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Towed Teslas at SFO, after getting unplugged?

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Good discussion! I also use SFO premium parking for convenience. So far, I've never needed to plug in while parked. If ChargePoint or SFO wanted spaces available after a time interval, they'd post signs. Also why tow them offsite to another location? Instead if a rule was broken, write a ticket and perhaps move them within the building. Neither SFO nor Chargepoint lists any time rules on their websites.

I'd guess vampire drain to zero SOC as the cause perhaps someone unplugging them.
If SOC was low but operable drivers would drive to the nearest Charge Point within the garage versus towing.
 
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When I parked at SFO about six years ago, I managed to find a spot at the far end of the short-term parking that was within reach of a 120-outlet, so I used that. Took it a couple of days to fill my battery and then protected me from vampire drain. Note that this was not an EV marked spot or anything, but no one touched the plug. That might be a better solution than grabbing a ChargePoint, as they are typically meant for people dropping off or picking up people.
 
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I park often for a week or longer at SFO.
I found PARKSFO to be super useful for parking and charging. You ahvd to use their valet parking and then request and give permission to charge your car.
When you get back your car is charged and you do not risk being towed or hog a space. Their parking prices are very reasonable, since they almost always have coupons for free days if you park for more than a couple of days!
 
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It's a shortcoming even if every current EV has the same problem. I don't think it (vampire drain) is something that the general public will warm up to over time either. There is really no reason an EV should need to burn significant charge amounts while parked. BTW my Model 3 draws around 1% per day when temperatures are moderate, and even that is too high.

My point is that the fact that a given car has vampire drain is not an excuse to lock up a charger for multiple days. You are blocking that charger for what is essentially your problem. It sounds like some of us are willing to do that though. I suggest you be prepared for more cases of missing cables and unplugged cars as you will be annoying other users.
I can't imagine being so entitled that I would lock-up a short term parking spot and charger for days. Maybe one day trip, but not even overnight. Short-term is short term, not a couple or a few days. And to not have any realization that you are taking away a resource so you can be fully charged after days away is surprising to me as a person who view EV as a community. Eventually, as EV become more standard, it would be great to have slow charge available for trips but until then, take an Uber or get dropped off for your trips. I am thrilled that SF airport towed the cars away, good for them. Bravo.
 
Hi Folks,

Parked at SFO short term parking for a trip over the holidays. Was charging at a ChargePoint. Was unplugged a few days in - which I guess I’m fine with, presumably because someone saw on the ChargePoint screen that I was done.

However I noticed that both Tesla’s next to me were also unplugged... not sure what their state of charge was.
Then as I exited the garage, I noticed 3 Tesla’s getting towed. 2 Model 3’s, one X. Guessing vampire drain took them down to 0.

Which caused me to wonder:
- maybe these were newbs that didn’t know about vampire drain
Or
- maybe they were charging and got unplugged part way through. Making me rethink the whole unplugging etiquette.

Thoughts?

J
Vampire drain? Seriously? I imagine it’d take a year to drain you battery via vampires.
 
Yyz has valet care that will charge your car for you before you get back, but I have left my model 3 for 8 days in the regular parking and even below 0 degrees Celcius I've only lost about 1-2% a day while I was away. There is usually coupon codes to get a decent discount if you book it far enough ahead of time.

Not sure if it's available at other airports.
 
My car's phantom drain is tiny at ~1 miles per day. At a mostly covered parking like SFO, there is never a surprise of a big vampire/phantom drain to my car, so I never used those charging spaces.

I know it has long been a problem at these ChargePoint locations where some owners park their EVs without actually charging. They should learn some lessons.
 
With all the new Model 3 owners, I wonder if the problem isn’t just a lack of education about this new type of vehicle. “Vampire drain” can greatly be reduced by changing a few settings and not waking up your car by “checking on it” using the app. If people are just parking their car at the airport and walking away, they will experience a reduction in the SOC since all the tech in the car meant for convenience works against you over time.

Maybe we should post some drain reducing tips for new owners, such us turn off always connected and cabin overheat protection. Also, those apps which track your efficiency and battery usage also ping the car and can keep it awake depending on the settings.

Oh yeah, +1 on 110V outlets in garages for airport trips. Even if it is not posted, tying up a level 2 charger for days is not cool.
 
As far as the unplugging, could be another way Tesla (or EV) haters are passive aggressively exacting there discontent.

