Ran out of juice, 12V and main pack drained, need info.

[Mayhemm]

All that electronic control and an interior light didn't automatically shut off?

Imagine my shock. All of our previous vehicles (relatively cheap, domestic models) would kill the interior lighting if the battery was getting low, but not our new, expensive, luxury vehicle.

 

[scaesare]

I haven't read this whole thread...

Weird!

As for forgetting, does/can the Model S send plug-in reminder text messages or emails?

On my Leaf, you can have set preferred charging locations and if you power off near/at those locations w/o plugging in, it'll send you a reminder to plug in. Mine's set to deliver those via email. It can be set for either email or texts.

I tend to receive those at my work as I don't plug in when I arrive at work. I intentionally defer my charging until much later in the day for numerous reasons (e.g. to avoid contention, having to move my car later to free up a spot, to give priority to folks who leave earlier/may have great need, etc.)

The Model S can't currently do that.

Joe Pasqua's excellent Visible Tesla desktop app can query to see if the car is plugged in and send you a message if not, however. It's currently triggered on a time schedule, and not location. You can have multiple events at various times though.

 

[landover]

I still can't be leave people are still talking about having a Tesla roadside battery charging truck. Don't people GET IT, you can charge this car anywhere! If two guys can drive from the Mexican border of Texas all the way to the Panama Canal! anyone in the US should have no problems getting from point A to point B. If they do run out of juice its defiantly not Teslas fault for not having enough range left after 0 rated range. Its been said before in this thread zero is zero period.

 

[Subhuman]

Maybe if you're driving a 20-30 year-old vehicle that still has mechanical systems. Even modern ICE vehicle systems are all electronically controlled and will not function with a dead 12V. When I killed the 12V in our Lexus hybrid by leaving an interior light on, absolutely nothing would work because all the powered accessories (seats, windows, locks, rear hatch, etc). The most frustrating thing was that our battery booster was in the rear storage area but was inaccessible because of the electronic latch on the rear door (no mechanical

Don't agree with this. Obviously you can shift all manual transmission cars into neutral with a dead battery. Now I haven't tried shifting an automatic transmission car into neutral with a completely dead battery but I suspect it can be done. The other big difference is that an ICE Vehicle does not automatically apply the emergency brake. If the battery dies in an ICE vehicle at worst the vehicle could be left in drive gear at best you can shift it into neutral. E-brakes on ICE vehicles are still mechanical too and can always be engaged or disengaged as need regardless of battery conditions.

 

[jerry33]

I still can't be leave people are still talking about having a Tesla roadside battery charging truck. Don't people GET IT, you can charge this car anywhere! If two guys can drive from the Mexican border of Texas all the way to the Panama Canal! anyone in the US should have no problems getting from point A to point B. If they do run out of juice its defiantly not Teslas fault for not having enough range left after 0 rated range. Its been said before in this thread zero is zero period.

It's not Tesla's fault, but it's no different than AAA carrying a can of gas for an ICE car.

 

[walla2]

I can't believe this is 19 pages. While I do appreciate the suggestions in the event of a total depletion, this was a Seinfeld episode plain and simple and running the car to below zero is not advisable ever. Plain and simple. Tesla need not provide a 24 hour charging service, but the list of suggested practices should be made clear by roadside service.

- - - Updated - - -

1: Stop safely on the side of the road, put your car in tow mode and turn it off. Put chocks under the wheels if on a slope.
2: Call Tesla or local tow service and request a flat bed lift.
3: When the tow truck arrives it should be easy for the Tow Truck Driver to winch your Model S onto the flat bed and take you to a charging place.
4: If you've forgotten to put your car into tow mode, remove the front nose cone and ask the Tow Truck to charge your 12V battery for 15 minutes, then wake the car and put it into tow mode to allow for the lift.
5: If all the above does not work, the tow truck needs to arrange for a four wheel dolly lift.

I would alter to 1. Stop safely on a flat stretch of road if possible . . .

My car had to stop on a hill which made loading the car impossible due to the flatbed angle until the car was rolled backwards to a relatively flat surface. The chocks are also critical on a hill when in tow mode for obvious runaway car reasons.

 

[landover]

It's not Tesla's fault, but it's no different than AAA carrying a can of gas for an ICE car.

A little different. There may not be a gas station for 10 to 20 miles apart, but I guarantee you there is power almost every mile down the road.

