Car Keeps Running

[DDHEverything]

This is my first summer with a Tesla. My car is parked outside with little shade and I have noticed that on hotter days it pretty much runs continuously. I assume this is because I have cabin overheat protection set to AC. Assuming this is correct, what are the downfalls of turning this to just the standard on with no AC or just turning it off all together?

I don't really care about the car being warm when I get in because I can adjust the climate on my phone but don't want to cause any damage to the car.

Thank you.

 

[AxlxA]

I have mine without AC. In cabin gets very hot. Like 20F above ambient

 

[Matsayz]

It's completely normal for the vehicle to noisy and have fans running after you exit the vehicle or coming upon the vehicle after a long day in the shade or sun. The vehicle regulates the battery temp by running coolant along the batteries and then using the radiator to get rid of that heat. Tesla's are VERY loud on the outside in hotter climates but there's nothing wrong with your vehicle.

As to the cabin over heat protection, the worst thing that will do is drain a bit of battery but much less than having Sentry for comparison. I park my car in the work parking lot for about 10hrs here in Las Vegas and lose maybe 6% throughout the day when it's over 100*F. Not bad and I drive a SR+ so meh. The A/C vs just fan is just that and the internal electronics are good to go in intense cabin heat, don't worry about that.

I love both our Tesla's and a key to that is being able to turn on the HVAC remotely and have it cool quite quickly compared to our previous gas vehicles. My 5-10min walk from the office to the car is plenty to get it from 100*F to LO and then I adjust it after myself cooling off.

If you've got any other questions post'em up! Welcome to the forum and enjoy your new Tesla!

 

[RayK]

Recent 100°+ days here (4 out of the last five) have caused my interior temp to be above 135° when no climate control is enabled. Car is parked in my driveway, facing north, so the sun beats down through the back window. Rolling the windows down lowers the temp a couple of degrees. I have only the windshield and front roof sunscreens and no extra tinting on any of the windows. Turning on Cabin Overheat Protection (COP) with A/C on drains the battery a couple of miles per hour. Leaving the A/C off (i.e., fan only) is about the same as no COP at all but better than nothing. Worst case battery drain would be if you turned on the climate control to LO (60°). Inside temps on a car under no shade during a full day's summer sun can be 30° or more above ambient.

Tesla recommends that you enable COP in order to protect the electronics. If you can manage to charge the car when parked, then you wouldn't need to worry about range loss. It's what I'm doing here at home using a mobile connector plugged into a standard 120V outlet during these hot days.

 

[DDHEverything]

Very helpful replies so far. Given that I am working from home through winter range loss isn't an issue at all. I was more concerned with internal cabin heat and then having parts constantly being used leading to a shortened life.

 

[skygraff]

I don’t recall seeing any Tesla recommendation for the protection of electronics but am open to being schooled. I’m pretty sure they tested and certified the cars (electronics) in multiple extreme environments before COP was even added.

As far as I’m concerned, it’s a choice based on what else you have in the car (not living things because that’s where leaving HVAC on or in dog mode comes into play) and how far in advance you want to turn HVAC on via the app. Also, it could be useful if you have limited cellular coverage and want to shorten the time you’re in a hot car while it cools down.

In my opinion, it’s probably better for battery life and (possibly) nicer to the environment to just leave it off under most circumstances. The system will keep the battery temp regulated even while the cabin gets hot and the ac does gangbusters at cooling the cabin when you do turn it on. Why keep it running all the time?

 

[john5520]

This is my first summer with a Tesla. My car is parked outside with little shade and I have noticed that on hotter days it pretty much runs continuously. I assume this is because I have cabin overheat protection set to AC. Assuming this is correct, what are the downfalls of turning this to just the standard on with no AC or just turning it off all together?

I don't really care about the car being warm when I get in because I can adjust the climate on my phone but don't want to cause any damage to the car.

Thank you.

That's how I have it, no AC. The hottest I've seen it is about 100F with just the fans (>140F without). I use a sunshade to protect the dash and console from direct sunlight. From just 'feel', it doesn't seem hot enough to be of any concern.

 

[RayK]

When the inside of your car is 130°, feel the back of the display. Then see if that's any concern.

 

[RayK]

I don’t recall seeing any Tesla recommendation for the protection of electronics but am open to being schooled. I’m pretty sure they tested and certified the cars (electronics) in multiple extreme environments before COP was even added.

Hmmm... I may have put words into Tesla's mouth. I could have sworn I read an article that said Tesla instituted COP as a measure for protecting the electronics inside the car. It may have been that I read somebody's assumption that's what COP was for.

In either case, yes, the factory should have done their due diligence in testing all of the components that goes inside the car at what I would consider the minimum temperature range to be - industrial/extended commercial: -40C to 85C or -40F to 185F. Automotive temperature range for electronic components is traditionally -40C to 125C (-40F to 257F) and could be too extreme (i.e., expensive) to use.

 

[DDHEverything]

That's how I have it, no AC. The hottest I've seen it is about 100F with just the fans (>140F without). I use a sunshade to protect the dash and console from direct sunlight. From just 'feel', it doesn't seem hot enough to be of any concern.

Would you mind sharing which sunshade you use?

 

[john5520]

Would you mind sharing which sunshade you use?

Windshield Sun Shades, Car Window Shades and Car Window Covers by HeatShield: The Original Windshield Sun Shade

Works well.