Vampire drain, in my experience anyway, can be greatly reduced if you don’t have the app running on your phone, and don’t activate the app either. Activating the app will “wake” the car up which will then run at a higher drain rate. Obsessively checking on your car, if your desire is to minimize drain is not going to help.
 
At O'Hare airport it looks like PreFlight parking nearby has 16 120v charging stations available to customers who pay for "premium" covered parking ($15/day).

Love PreFlight @ O’Hare, used them on multiple 2-4 day work trips. Pull in at 10-20%, plug in with 15 amp or optional 20 amp/110v plug and 90% charge in 2-3 days on 85 battery, flying home morning put it to 100% and hopefully leave with 93-94% back to Michigan. Only 10-15 minute ride to the gates.
 
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Hi Folks,

Parked at SFO short term parking for a trip over the holidays. Was charging at a ChargePoint. Was unplugged a few days in - which I guess I’m fine with, presumably because someone saw on the ChargePoint screen that I was done.

However I noticed that both Tesla’s next to me were also unplugged... not sure what their state of charge was.
Then as I exited the garage, I noticed 3 Tesla’s getting towed. 2 Model 3’s, one X. Guessing vampire drain took them down to 0.

Which caused me to wonder:
- maybe these were newbs that didn’t know about vampire drain
Or
- maybe they were charging and got unplugged part way through. Making me rethink the whole unplugging etiquette.

Thoughts?

J
Is this “vampire drain” a myth? I have a Nissan Leaf and have left for a 10 day trip, car unplugged at home. The range was the same. I know Tesla EVs are more complex but to drain a 75 kWh battery on let’s say 2 weeks seems impossible. What is possible is the 12 volt battery losing charge due to failure of 1 or more cells. These failures are invisible when the car is used/charged daily. As to being unplugged, typically if the car is fully charged, specially in short term parking, it’s due to someone needing a recharge. That is OK etiquette.
 
Hi. There are two issues at CVG short term parking. First it’s the number, only 4. The second issue is there are L1 units. To charge for 8 hours yields little power to EVs and no one should unplug an EV unless the panel indicates charging is complete. For my $$, I park offsite that offers 6 or 8 L 2 units. I parked years ago at a L 1 for 8 days and car was still plugged in. Please send a comment to the airport’s CEO as to the need for 25 more units that can be located on the adjacent parking structure. Thanks
 
Is this “vampire drain” a myth? I have a Nissan Leaf and have left for a 10 day trip, car unplugged at home. The range was the same. I know Tesla EVs are more complex but to drain a 75 kWh battery on let’s say 2 weeks seems impossible. What is possible is the 12 volt battery losing charge due to failure of 1 or more cells. These failures are invisible when the car is used/charged daily. As to being unplugged, typically if the car is fully charged, specially in short term parking, it’s due to someone needing a recharge. That is OK etiquette.

It’s real - I left for 5 day trip in November with some temps in 25-40s, pulled in around 65% came back to roughly 50% as memory serves. First day or two was fastest drops, after that it slowed down to 1-3% a day.
 
Hi. There are two issues at CVG short term parking. First it’s the number, only 4. The second issue is there are L1 units. To charge for 8 hours yields little power to EVs and no one should unplug an EV unless the panel indicates charging is complete. For my $$, I park offsite that offers 6 or 8 L 2 units. I parked years ago at a L 1 for 8 days and car was still plugged in. Please send a comment to the airport’s CEO as to the need for 25 more units that can be located on the adjacent parking structure. Thanks
CVG actually has 8 L1 units in the garage now.
 
Vampire drain is only 1% per day in that climate (e.g., at SFO and in a 75 kwh model 3. I think S and X are similar?) I don't use logging apps and I only check SoC once or twice per week (using only the Tesla app) when I am gone. At 1% per day, you can park at 70% and come back two weeks later at 55%, etc. Not much need to be plugged in.

(I mean, i do understand that pulling in at 20% and coming back to 80 or 90% would be awesome, and I hope they will put in lots of 110 V outlets to enable that. I am just thinking that there are other choices and that vampire drain is not as bad as people think and possibly often self-inflicted by too much checking.)

Also, I should mention that I quit the Tesla app when I am away from the unplugged car to prevent inadvertent waking. A sleeping model 3 in a mild climate uses just 1% a day.
 
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Before you leave a car in an EV spot you might want to check if you are breaking the law. Where I live, you cannot park an EV in a charging spot unless it is actively charging. You cannot unplug an EV in a charging spot without the owners permission. These are good regulations because they discourage ICEing and mischief if they are posted at the charger location.