Why does the charge port light turn off after the car locks?

It's so that in the darkness, attention isn't drawn to the car when it's charging overnight.

I really don't know, never tried it.

redline0316 said:

if you press the button on the charge handle of a car in the middle of a supercharge (locked) what happens?

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Without a key close to the car, nothing happens. With a key, charging stops and cable can be removed.

I'm glad it doesn't stay on. No need to draw attention to the car from random people with a flashing light.

I would love the lights to remain on so one could monitor the process. On a number of occasions there have been charging issues and it would be nice to be able to look out the window and see the status. Maybe have a setting that will turn it off in high crime.areas.

Sounds like people have conflicting desires, all of which could be accommodated through a software update someday.

When I go into my garage without my key, and I press the button on my UMC, the charge port light turns on solid green for a few seconds before turning off again. But I've never tried it while my car is charging. Could be a worthwhile and pretty easy experiment for 2 people at a supercharger -- have one stay far enough away with the key so the car remains locked, while the other presses the button on the cable.

dhrivnak said:

I would love the lights to remain on so one could monitor the process. On a number of occasions there have been charging issues and it would be nice to be able to look out the window and see the status. Maybe have a setting that will turn it off in high crime.areas.

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The Tesla app for iOS or Android, or the Visible Tesla desktop gives way more information without drawing attention to the car. You know how much charge is flowing, get an estimate when it will be done. I like that way better and I'm not seeing how the light on is useful.

Do you want someone pushing the button on your car or how about kids making a game out of it & running around pressing all the buttons jumping over the charging cables etc...

Knowing a car has finsihed charging & you are waiting for a stall is just going to drive you nuts, so finding that out at the charging cable isn't wise with people with a short fuze.

redline0316 said:

Well, there are certain places where the supercharger cable can reach two parking spots. It would make sense if the previous car was completely done to remove the cable...

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Except that you can't if the car is locked. The locking pin engages.

I think only 2 out of 111 locations can share a charger, having the ability to remove a cable from someone who is fully charged indicated by a blinking light & unlocked or something makes sense at these chargers only, but at the rest of the locations stay away from other peoples charging cables becuase you still can't use the stall until they leave anyways.

The car already has a way to keep the light working. Don't lock the car. If you can't keep an eye on it, it probably doesn't matter if the light is on.

I like the idea that the light turns off when connected to a non-SuperCharger (as it does now) but that there is some sort of indication on the vehicle (like a steady green instead of pulsing) when connected to a SuperCharger. The car "knows" what connection it is attached to so this would seem to be a more simple code tweak.

The car shouldn't call attention to itself with a standard charge, but at a Tesla SuperCharger (where people may be waiting for a stall), the car is already attracting some attention!


Adam

adamcb said:

I like the idea that the light turns off when connected to a non-SuperCharger (as it does now) but that there is some sort of indication on the vehicle (like a steady green instead of pulsing) when connected to a SuperCharger. The car "knows" what connection it is attached to so this would seem to be a more simple code tweak.

The car shouldn't call attention to itself with a standard charge, but at a Tesla SuperCharger (where people may be waiting for a stall), the car is already attracting some attention!

Adam

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But what would it matter? You can't unplug the car so having that knowledge really does you no good.

Well, I tried the experiment last night at home with my UMC. After it started charging, I went into the garage without my key fob and pressed the button. Somewhat surprisingly, the charge port light turned blue for a second and I heard a couple clicks before I saw the pulsing green that I had expected. The cable never unlocked (I wouldn't have expected it to), but it seemed as if the charging stopped briefly and started again right away. Also as expected, but noted for completeness, the car's displays inside never lit up. I would presume you'd see the same behavior at a supercharger for a locked car whose key fob isn't nearby.

It's interesting to know that it behaves this way, but frankly, as others have noted, I don't see any practical use for this information. Even if you press the button on someone else's cable while they're not around, and even if it's steady green to indicate it's not currently charging, you *still* couldn't do anything about it unless the owner left contact info visible within the car.

Paul & Rlang,

I always leave a note on my dashboard when SuperCharging with my cell number, and while I recognize that many people don't, this info (the ability for someone to see if my car has completed charging) plus my contact info might help them.

And I know that several of the SCs here in Texas are connected to a Collins Bakery - there would be nothing to keep someone from coming in and asking who's got the Tesla in stall 2A...

Of course, I always make it a point to try to return to the charging station as soon as the iPhone app says it's complete if I know the station to be busy.

Adam