Would my 2024 Model S LR survive being unplugged for 2.5 months?

[biscottigelato]

I'm thinking of being away from my 2024 Model S LR from ~June 7th until~ August 27th. Of which the car will be left in a secure storage where no one walks around, and there's little to no cell reception also. Its a pretty hot weather climate (Taipei), but it'll be underground (mechanical parking stall deep underground). Would I come back to a dead car after such a long time? Sentry mode off, Cabin overheat protection off, no 3rd party accessories plugged in, etc, of course.

And if so, what is the optimal battery level to leave the car in? 100%? or less? Thanks!

 

[n2mb_racing]

lower state of charge is better. definitely not 100%. 60% might be good, but you do want to have plenty of buffer for parasitic draw while it is off. I'd guess 80% maximum SOC.

 

[DerbyDave]

From what I've read, as long as you put it in a deep sleep without any extra services turned on or plugged in, it will (should) go from using 1% a day to 1% a week after several days without any communication. Perhaps the biggest issue is the 12V battery may die, unless you can disconnect it during "storage." or be able to jump it if it is dead upon your return. Maybe pop and prop up the frunk beyond the secondary latch in case you can't get in and need a 12V jump.

Update: I assume the new S has no frunk light. If it does, it would need to be turned off or disconnected.

 

[n2mb_racing]

From what I've read, as long as you put it in a deep sleep without any extra services turned on or plugged in, it will (should) go from using 1% a day to 1% a week after several days without any communication. Perhaps the biggest issue is the 12V battery may die, unless you can disconnect it during "storage." or be able to jump it if it is dead upon your return. Maybe pop and prop up the frunk beyond the secondary latch in case you can't get in and need a 12V jump.

Update: I assume the new S has no frunk light. If it does, it would need to be turned off or disconnected.

The 12V (16V) battery will be charged as needed from the main battery.

 

[biscottigelato]

From what I've read, as long as you put it in a deep sleep without any extra services turned on or plugged in, it will (should) go from using 1% a day to 1% a week after several days without any communication. Perhaps the biggest issue is the 12V battery may die, unless you can disconnect it during "storage." or be able to jump it if it is dead upon your return. Maybe pop and prop up the frunk beyond the secondary latch in case you can't get in and need a 12V jump.

Update: I assume the new S has no frunk light. If it does, it would need to be turned off or disconnected.

Is deep sleep a mode that can be set in the car controls?

 

[cbdream99]

Model S usually uses more than 3/Y. I suggest you try it first for few days, turn off sentry, cabin heat protection and see how much you lose each day and then determine your strategy. I have an older S and lose about 1% a day with everything off, another forum member mentioned similar but his is newer. In the worst case scenario , I think you can disconnect LV battery and HV charge loop, but you may have problem reconnect the car if it is stored in mechanical storage underground - not sure you have room to work on a non moving car after it returns to the surface…

 

[DerbyDave]

The 12V (16V) battery will be charged as needed from the main battery.

Wouldn't that require a computer decision to do this with the computer asleep? It also requires the 12 V to use more energy if connected, and drains the HV is the 12V needs to be "recharged". Better to disconnect or be prepared, because I bet the 12V would likely be dead, as what occasionally happens when the car sits along time. Without the power to the car's interior to make these decisions, I do not think any charging would occur.

 

[zoomer0056]

Yes, you can do that and have a charge on your car when you get back.

The car can be monitored without waking it up. Get the Tessie app. While monitoring my car I can see it wakes up every six hours for some minutes. I don't know what it's doing. Maybe checking charge on low voltage battery, maybe contacting the mothership

I have a 2022 MSLR and have left it for a week and it had vampire drain of 3%. Others report 1% per week but not on my car. So I plan on 1% for two days.

By my cars math:
2.5 months is about 74 days
1% in 2 days is 74/2 = 37% vampire drain
So ... charge your car to 70%
70 - 37 = 33% when you return home

 

[DerbyDave]

Please report back and let us know what you ended up doing to the car, and how things resulted. I am preparing for a potential extended time away, and it is good to hear real world experiences.

 

[Zuikkis]

Don't worry too much. Car has protective electronics that prevent damage even if you manage to drain the battery to 0%.

The worst that can happen, if battery drains to 0% it will no longer charge the 12V battery which will then start to drain.

However in refresh even the "12V" battery is really 16V lithium ion which has its own protective circuit. It will drain to 0% and then disconnect itself to prevent further drain.

If all this has happened, you need external 12V source (battery booster) to wake up the 12V battery. After that you should be able to charge the main battery.

This said, as others already calculated, it's very likely you will have plenty of charge after 2.5months.

 

[brainhouston]

i'm not sure about newer 16v built cars but my 2016 X goes into deep sleep after about 2-3 days, fathom drain decreases significantly
when i leave for long time i leave the car at 55% but plugged in, it re-charges ~3kw (5%) first 2-3 days daily then about every 3rd day
opening the app n checking on the car has no effect for me.

 

[ucmndd]

It will be perfectly fine. Were it me I’d probably park it around 70%.

Model S usually uses more than 3/Y.

What are you basing this assumption on? I’ve had both and not observed any difference. Can’t imagine any particular reason why there would be one.

 

[cbdream99]

It will be perfectly fine. Were it me I’d probably park it around 70%.

What are you basing this assumption on? I’ve had both and not observed any difference. Can’t imagine any particular reason why there would be one.

Based on observations from different posts, some posts of newer 3/Y model owners reported losing 1% per week but I lose around 1% per day, another owner reported similar, although Tesla stated to expect 1% per day.

 

[BitJam]

Last year Kyle from Out of Spec found a Coda EV that had been just sitting for 10 years. The tires were flat, the rotors were rusted and they had to jump the 12 volt. With the tires fixed, the car drove and had 30% charge remaining on the main battery!

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