send a software update that kills the car or disabled all the keys but you would have to accept that?

 

[ACarneiro]

I happened across this thread researching an objection from a tin foil hat guy who said he wouldn't want an EV because he is concerned the government can track him and disable his his car (but there's no way they can control whether he is able to obtain gasoline )
Is there a "kill signal" Tesla can send? Maybe there is and they don't want to publicize it. I suppose they could send a software update that kills the car or disabled all the keys but you would have to accept that?

There almost certainly is.
It’s the thing that makes me a bit uncomfortable with Service Centre visits.
You just arrive and from then on the car is “theirs”. No need to give them your key, they can do as they please and then set a code and hold the car for ransom until you pay the bill.
Very convenient, no doubt about that, but it drove the point to me that although I legally own the car, it’s still feels like it actually really belongs to them.

 

[init6]

.
Very convenient, no doubt about that, but it drove the point to me that although I legally own the car, it’s still feels like it actually really belongs to them.

Welcome to software licences

Just be thankful you've not got a Ford.

 

[SunnylandY]

There almost certainly is.
It’s the thing that makes me a bit uncomfortable with Service Centre visits.
You just arrive and from then on the car is “theirs”. No need to give them your key, they can do as they please and then set a code and hold the car for ransom until you pay the bill.
Very convenient, no doubt about that, but it drove the point to me that although I legally own the car, it’s still feels like it actually really belongs to them.

This guy is more concerned about the government disabling his car than Tesla service but point taken. As for the Tesla service scenario it's probably little different from the dealer service department keeping your repaired car in back and only bringing it out to you after you've paid.

 

[ACarneiro]

it's probably little different from the dealer service department keeping your repaired car in back and only bringing it out to you after you've paid.

Completely agree, and yet it feels… “different” somehow.
It seems somewhat more perverse that you’re given a car that is disabled rather than not giving it to you at all.
This probably more of a “me problem”, really. The relationship between consumers and producers is changing everywhere and mostly in a way that I’m not enjoying particularly.

 

[Adopado]

I happened across this thread researching an objection from a tin foil hat guy who said he wouldn't want an EV because he is concerned the government can track him and disable his his car (but there's no way they can control whether he is able to obtain gasoline )
Is there a "kill signal" Tesla can send? Maybe there is and they don't want to publicize it. I suppose they could send a software update that kills the car or disabled all the keys but you would have to accept that?

I would say that Tesla could disable the car remotely but not the government. Large global companies are as paranoid about government control as any individual... probably more so. I think paranoid people forget about the myriad ways "the government" or evil companies can/could exert control. Switching off your Tesla is probably one of the milder possibilities.

 

[SunnylandY]

I would say that Tesla could disable the car remotely but not the government. Large global companies are as paranoid about government control as any individual... probably more so. I think paranoid people forget about the myriad ways "the government" or evil companies can/could exert control. Switching off your Tesla is probably one of the milder possibilities.

Agree... look at the Canadian truckers strike. IIRC the way they controlled that group was by freezing their bank accounts/credit cards etc.