My wall connector is too exposed during winter storms; looking for a solution

[dkiley]

I live in Maine with intense winter storms, and my wall connector and shed happen to be under a very large pine tree. I wasn't able to get a rugged cover installed for the car before the cold and frozen ground have arrived. There is too much risk to keep the car there during big winds, storms, etc as well as when we leave for a winter vacation.

I've read these forums of users who also need to move their car from time to time and want a connector of sorts. I only have a 110 outlet in the shed and the plug outlet doesn't seem matched for a common suggestion which is the 14-50 power cord extension. The EVSE Adaptors Tesla Extension Cord is all sold out; I'd hoped to just attach this to my wall connector cord and extend it to a safer spot to park my car.

I'm not sure what to do. Leaving my car unplugged/charged overnight in the bitter cold doesn't seem a great idea, let alone fo 7-10 days when we go on a trip.

Feedback is gratefully appreciated

 

[israndy]

Should be fine to leave it unplugged for a few weeks, if you don't go to get in it the car won't wake so the battery won't drain very much. Be sure to charge it up before this winter trip, but it should be fine when you come back.

If you are concerned about leaving it outside in the elements in a serious storm like hail and breaking branches it would be good to get it under cover, but otherwise the car is sturdy and should handle rain and wind and snow.

If you intend to leave the car unattended for half a year it would be good to plug it into 120v outlet as it will drain over time, it's really efficient and turns MOST of the car off, but it still watches the doors and bluetooth/wifi and cellular incase you try to get in or control it remotely.

 

[dkiley]

Should be fine to leave it unplugged for a few weeks, if you don't go to get in it the car won't wake so the battery won't drain very much. Be sure to charge it up before this winter trip, but it should be fine when you come back.

If you are concerned about leaving it outside in the elements in a serious storm like hail and breaking branches it would be good to get it under cover, but otherwise the car is sturdy and should handle rain and wind and snow.

If you intend to leave the car unattended for half a year it would be good to plug it into 120v outlet as it will drain over time, it's really efficient and turns MOST of the car off, but it still watches the doors and bluetooth/wifi and cellular incase you try to get in or control it remotely.

Thanks so much Randy. I don't pretend to bethat knowledgeable about battery details/electronics, etc, and I was operating under the assumption it would be really bad for the battery to leave unplugged during consistent cold temperatures. Great to hear this isn't the case for more isolated occassions

 

[israndy]

The car is very smart. Will not charge w/o warming the batteries to a safe level. If it's plugged in it can do that whenever it detects a charge level issue. If there isn't enough juice to warm them internally I imagine the car just becomes unresponsive and you have to tow it into a garage to warm it up before it will let you charge (or wait for warmer weather).

 

[dkiley]

That's reassuring. I know some batteries really dislike the cold and it can diminish their longevity. Not knowing enough about these Tesla batteries, I've been trying to optimize battery health as much as I can and mitigate potential adverse impact as much as well. Good to know this is a worry I can let go of. Cheers

 

[israndy]

Yeah, the batteries have less capacity in cold weather, and charging below freezing can diminish their longevity. Fortunately the capacity returns in warm weather, it helps that you are not running the heat then. The batteries do tend to diminish their capacity over the first year or so, I am down to 301 miles in my 100,000 mile almost 4 year old TM3. Very nice, I still don't charge above 90% on road trips as most drives don't come close to requiring it.

 

[dkiley]

Yeah, the batteries have less capacity in cold weather, and charging below freezing can diminish their longevity. Fortunately the capacity returns in warm weather, it helps that you are not running the heat then. The batteries do tend to diminish their capacity over the first year or so, I am down to 301 miles in my 100,000 mile almost 4 year old TM3. Very nice, I still don't charge above 90% on road trips as most drives don't come close to requiring it.

Great feedback and response Randy. I hadn't realized I should avoid charging when below freezing. I will try to time, when possible, my charging for when the weather is a little warmer during the day (relative in Maine in the winter . Besides that, I generally follow your guidelines. Glad you can still get 301 after 4 years. We just got our Y in the spring

 

[israndy]

You don't need to worry about charging below, freezing, it's when the batteries are freezing, and the car will prevent you from doing it. If your routine is to plug in when you come home and have it set to start charging during the night and be ready to go for your commute the car will detect that the temps have gone below freezing and will start the charging process earlier in order to bring the batts up to temp before they start charging, really hard to screw up a Tesla.