What to do with an S that will be sitting unused for a month?

[carrerascott]

I'm expecting my new S in the next couple of months. We're taking a trip to Australia/New Zealand for the month of June. What is the best thing to do as far as charging while we're on the trip? Leave it plugged in? Unplug it? I could have my neighbor drive it occasionally. What would be best (or worst) for the battery? (It will be parked inside in our garage).

 

[Doug_G]

Definitely leave it plugged in.

 

[elecblue]

Yup - plugged in is right. The Model S should stay charged and batteries kept cool during that time.

 

[carrerascott]

Any reason to have someone drive it every week or so? Or is it fine just plugged in and sitting there?

 

[brianman]

I'm expecting my new S in the next couple of months. We're taking a trip to Australia/New Zealand for the month of June. What is the best thing to do as far as charging while we're on the trip? Leave it plugged in? Unplug it? I could have my neighbor drive it occasionally. What would be best (or worst) for the battery? (It will be parked inside in our garage).

If you have a neighbor or relative you trust with the vehicle, consider trading "babysitting"/"test drive experience" for a favor of some kind down the road.

This car -- the model, not just your vehicle -- is still young. Consequently...

Something else I would consider -- since you said multiple months -- is to contact the service center or store near you to leave them a house key and one of your fobs so that they can access your vehicle should some issue (firmware or otherwise) arise.

 

[UMD86]

I'm expecting my new S in the next couple of months. We're taking a trip to Australia/New Zealand for the month of June. What is the best thing to do as far as charging while we're on the trip? Leave it plugged in? Unplug it? I could have my neighbor drive it occasionally. What would be best (or worst) for the battery? (It will be parked inside in our garage).

I believe there's a setting for "Vacation Mode" which will maintain the battery. Definitely keep it plugged in.

 

[Al Sherman]

I believe there's a setting for "Vacation Mode" which will maintain the battery. Definitely keep it plugged in.

What are the guidelines time wise for vacation mode? How long before you should plug it in with vacation mode vs. just plug it in? What's the difference?

 

[montgom626]

Undercover, and plugged in.

 

[Owner]

On the Roadster it was called storage mode. It basically doesn't try to recharge your car. It just keeps it in a safe zone and not becoming a brick. I have done this many times on the Roadster. I think the battery is most happy when about 1/2 full. Ideally run it down to that level before storing it in vacation/storage mode.

I have a few posts on this in my blog with my experiences with battery draining.

 

[dsm363]

Always plug your car when you will not be using it. There is no 'vacation' or storage mode on the Model S. your car will be fine plugged in. Once mobile app is released, you'll even be able to check in it in case something happened to your power.
Having friends driver your car is not necessary. You could have them swing by your house once a month just to make sure your house is ok and that your car is ok if you wanted.

 

[brianman]

Always plug your car uniform you will not be using it. There is no 'vacation' or storage mode on the Model S. your car will be fine plugged in.

I think he means ...when...

Amusing auto-correct I presume.

 

[carrerascott]

It will just be 4 weeks -- I don't have the car yet, said I will HAVE it in a couple of months. I will just be gone for 4 weeks in June. Unless I can find a way to take it with me to Australia.

If you have a neighbor or relative you trust with the vehicle, consider trading "babysitting"/"test drive experience" for a favor of some kind down the road.

This car -- the model, not just your vehicle -- is still young. Consequently...

Something else I would consider -- since you said multiple months -- is to contact the service center or store near you to leave them a house key and one of your fobs so that they can access your vehicle should some issue (firmware or otherwise) arise.

 

[brianman]

It will just be 4 weeks -- I don't have the car yet, said I will HAVE it in a couple of months. I will just be gone for 4 weeks in June. Unless I can find a way to take it with me to Australia.

Ah, I misread. Mea culpa.

In case it helps, I left mine garaged alone for 3 weeks (plugged in). No issues, and had a firmware update prompt ready for me when I got back.

 

[rick325]

It will just be 4 weeks -- I don't have the car yet, said I will HAVE it in a couple of months. I will just be gone for 4 weeks in June. Unless I can find a way to take it with me to Australia.

I will happily borrow your car for 4 weeks...

 

[dsm363]

Yep. Autocorrect typo.

I'd say plug it in anytime you'll be leaving it for over a few hours if you are home. This gets you in the habit of plugging in each day so you are less likely to forget.

 

[aviators99]

Having friends driver your car is not necessary. You could have them swing by your house once a month just to make sure your house is ok and that your car is ok if you wanted.

The other reason to have them swing by is to check for updates!

 

[Trnsl8r]

I left my car for about 16 days, just plugged in. When I got back the battery showed 230 rated miles (vs. normal 238-241 miles) and when I drove it, it showed the regen limiter. The limiter increased during the day, but didn't disappear until the next day, when everything was back to normal (and when I had upgraded to 4.1 - to thoroughly eliminate possibilities of any bug regression...).

 

[Zapped]

Vacation charge mode

Since this thread started we've had a few software versions.
Any new recommendations on charge settings while on vacation ? ( amps, schedule, % limit )

 

[deonb]

Since this thread started we've had a few software versions.
Any new recommendations on charge settings while on vacation ? ( amps, schedule, % limit )

Also Voltage? Is it better to leave it plugged in for an extended period on 110V or 220V?

 

[pilotSteve]

I was traveling for three weeks. Left mine plugged into the HPWC and checked on charge status every few days with the iPhone App. Everything was perfect! I could see that the rated miles dropped a bit (less than 10 miles as I recall) over 18-30 hour period but the car charged itself sometime after that and returned to 235-240 miles.

The ability to check from anywhere in the world while traveling add amazing peace of mind. BIG WIN for Tesla!