 

[jerry33]

A little different. There may not be a gas station for 10 to 20 miles apart, but I guarantee you there is power almost every mile down the road.

But perhaps not accessible. I fail to see where there's a lot of difference.

 

[zwede]

Now I haven't tried shifting an automatic transmission car into neutral with a completely dead battery but I suspect it can be done.

I don't think it can. Modern automatic transmissions are electronically controlled and are shifted by solenoids. No juice, no shifting out of park.

 

[HankLloydRight]

\al. E-brakes on ICE vehicles are still mechanical too and can always be engaged or disengaged as need regardless of battery conditions.

Nope. My 2010 BMW Z4 has an electric e-brake. Once the battery went dead in my garage, and I was not able to disengage the e-brake to roll it out to jump start it. Luckily, most BMWs have the battery in the trunk, so I was able to jump it with another car pulled up to the rear.


But still, I think *all cars* should have a manual override to engage/disengage the e-brake under any circumstances. Even if I have to crawl under the car and pull a release cable, at least it's possible.

 

[bonnie]

But perhaps not accessible. I fail to see where there's a lot of difference.

As much as we typically agree, here I have to disagree. (sorry!) The link you posted had to do with someone taking electricity without asking.

I've found places to plug in everywhere, and asked each time. Hotels typically have outdoor plugs for their maintenance crews. Same with all establishments, for that matter. RV parks are everywhere and supply higher power options. I've never been at a loss for finding places to plug in. Ever.

Here's the real issue, from my perspective: When you're on a roadtrip, you're focused on getting to your destination. Stopping to charge slows you down. Especially if it's a 110. (That really, really isn't fun.) So you rationalize about how far you can go, you push the edge. And that's the mistake. You should always stop if you're not going to have enough margin. Stop and get the charge you need, even if 110. And if it's 110, maybe get enough to get you to that next 30amp charger - which will get you enough to get you to a 70amp or a supercharger.

If you mentally make the commitment to always always have a buffer BEFORE it's an emergency, you will have a myriad of charging choices and won't be stuck anywhere.

 

[ecarfan]

A little different. There may not be a gas station for 10 to 20 miles apart, but I guarantee you there is power almost every mile down the road.

Maybe in an urban area if you have a 50 ft. extension cord but not elsewhere along hundreds of thousands of miles of roads in the US. You can't plug into an electrical/telephone pole.

 

[bonnie]

Maybe in an urban area if you have a 50 ft. extension cord but not elsewhere along hundreds of thousands of miles of roads in the US. You can't plug into an electrical/telephone pole.

Gas stations, fast food businesses, hotels, RV parks ... everything you typically find along those hundreds of thousands of miles of roads in the US ALL have outlets. You just have to ask nicely.

I'd stop and ask at a farm if I needed a charge. Anywhere. People are typically really nice. I just wouldn't wait until I was almost empty before I asked. Keep a margin and you always have choices.

- - - Updated - - -

And on roadtrips, I do carry an extension cord. ftr.

 

[HankLloydRight]

A little different. There may not be a gas station for 10 to 20 miles apart, but I guarantee you there is power almost every mile down the road.

If for some reason, I'm running low on charge in a remote area, at say 2am in the morning, I don't know where I'd go to find power to recharge. Start knocking on random doors? Search around for an open plug somewhere and steal power from someone? If I really have limited charge, how much of that am I going to use up going door to door to find an available (and legal) outlet to plug into?

In an ICE car, it's alot easier to find a 24x7 fuel station, as well as call AAA for a gallon of fuel to get to the next exit. Adding a quick-charge option to these trucks is no different than a gallon of gas for ICE drivers. People mis-plan and/or misjudge distances/range regardless of it's electric or gas powered. S**t happens. Once I ran out of fuel because my fuel gauge broke (that was a VW, BTW, so perhaps I should have anticipated that? )

And nobody is saying this is Tesla's fault.

 

[bonnie]

I think the point is that with planning, you don't find yourself at 2am low on charge in a remote area. And if I did, I'd do the same as I'd do in an ICE (because usually gas stations in remote areas are closed at 2am, I've found) ... go to sleep in the car and wait til morning.

 

[jerry33]

Here's the real issue, from my perspective: When you're on a roadtrip, you're focused on getting to your destination. Stopping to charge slows you down. Especially if it's a 110. (That really, really isn't fun.) So you rationalize about how far you can go, you push the edge. And that's the mistake.

