Dog mode in the winter, how much charge?

[noshadow]

How much charge should I have in my car when leaving my car in dog mode in the winter? It could be in the sun, but temps anywhere from 0 - 30 degrees farenheight.

I'll be going to Mt Bachelor for 2 hours every morning, first taking my pup out to their dog park early before first chair to play fetch and train (we feed her through training). Then I'm just going to leave her in the MY with Dog mode on for 2 hours while I hit the mountain myself. When I'm back, we'll do another quick run at the dog park (it's attached to the parking lot) before heading home.

My friends have done this, but just cracked their windows and didn't have the cars on (nor did they have Teslas).

I'm thinking if there's a lot of sun, the A/C would have to kick in, but the weather can be brutal there and it could be pretty cold so the heater would probably turn on.

How much charge do you think it would eat up in either case for the 2-ish hours? I guess I should plan on 3 hours just to be safe.

There's also electric charging stations there, but only 4. If I'm lucky, I would just plug in while I'm on the mountain (they have 4 hour limits, though I only intend to use 2 hours of it).

 

[jcanoe]

There is this video of overnight camping in a Model Y in March 2020, used 10% of the battery charge overnight and 9 hours.
Camping in the Tesla Model Y with Camp Mode: How Much Power is Used? - TeslaNorth.com

 

[Barrygold]

I camped in the model Y running the air conditioning all night in the summer and only lost 1% per hour.

In your situation maybe it will be 30% less efficient due to the cold. So for 2 hours total maybe you’ll lose 3-4% SoC worst case scenario. I’m taking a wild guess but it won’t be a lot.

 

[Puma2020]

I've used dog mode in the cold weather recently. Sorry do not remember how much was used but it wasn't that bad. Nothing too dramatic.
I had dog mode set to 70 F. Outside was maybe 30. I also had the seat warmers on LOW. The pups were happy curled up on the front seats.

 

[ThomasD]

I don't know about leaving the dog alone that long in the car. Dog mode or not. Will you be able to get to the car quickly if something goes wrong Say the car shuts off or something goes wrong with the HVAC system

 

[SSedan]

A dog that plays in the snow is not going to be harmed if the HVAC shuts down for an hour even if it is single digits out.

Summer heat is a much faster threat.

I wouldn't leave a dog in the car for 2 hours, from damage/accidents/unwanted attention perspectives, but the dog would be safe.
Run the heat in your driveway for 2 hours once to put your mind at ease charge wise.

For those warm weather types, our indoor labradoodle that sleeps in the damned bed with us sits his but down in the snow if we try and bring him in after only 10minutes outside in January near Green Bay. 5f and breezy he is happy as can be at least till his legs get full of snowballs. 120f in a car in a warm sunny climate will kill a lot faster than 20f in a cold one.

 

[pt19713]

Heat uses about 300-500 watts according to my SMT app. If you can keep them on a seat, seat warmers only draw 100 watts.

 

[Puma2020]

Oh, I forgot to add that dog mode is also People mode. When it is below freezing outside, turning on dog mode, even if the dog is not there, while running into a store for 30 minutes or more, it's really, really nice to come back to a warm car. The only issue is you may have to shed the gloves, hat and probably the coat if you have a long-ish drive. The comfort of the warm car is great. Yes, it may cost me 10 miles (guessing) of range, but heck, I'm worth it. However, you do have to pay for that luxury. Not just the initial price but if you use ~10 miles of range keeping the car and you warm, that is about 3-4%. 10% is about 30 miles. 10% is also roughly 8kWh. If you pay $0.15/kWh, that meant you cost yourself $0.45 to maybe *gasp* $0.60. Are you worth $0.60?

 

[pt19713]

Oh, I forgot to add that dog mode is also People mode. When it is below freezing outside, turning on dog mode, even if the dog is not there, while running into a store for 30 minutes or more, it's really, really nice to come back to a warm car. The only issue is you may have to shed the gloves, hat and probably the coat if you have a long-ish drive. The comfort of the warm car is great. Yes, it may cost me 10 miles (guessing) of range, but heck, I'm worth it. However, you do have to pay for that luxury. Not just the initial price but if you use ~10 miles of range keeping the car and you warm, that is about 3-4%. 10% is about 30 miles. 10% is also roughly 8kWh. If you pay $0.15/kWh, that meant you cost yourself $0.45 to maybe *gasp* $0.60. Are you worth $0.60?

Try camp mode with humans. Dog mode uses the security/ Sentry, so if they get out of the car, the alarm may trigger. Camp mode won't do this.

 

[frankvb]

Try camp mode with humans. Dog mode uses the security/ Sentry, so if they get out of the car, the alarm may trigger. Camp mode won't do this.

Or just use the 'On' setting. No need for either dog or camp mode.

 

[pt19713]

Or just use the 'On' setting. No need for either dog or camp mode.

Turns off when the driver gets out.

 

[jcanoe]

Turns off when the driver gets out.

In the climate control settings you can select what happens when you exit the vehicle including an option for the climate control to remain on after you exit the vehicle. The choices are Off (HVAC turns off), On (HVAC remains on), Dog Mode (HVAC remains on, vehicle locks, alarm is set) or Camping Mode (HVAC remains on, vehicle does not lock) I believe that each time you drive the Tesla vehicle the setting returns to the default, Off, unless you change the setting before you exit the vehicle.

 

[Raechris]

How much charge should I have in my car when leaving my car in dog mode in the winter? It could be in the sun, but temps anywhere from 0 - 30 degrees farenheight.

I'll be going to Mt Bachelor for 2 hours every morning, first taking my pup out to their dog park early before first chair to play fetch and train (we feed her through training). Then I'm just going to leave her in the MY with Dog mode on for 2 hours while I hit the mountain myself. When I'm back, we'll do another quick run at the dog park (it's attached to the parking lot) before heading home.

My friends have done this, but just cracked their windows and didn't have the cars on (nor did they have Teslas).

I'm thinking if there's a lot of sun, the A/C would have to kick in, but the weather can be brutal there and it could be pretty cold so the heater would probably turn on.

How much charge do you think it would eat up in either case for the 2-ish hours? I guess I should plan on 3 hours just to be safe.

There's also electric charging stations there, but only 4. If I'm lucky, I would just plug in while I'm on the mountain (they have 4 hour limits, though I only intend to use 2 hours of it).

Be aware dog mode shuts down at 20% SOC.

 

[frankvb]

Turns off when the driver gets out.

That's incorrect, it stays on when you do that. Default is 'off' which indeed turns it off in that case. It's in the same setting button area as dog and camp mode.

I did not mean the 'normal' climate control on/off button that turns solid blue when it's on.

 

[outdoors]

Just go with dog mode and enjoy your day. I do a similar thing a couple times a week. Obviously arrive with enough charge. You will use less than you think.

I do have one of those signs on my window with the usual. My dog is just fine. Look at the screen.....see the temp.

 

[noshadow]

Thanks everyone, that was very helpful!

Yeah, my pup loves the cold weather. She's a white swiss shepherd and her double coat keeps her warm enough so not too worried if dog mode goes out for a bit. (Heat is a whole different issue, I would be constantly checking on her and wouldn't leave her in a car that long regardless of dog mode or not).

I'll give it a go of just keeping dog mode on in the morning a few times as a test to get an idea.

Also, she's going to be in the cargo area, so it's a bit further from the vents, and won't be on the heated seats (though she really hates anything warm usually, as she just runs hot all the time).