Hi, is it ok that I leave my charger in my Tesla while I'm away for 2 weeks? I know it's recommended that we leave in the charger when possible, but the reason I ask is because there are frequent thunderstorms that occur once a week and I won't be able to unplug when they occur. Any information is helpful, thanks!
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Leaving for 2 Weeks, Should I leave my charger in even with regular thunderstorms?
- Thread starter AM053
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I have not seen any rationale relating to battery longevity behind "minimum 20%".
There is a rationale, but it has more to do with the driver, in that very low state of charge is likely to induce range anxiety in many drivers, increase the risk of running out (getting down to 0%) while driving, or risk the car falling below 0% while parked due to vampire drain.
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Lithium ion batteries degrade more rapidly if stored at high states of charge. If plugged in for long term parking or storage, it is generally best to leave the charge target at 50% (or no more than 55% for NCA batteries or 70% for LFP batteries, based on lab testing of battery degradation) rather than a higher level like 90%. (50% is the lowest charge target allowed in the Tesla UI.)
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Totally fine.
Would be perfectly fine to leave it unplugged as well. In fact that's what I usually do when I'm gone for weeks. As long as Sentry and Cabin Overhead are turned off, battery drain will be minimal.
If you do leave it plugged in though, what I'd do is leave the charging % to about 50%. That way the car stays plugged in but won't keep "topping off" while you're gone. No need to!
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Actually... there is some rationale to leaving the battery at 90% for an extended period of time (Weeks).
There are bleed resistors that only open at states of charge > 85% and will bleed down individual bricks in the battery to balance the entire pack. This process is very very slow and very very minor, but it is a rationale.
Me, I usually leave it at 90% and forget about it. The only time I changed was when I was away for 3 weeks recently -- set the car to 50% and left with a 90% charge on. That way it wouldn't keep topping off -- I was more annoyed with the alerts from my Sense device ("Electric Car just turned ON!") than anything.
(And I came home to 83% after those 3 weeks ... nothing much to complain about.)
(Edited to add relevant data on the brick balancing - if I'm working with old data or something that isn't actually effective, I'd love to hear from one of our battery experts here ...)
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I'm glad you're doing that with your car.Actually... there is some rationale to leaving the battery at 90% for an extended period of time (Weeks).
There are bleed resistors that only open at states of charge > 85% and will bleed down individual bricks in the battery to balance the entire pack. This process is very very slow and very very minor, but it is a rationale.
Me, I usually leave it at 90% and forget about it. The only time I changed was when I was away for 3 weeks recently -- set the car to 50% and left with a 90% charge on. That way it wouldn't keep topping off -- I was more annoyed with the alerts from my Sense device ("Electric Car just turned ON!") than anything.
(And I came home to 83% after those 3 weeks ... nothing much to complain about.)
(Edited to add relevant data on the brick balancing - if I'm working with old data or something that isn't actually effective, I'd love to hear from one of our battery experts here ...)
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41,961 miles. 3.5 years.I'm glad you're doing that with your car.
No issues to date.
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Candleflame
Active Member
Up to you. 2 weeks wont matter at any soc. You might lose a few % at most. Vampire drain has become so low i doubt youll loose more than 2 to 3%.
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Candleflame
Active Member
Less than 60% causes significantly less battery stress. Tbh bellow 20 degrees this is completely irrelevant. Really only matters for australia and southern usa and southern european summer.
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RichAZ/CapeCod
Member
I also have a whole house surge suppressor. Was told by my electrician that a hit from lightening will go right through this suppressor and fry the house. Too much energy for the suppressor to deal with.
For the record I leave my Tesla plugged in when I'm not at home, even during periods of summer lightning storms.
Rich
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Candleflame
Active Member
most manufacturers recommend storing the batteries at low SOC at low temp. Some recommend freezing them completely discharged, other recommend completely discharging them at low temps i.e. 10C.
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Set the charge limit to 50-70% or so and let it sit there.
Read the manual>
"Your Tesla vehicle is designed to maintain its battery over time, and will not overcharge when plugged in for an extended period. For that reason, when you’re away from home, we always recommend leaving your vehicle plugged in."
Read the manual>
"Your Tesla vehicle is designed to maintain its battery over time, and will not overcharge when plugged in for an extended period. For that reason, when you’re away from home, we always recommend leaving your vehicle plugged in."
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