Discharge at rest increased after software update

[Ctein]

Dear folks,

Since doing the software update last week, my December 2019 Model XLR has started losing about 12-14 miles of charge per day just sitting idle. Something seems to be eating 100 W or so of power, continuous, that wasn't before. Before the update, I'd lose 2-4 miles per day, just sitting.

I haven't changed any of the car settings — sentry is on, climate is off. It doesn't seem sensitive to external temperature or weather conditions.

It's not fatal, but it is irritating. Any idea what might be going on?

pax / Ctein

[ Please excuse any word-salad. Dragon Dictate in training! ]

 

[Hebert]

There are a few settings that could cause this.

- Summon Standby
- Sentry mode
- Checking the car with the Tesla app
- in my case it was my son checking the car with the Tesla app.

.

 

[Ctein]

Dear Hebert,

I checked those settings, and they seem the same as before, but I've turned off Summon entirely, since I never use it (BTW, it was not in Standby mode). Sentry is on, but it's always been on and doesn't register more than a few incidents in a 24 hour period. The incident rate hasn't changed since the update.

Your son must've been really obsessively checking the car with the Tesla app!

In any case, having changed the Summon setting, I'm running a test right now and I should know in 6-12 hours whether that's made a difference.

I think it's got to be some kind of ongoing power drain. Sentry doesn't wake up the car for very long when it's activated, nor does checking it with the Tesla app. I'm seeing a loss on the order of 3 kWh of energy over a day -- 100+ watts if it were continuous drain. I the the latter is more plausible than huge power consumption in short bursts. But I don't know — if I knew I wouldn't have to ask for help!

I see that there's another software update pending, but I'm not going to install it until after I've run the drain test.

I'll report back when I know more. Thanks for your help!

pax / Ctein

[ Please excuse any word-salad. Dragon Dictate in training! ]

 

[davezforce]

There is a software bug. Mine is doing it too. See attached thread. I’m hoping the .1 update solved it. Praying I get it soon to install.

No sleeping since update to 2020.12

 

[Ctein]

There is a software bug. Mine is doing it too. See attached thread. I’m hoping the .1 update solved it. Praying I get it soon to install.

No sleeping since update to 2020.12

Dear Dave,

Thanks for that report and the link to your thread. Very helpful!

Reporting on my status...

Turning off Summon Standby and minimizing my use of the Tesla app didn't solve the problem -- I lost 20 miles of indicated range ( almost 3% of my charge) in 22 hours.

I then installed today's update, 2020.12.1. In the past seven hours, I've lost 6 miles of indicated range, so the new update did not fix anything.

I normally run with Sentry mode on, but I'm turning it off to do another test. I should have an answer in another six hours.

I haven't been running Teslafi, just signed up for the free trial, but when I looked at all the settings options it wasn't clear how much they would be pinging the car or activating it, and I don't want to be inconsistent with the previous tests, so I've disabled it for the time being. Consequently, I can't produce the refined data you guys are collecting.

Anyway, thanks again, and now I know the magic term is "vampire drain," (I've only had a Tesla for three months).

Having relayed the latest information to my partner, they suggest a technical fix might be hanging a bundle of garlic from the rearview mirror.

pax / Ctein

[ Please excuse any word-salad. Dragon Dictate in training! ]

 

[mxnym]

"vampire drain,"

I believe you will also find plenty of discussions if you search for "phantom drain."

 

[Ctein]

I believe you will also find plenty of discussions if you search for "phantom drain."

Dear Mxnym,

Does garlic work against phantoms as well? Inquiring minds want to know.

I have more data to report! After yesterday's software update (2020.12.1), the Tesla lost 6 miles of charge over a 6-1/2 hour period, with Sentry mode on. I turned Sentry mode off overnight and it lost only 2 miles of charge over 15 hours.

To confirm, I then turned Sentry mode back on and it lost 7 miles over 7-1/2 hours. Turned it off again and it's lost less than 1 mile over 4-1/2 hours.

This phantom/vampire drain only started after the 2020.12 update earlier in March. Before that, Sentry mode did not cause excessive power drain. It would seem that the software update has broken something and the car is remaining "hypervigilant" when Sentry mode is on.

This is for an end-of-2019 Model X LR. Whether the same problem exists in the same form for other models will be up to other people to determine.

- pax \ Ctein
[ Please excuse any word-salad. Dragon Dictate in training! ]

 

[Ctein]

Dear Folks,

I just got the .5 update that adds in-car viewing of sentry videos (which seems a bit flaky when I tried it, that's another conversation) and I can sadly report that it has no effect on the vampire drain. With sentry mode on, the car still draws down at the rate of 0.9 miles per hour.

The garlic didn't work either, although the car smells delicious [g].

pax / Ctein

 

[Steinmetz]

2019 MXLR, sept. 19, 2019 build. SW - 2020.12.5, no FSD

I too am now seeing just shy of 1 mile of range loss per hour. Before this software release, with all other conditions remaining the same, it was more like 3 miles in 12 hours. I don't turn off anything. Just park the car and leave it. Sentry mode is on because it would have no value to me were I to turn it off. Not a huge issue now since I am staying at home, have a wall charger, etc., however this will be an issue when traveling and leaving car parked long term.

 

[Ctein]

2019 MXLR, sept. 19, 2019 build. SW - 2020.12.5, no FSD

I too am now seeing just shy of 1 mile of range loss per hour. Before this software release, with all other conditions remaining the same, it was more like 3 miles in 12 hours. I don't turn off anything. Just park the car and leave it. Sentry mode is on because it would have no value to me were I to turn it off. Not a huge issue now since I am staying at home, have a wall charger, etc., however this will be an issue when traveling and leaving car parked long term.

Dear S,

Exactly my situation and concerns. I first noticed this when I went to visit a friend who lives 80 miles away, for a long weekend. When I was ready to leave, I was down 35-40 miles of real range, which was half my reserve for getting back home. Not pleased!

pax / Ctein

 

[Silicon Desert]

Sentry is on, but it's always been on and doesn't register more than a few incidents in a 24 hour period. The incident rate hasn't changed since the update.

You might know this already, but use of power is not really related to the fact that sentry records incidents. It's the fact that sentry is constantly on and watching. Do you really need it on at your home? It sucks up a lot of power.

 

[Ctein]

You might know this already, but use of power is not really related to the fact that sentry records incidents. It's the fact that sentry is constantly on and watching. Do you really need it on at your home? It sucks up a lot of power.

Dear SD,

Yeah. Thing is, before the mid-March update, it wasn't doing that. Previously, constant sentry standby ate up only a few miles a day. Something changed in the code... for the worse.

Ironically, home is the place where the drain is the least problem, since the car can always top itself off. OK, costs me maybe 50 cents/day in electrons. It's a shame consuming them scarce electrons without good reason, but I can live with the pain. [g]

pax / Ctein

 

[AhwatukeeDad]

I am seeing the same thing our 2/20 build X. My 3P had sentry activations in our garage after the latest software update. I went in and reset it to exclude home and that stopped that silliness. X doesn’t seem to be doing that but...

3 would blink it’s lights when I would walk by it in the garage which was the cue to something amiss.

 

[AhwatukeeDad]

I am seeing the same thing our 2/20 build X. My 3P had sentry activations in our garage after the latest software update. I went in and reset it to exclude home and that stopped that silliness. X doesn’t seem to be doing that but...

3 would blink it’s lights when I would walk by it in the garage which was the cue to something amiss.

ignore all that. 3 still activates sentry mode and sentry mode wasn’t on in the X...