Yes, you can leave your Tesla plugged in for two months, and it's actually recommended by Tesla for long-term storage as its battery management system prevents overcharging and keeps the battery healthy, especially if you set the charge limit to around 50-80% and disable features like Sentry Mode to minimize drain.
Yes. Set the charge limit to 80% and leave the car plugged in whenever it is parked. It's ok to leave it plugged in indefinitely.
When storing for a couple of months:
It's fine to keep it plugged in whenever. It's best to set the charge limit to 80 or 90% so the car isn't sitting at 100%, as this can accelerate battery degradation .
The most important way to preserve the high voltage Battery is to LEAVE YOUR VEHICLE PLUGGED IN when you are not using it. This is particularly important if you are not planning to drive Model Y for several weeks.
Question (xxi): What happens if you leave a device plugged in even after it is charged 100%? Explanation: Leaving a device plugged in after it is fully charged can cause the battery or device to overheat due to continuous charging.
Should I Leave My EV Plugged in for Long Periods of Inactivity? Naturally, EVs are designed to be plugged in for longer periods, so this shouldn't be much of a worry. One advantage of leaving your EV plugged in is that the battery remains at a stable temperature—even in extreme weather conditions.
What is the 80/20 Rule in EV Charging. Ultimately, the 80/20 rule suggests keeping your EV charged between 20% and 80%, avoiding dipping below or exceeding the range whenever possible.
Generally, most EVs can sit for months without charging, providing they are stored at an 80% charge in a temperature-controlled environment. But be warned — if your EV battery drops to 0% and sits there, it can damage cells and permanently lower your high-voltage battery's capacity.
As you drive, be mindful of common reasons your range may decrease more rapidly:
You lose around 1-3% daily on average. Largest reported reported loses are 4-6%. Just do a charge up before parking if it's just 2 weeks and get to 90% to cover any concerns. Be sure to turn off any draining features and you'll be alright.
People are selling their Teslas due to a combination of factors, primarily a backlash against CEO Elon Musk's political alignment and controversial statements, increased competition from other EV makers, concerns about Tesla's depreciation, and some owners finding issues with charging access or service. This has led to declining sales, increased trade-ins, and some owners feeling disconnected from the brand, with many selling to distance themselves from Musk's public image.
Charge Your Vehicle to 90%
Charging your vehicle to only 80-90% places less strain on your HV battery cells, which helps prevent degradation and retain efficiency over time. If you plan to take a long trip, you may safely charge your vehicle to 100% on occasion, but it is not recommended for daily charging.
Tesla is charging you $9.99/month for Premium Connectivity, a subscription that adds features like live traffic, satellite-view maps, video streaming (Netflix, YouTube), and remote Sentry Mode viewing via the car's cellular data, instead of relying on your phone's hotspot, though it often starts with a free trial after new car purchase. This fee provides enhanced in-car internet features, and while you can use your phone's hotspot for some functions, Premium Connectivity offers seamless, unlimited data for these services.
The 80% Rule: A General Guideline
Charging your Tesla to 80% has become the gold standard for daily use among EV enthusiasts. This practice not only strikes a balance between battery health and convenience but also ensures sufficient range for most driving scenarios.
Leasing an EV is often a "no-brainer" due to significant tax savings (especially with novated leases in Australia, leveraging FBT exemptions and pre-tax salary deductions for costs), lower running costs, bundled expenses (servicing, insurance), avoiding depreciation, and easier access to newer tech without the hassle of selling. This combination of financial incentives and convenience makes EVs more affordable and practical to drive, reducing the effective cost significantly compared to buying outright.
You should not charge your EV to 100% regularly. For daily driving, it's best to keep your battery between 20% and 80% to protect battery health and extend its lifespan.
Leaving a modern device plugged in at 100% charge won't instantly damage it due to built-in overcharge protection, but it can cause long-term battery degradation, reduced lifespan, and overheating from constant "trickle charging," leading to less efficiency and performance over time, though newer devices have optimized charging features to minimize this.
Whilst lithium ion batteries do lose charge when the car is parked for an extended period, the good news is that this is usually a very minimal amount of the overall charge. Most electric cars can expect to lose only lose a few percent of their charge a month if sitting idle.
The 80/20 charging rule is a guideline for lithium-ion batteries (phones, EVs, etc.) suggesting you keep the charge between 20% and 80% for daily use to extend battery longevity, avoiding deep discharges (below 20%) and prolonged full charges (above 80%) that stress the battery's electrodes, thereby slowing degradation and preserving maximum capacity longer, though modern devices have software to help manage this.
Overcharging Risks
Physical damage such as swelling, bulging, or cracking of the battery case. Leakage of electrolyte fluid, which can corrode terminals and surrounding components.
Modern smartphones are equipped with sophisticated charging management systems. These systems prevent overcharging and automatically stop charging the battery once it reaches 100%. So, even if you do accidentally leave your phone plugged in overnight, you don't have to worry about damaging the battery.
Wang noted that if you frequently charge your phone to 100%, your battery will deteriorate roughly 10% to 15% faster over your phone's lifetime than if you charged it to consistently to a lower percentage like 90%. “So it's not a whole lot, but it's noticeable,” he added.