Going on vacation - leave the MS plugged in?

[asudan]

Let's say I was going out of town for a week or longer, would it be best to leave the MS plugged in while gone (garage 240v outlet) or should the car be left unplugged?

 

[tomas]

Let's say I was going out of town for a week or longer, would it be best to leave the MS plugged in while gone (garage 240v outlet) or should the car be left unplugged?

Plugged in definitely. With charge level set to 50 or 60%. This should be in manual!!!!

 

[msnow]

Leaving it plugged in is definitely in the manual. Couldn't find the 50-60%.
Tomas - do you have a page # in the 7.0 manual?

 

[rickgt]

oh yeah, definitely keep it plugged in. I leave mine set with an 80% charge level. Probably kicks on at charge time every few days while gone.

Let's say I was going out of town for a week or longer, would it be best to leave the MS plugged in while gone (garage 240v outlet) or should the car be left unplugged?

 

[dsm363]

On the charge screen there is that slider to set charge level.

 

[TexasEV]

Plugged in definitely. With charge level set to 50 or 60%. This should be in manual!!!!

It is the manual. Several times. In bold print. Leave the car plugged in whenever possible. But you don't need to worry about the charge level for a week. The 50% is for long term storage.

As noted many times here, the cars used to come with a card that said "A connected Model S is a happy Model S". With all the times this question gets asked, I don't understand why Tesla stopped including that with the deliveries.

 

[ZBB]

As noted many times here, the cars used to come with a card that said "A connected Model S is a happy Model S". With all the times this question gets asked, I don't understand why Tesla stopped including that with the deliveries.

Probably because they also gave it out every time the car was in for service... I received it multiple times -- and could see some complaining...

 

[tomas]

Yes, the Tesla manual is clear about leaving it plugged in. The reason I say 50 to 60% is that ~50% state of charge is the ideal level for a battery that will be sitting idle (as well as the ideal average SOC during use to promote battery life). Sure, not critical for a week. But probably a good habit to get in if you travel frequently and leave the car unused.

While I agree the Tesla manual does not explicitly state a % for long term storage, it is clear as day in my eGolf manual: when leaving for any extended period of time, leave at 50-60%. Oh, and the eGolf also says don't leave over 4 months under any circumstances.

 

[TEUNTSLA]

Posted page 122 of this manual - https://my.teslamotors.com/sites/default/files/blog_attachments/model_s_owners_manual_touchscreen_7.0_das_ap_na_r20151028_en_us.pdf - but im sure i've seen it in the onboard manual as well:

About the Battery
Model S has one of the most sophisticatedbattery systems in the world. The mostimportant way to preserve the Battery is toLEAVE YOUR Model S PLUGGED IN when youare not using it. This is particularly important ifyou are not planning to drive Model S forseveral weeks. When plugged in, Model Swakes up when needed to automaticallymaintain a charge level that maximizes thelifetime of the Battery.There is no advantage to waiting until theBattery’s level is low before charging. In fact,the Battery performs best when chargedregularly.Note: If the Model S Battery becomescompletely discharged in a situation in whichtowing is required, the owner is responsiblefor towing expenses. Discharge-related towingexpenses are not covered under the RoadsideAssistance policy

 

[GasKilla]

Posted page 122 of this manual - https://my.teslamotors.com/sites/de...touchscreen_7.0_das_ap_na_r20151028_en_us.pdf - but im sure i've seen it in the onboard manual as well:

About the Battery
Model S has one of the most sophisticatedbattery systems in the world. The mostimportant way to preserve the Battery is toLEAVE YOUR Model S PLUGGED IN when youare not using it. This is particularly important ifyou are not planning to drive Model S forseveral weeks. When plugged in, Model Swakes up when needed to automaticallymaintain a charge level that maximizes thelifetime of the Battery.There is no advantage to waiting until theBattery’s level is low before charging. In fact,the Battery performs best when chargedregularly.Note: If the Model S Battery becomescompletely discharged in a situation in whichtowing is required, the owner is responsiblefor towing expenses. Discharge-related towingexpenses are not covered under the RoadsideAssistance policy

I asked my ownership advisor if there was a manual in PDF form I could review before my car is delivered next month and he said "we do not have an owner's manual in pdf or anything like that" once again this forum has provided better information than I can get from a Tesla employee. Thank you! Now I have a 183 page PDF to read ...

 

[asudan]

Thanks everyone. Missed that in the manual.

 

[Zapped]

...... Oh, and the eGolf also says don't leave over 4 months under any circumstances.

Interesting, I wonder if that's for the car (love bug) or the owner (EV withdrawal symptoms )?:love:

 

[donv]

I leave mine unplugged for a week or so at the airport at times. If it's longer than that, I at least try to plug it into 110.