Agreed, that's what happens. I wasn't thinking about that, although that's what you do in an ICE, because on a road trip you should have your charging stops planned at reasonable distances (100 miles for a 60 and 150 miles for an 85). Now if this seems frequent, bear in mind that for any given trip there are going to be X hours of charging, say 14, and whether it's 14/3 or 14/4 the overall trip time won't be materially different. Of course, doing it this way should allow for even the worst scenario but if it doesn't...

You should always stop if you're not going to have enough margin. Stop and get the charge you need, even if 110. And if it's 110, maybe get enough to get you to that next 30amp charger - which will get you enough to get you to a 70amp or a supercharger.

That's certainly a fine strategy on the East and West coasts where there are 30/70/80/Superchargers. In Rural OK or KS, you can count the number of 30 amp chargers along any given route on one hand hand have plenty of fingers left over and none of the others exist (I was disappointed to see that the latest "coming soon" didn't have any in OK, KS, or North of DFW). Now there are plenty of RV parks but, depending on when you're going some of them are packed, some have not-so-good electricity, some don't have on-site staff to ask, some require a reference from another RV owner, some are rude to EVs (fortunately not many of the latter), and most require a reservation. So if you realize you are going to be short on Sunday at 23:00, even if you are thinking ahead... Of course, pushing the edge is always a mistake but for those days when it seems you have to throw two ones in a row using a d20 a mobile charging service would be a lifesaver.

If you mentally make the commitment to always always have a buffer BEFORE it's an emergency, you will have a myriad of charging choices and won't be stuck anywhere.

Fully agree with this. I was actually thinking about getting caught on a highway for whatever reason where the nearest farm house is several miles away. Yes, it shouldn't happen but miscalculations do occur.

 

[dsm363]

Just don't let yourself get to zero. If you are close and no hotel/gas station/110V outlet/RV park close by then pull off the highway to a safe area for a tow and call tow truck. Leave enough power to run heater and put car in tow mode. As easy as calling AAA for a gallon on gas? Certainly not but with the drawbacks to driving electric there are many other advantages you enjoy the other 99.9% of times and trips where the miscalculations don't occur with range.

 

[Cottonwood]

That's certainly a fine strategy on the East and West coasts where there are 30/70/80/Superchargers. In Rural OK or KS, you can count the number of 30 amp chargers along any given route on one hand hand have plenty of fingers left over and none of the others exist (I was disappointed to see that the latest "coming soon" didn't have any in OK, KS, or North of DFW). Now there are plenty of RV parks but, depending on when you're going some of them are packed, some have not-so-good electricity, some don't have on-site staff to ask, some require a reference from another RV owner, some are rude to EVs (fortunately not many of the latter), and most require a reservation. So if you realize you are going to be short on Sunday at 23:00, even if you are thinking ahead... Of course, pushing the edge is always a mistake but for those days when it seems you have to throw two ones in a row using a d20 a mobile charging service would be a lifesaver.

One of the items that I carry in my "live off the land" charging kit is a homemade 14-50 "Y" cord. It has a 14-50 Plug connected to two 14-50 receptacles. Because most RV's use far less than the 40A available from a 14-50, the "Y" lets you share with an RV. I have only had to use this once to share with an RV at a completely full RV Park, but being able to soak up 30A while chatting with a friendly RV owner saved my day.

 

[bonnie]

For the record, I have close to 30k miles on my Roadster and never had a miscalculation that would result in an emergency of this type. It's just not realistic. (And it's not because I'm a conservative kind of person. ) We all are well aware of the SOC on our batteries. So while we can come up with the outlier situations, the reality is those situations just are unlikely.

 

[physicsfita]

After reading through this thread, as a prospective future buyer of a Model E and a road trip enthusiast, I'm now thinking that I might be better off getting a Volt. It seems like too much hassle to have to McGyver up every conceivable adapter for every conceivable emergency scenario and have to use advanced computer simulation software planning my trip just to make sure I won't get stranded anywhere. This thread has brought up memories of a time that my fuel level got very low in a rough part of Detroit late at night coming back from a trip, due to me misestimating how much gas I had left in the tank. At least I was able to find a well-lit station, pay at the pump, put in a few gallons, and get the heck out of there.