Model S HVAC running for 1+ days due to dead remote access

[Benjamin Brooks]

Hey all,

Anyone experience issues with their car's HVAC after it running continuously for 1 or more days with the new persistent "camper" mode?
I turned it on with the remote app and then I lost remote access to the vehicle for some reason (Tesla assistance confirms the car network is offline). However neighbor also confirmed the car is making HVAC noises (at least it's plugged in!) I won't be able to get back to the vehicle for over 24 hours with the keyfob... wondering if this will be problematic for the HVAC reliability long term?

 

[BrettS]

I don’t really think that there will be any issues. Keep in mind that people regularly drive for hours at a time and often take road trips for more than 24 hours by switching drivers. The HVAC system is designed to run for long periods of time. The AC compressor and/or heater will cycle on and off anyway to maintain whatever temp the car is set for, so the only thing that will really run continuously is the blower fan.

The only thing I would be a little concerned about is if the car is in an enclosed space like a garage. It’s possible that running the heater or the AC could produce enough heat to raise the garage temp significantally. The may cause the AC to run harder to keep the inside of the car and the battery cool which would just further increase the temp of the garage. If your car is garaged and your neighbor is able to you might want to have him check the garage temp and/or open a door or window to allow the area to vent.

Finally, i do have one question... why did you start the climate control system if you weren’t going to be near the car for more than a day?

 

[wayner]

I left mine on for a couple of days by mistake a few weeks ago and everything seems fine.

I turned my system on this afternoon at about 1pm as it started to snow in Toronto. I will get to my car at about 6 and everyone else in the train station lot will have a few inches, but hopefully mine will be clear.

But I guess you don't have to worry about snow in San Jose or Orlando?

 

[Benjamin Brooks]

I don’t really think that there will be any issues. Keep in mind that people regularly drive for hours at a time and often take road trips for more than 24 hours by switching drivers. The HVAC system is designed to run for long periods of time. The AC compressor and/or heater will cycle on and off anyway to maintain whatever temp the car is set for, so the only thing that will really run continuously is the blower fan.

The only thing I would be a little concerned about is if the car is in an enclosed space like a garage. It’s possible that running the heater or the AC could produce enough heat to raise the garage temp significantally. The may cause the AC to run harder to keep the inside of the car and the battery cool which would just further increase the temp of the garage. If your car is garaged and your neighbor is able to you might want to have him check the garage temp and/or open a door or window to allow the area to vent.

Finally, i do have one question... why did you start the climate control system if you weren’t going to be near the car for more than a day?

Thanks for the feedback. Yeah I hope the compressor stays ok after it running nonstop for so long. The car's not currently garaged, so the outside weather will dictate the temperature it tries to regulate (which should be the heater mainly, since it's been near freezing overnight here).
I turned it on remotely because it was reporting really cold interior when I checked the app this morning, intending to turn it back off after a little bit. You're right that that was kinda dumb & pointless since I wasn't gonna be using the car for a couple days... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Snowstorm]

I had my car completely disconnect and unable to be waken when I parked it at the airport during a 3 day trip earlier in Jan. Now HVAC is off.
What would be a good solution to allow persistent HVAC but not stuck on due to lost of remote access? One or more of the below...
- 12 hour timer?
- Seat occupancy check?
- internet connectivity heart beat check?

So the HVAC will turn off after 12 hours if no seat is occupied and there is no server connectivity?

 

[Benjamin Brooks]

I had my car completely disconnect and unable to be waken when I parked it at the airport during a 3 day trip earlier in Jan. Now HVAC is off.
What would be a good solution to allow persistent HVAC but not stuck on due to lost of remote access? One or more of the below...
- 12 hour timer?
- Seat occupancy check?
- internet connectivity heart beat check?

So the HVAC will turn off after 12 hours if no seat is occupied and there is no server connectivity?

Seems reasonable. Turns out my center console had crashed (why the remote access was lost), but the HVAC was still running just fine when I finally got back to the car the next day (today) with a keyfob. Once rebooting the center console everything was back to normal and the HVAC seems none the worse for wear running over 30 hours straight while parked. I'm starting to wonder if the car was not plugged in when this happened if the HVAC would have actually turned off at 20% battery or kept draining until the car battery bricked because the center console had completely crashed. Agreed there should be better failsafes or checks in this condition to prevent bad things.