Gadget charging

[Imran Bajwa]

Does charging external devices like phones, etc. deplete the car battery while parked?

 

[RayK]

I would say "yes" but probably not to the point where you would be able to tell the difference between charging your phone for 3 or 4 hours, where presumably it would then be at 100%, then if you did not. And by "tell the difference", meaning seeing any noticeable drop in range. One thing to consider is if you are using your phone as a key, then you would have to disable that function (i.e., turn off bluetooth) in order to lock your car.

Now if you are charging or operating something like a laptop through the use of a 12V adapter or 120VAC inverter, then maybe you'll see a couple of miles of range lost over a couple of hours.

 

[davewill]

Yeah, your phone is likely to draw 10-20 WATTS, tops. From a 50+KILOWatt-hour battery, it's a drop in the bucket. Having the screen on will draw much more than your phone.

 

[afty]

For context, an iPhone 13 Pro Max has a 17 Wh battery. A Model 3 SR+ has a ~50,000 Wh battery. Charging the iPhone from empty to full would use 0.03% of the car's battery.

 

[GtiMart]

...and that is, if the car stays awake by using sentry mode, camp mode etc. Otherwise the car will fall asleep and then your USB and 12V ports will not be powered. You won't lose any power but you won't charge anything either