Rookie mistakes [while parked at airport]

[Chimz77]

As a relatively new Tesla owner (2 months) I made the mistake of not turning off certain settings once I got to the airport parking lot, but still shocked at the battery drain I experienced on the first occasion I’ve been separated from my car for more than a day.
Car was parked in covered parking
Temperatures no more than 90’
Sentry was on but only reported 3 ‘ incidents’
Battery at airport arrival -178 miles.
Battery reduced to 76 miles after 3 days under covered parking.

I guess I should have done some research prior to heading out but still, the amount of drain is shocking. We made it home with just enough battery to spare.

 

[jjrandorin]

Sentry was on but only reported 3 ‘ incidents’

The number of incidents is immaterial to the amount of energy sentry mode uses. Sentry mode keeps the car awake (prevents the car from sleeping), just by being on, so whether it records no incidents or 50 doesnt really matter much after that.

Sentry mode uses 1-2 miles of charge per HOUR , so 3 days parking will use from 72 to 216 miles of range, at least until you hit 20% and it turns it off at that point whether you had it on or not.

Moral of the story, never turn on sentry mode when parking the car for any extended period of time at all, unless its plugged in.

 

[Gasaraki]

The number of incidents is immaterial to the amount of energy sentry mode uses. Sentry mode keeps the car awake (prevents the car from sleeping), just by being on, so whether it records no incidents or 50 doesnt really matter much after that.

Sentry mode uses 1-2 miles of charge per HOUR , so 3 days parking will use from 72 to 216 miles of range, at least until you hit 20% and it turns it off at that point whether you had it on or not.

Moral of the story, never turn on sentry mode when parking the car for any extended period of time at all, unless its plugged in.

Exactly. Sentry being on means the car is on. Car never goes to sleep. Doesn't matter how many events it picked up.

 

[Chimz77]

The number of incidents is immaterial to the amount of energy sentry mode uses. Sentry mode keeps the car awake (prevents the car from sleeping), just by being on, so whether it records no incidents or 50 doesnt really matter much after that.

Sentry mode uses 1-2 miles of charge per HOUR , so 3 days parking will use from 72 to 216 miles of range, at least until you hit 20% and it turns it off at that point whether you had it on or not.

Moral of the story, never turn on sentry mode when parking the car for any extended period of time at all, unless its plugged in.

Noted !

 

[ATPMSD]

If you accidentally left it on you can turn it off in the app.

 

[Gauss Guzzler]

That's not from sentry, it's from running the air conditioning for 3 days straight.

Even under covered parking the temperatures in Phoenix will be well over a hundred and million degrees. It's just too close to the sun for any sort of cover to provide protection.

 

[ATPMSD]

That's not from sentry, it's from running the air conditioning for 3 days straight.

Since OP stated that Sentry was left on, AC was unlikely the cause since the loss coincides with projected Senrty consumption. But your point is well taken, turning overheat protection off should be considered when parking is hot climates.

 

[haroldo]

running the air conditioning for 3 days straight

I thought that Climate only runs for up to one day, turning off if car hits 20% battery.

 

[ATPMSD]

thought that Climate only runs for up to one day, turning off if car hits 20% battery.

This is what my MS manual says (check yours):

"Cabin Overheat Protection: Reduce the temperature of the cabin in extremely hot ambient conditions for a period of up to twelve hours after you exit Model S. Operates only when the energy remaining in the Battery is above 20%. "

One would suspect that once the 12-hours is up it will not restart until the car goes through a power-up cycle?

 

[Gauss Guzzler]

Sorry, you guys are right - Cabin overheat only runs for the first 12 hours.

At any rate it seems the OP parked with 178mi/353mi = 50% battery and (I suspect) ran the air conditioning for much of the day to drain it down to ~25%, then a few days of sentry to get down to 76/353 = 22%. Assuming it's a modern Long Range 3.

So if he used 25% of his battery (20 kWh) in the first 12 hours that would mean his A/C was drawing an average of 1700W which I think is believable. And these numbers all come down considerably if it's a shorter range car.

 

[ATPMSD]

1700W which I think is believable

Good thought, but based on the below article I found it looks more like 600 watts / hr

https://www.reddit.com/r/teslamotors/comments/i2j71z

 

[Gauss Guzzler]

I read that as 1500W (Test 2) in a place that "doesn't get super hot". The OP's Phoenix is definitely not that kind of place.

And remember, my 1700W estimate is based on OP's reporting of battery percentages but I don't know what battery they have so I assumed 80kWh. With a 50kWh pack the A/C would only need to average 1000W to consume 25% of the range in 12 hours. Either case seems perfectly plausible, even with some shade and/or nightfall. The battery and entire chassis were extremely hot when the car was first parked and the air temperature even at night can be unbelievably hot. Even if the weather is only 90F, the heat-soaked pavement and carport/garage can make air temperatures around the car much hotter.

 

[ATPMSD]

@Gauss Guzzler I agree that Test 2 is probably the case to use, which gives us the 1500W figure.

 

[gnuarm]

I thought that Climate only runs for up to one day, turning off if car hits 20% battery.

Yes, it turns off at 20%, but not after a day. I know from experience. I ended up with no dinner because I had to charge before I could leave the airport area and everything on the way home was then closed, a three hour drive. Well, everything that wasn't burgers. I think I got some fries.

 

[gnuarm]

This is what my MS manual says (check yours):

"Cabin Overheat Protection: Reduce the temperature of the cabin in extremely hot ambient conditions for a period of up to twelve hours after you exit Model S. Operates only when the energy remaining in the Battery is above 20%. "

One would suspect that once the 12-hours is up it will not restart until the car goes through a power-up cycle?

My experience in a model X was over 5% a day loss of state of charge until it reached 20%. I don't recall the specifics, but I charged just before parking, so it was likely over 50 kWh when I dropped it off. I think it had less than 10% when I picked it up.

 

[haroldo]

My experience in a model X was over 5% a day loss

Seems a bit high, do you leave Sentry Mode on?
Standby mode?

 

[gnuarm]

Good thought, but based on the below article I found it looks more like 600 watts / hr

https://www.reddit.com/r/teslamotors/comments/i2j71z

Interesting information, but I'm not clear on how the AC controls work. Setting the temperature clearly does not set the inside temperature since the amount of time the heat pump runs varies widely. What does it control exactly? What is the justification for picking a fan speed which seems to be the part that controls the power consumption.

 

[gnuarm]

Seems a bit high, do you leave Sentry Mode on?
Standby mode?

I was making the point that the cabin overheat protection can use a LOT of power and did not turn itself off until the battery was down to 20%. Some have said it turns off after some hours, but mine ran for days. That was summer of 2021, June most likely.

 

[Kevy Baby]

Moral of the story, never turn on sentry mode when parking the car for any extended period of time at all, unless its plugged in.

Which is a little ironic as that is a time where I would really WANT Sentry to be on. C'est la vie

 

[gnuarm]

Which is a little ironic as that is a time where I would really WANT Sentry to be on. C'est la vie

Yeah, it is only a useful feature when parked for shorter times or when plugged in. Sentry only does anything useful if your car is messed with. Better to deter than to video someone in the act anyway.