It was written all over the owners manual and prior to purchase, this was detailed by Tesla.. Don’t drain the battery to 0. I would have stopped at the purchase. BUT if I accepted the purchase (like apparently this guy did), well yes, I’d say it’s user error. And let’s face it. Who really knows what he really did. He says weeks. It could have been months. He could have abused the crap out of it. Bottomline, he ain’t telling the truth.[/quote]
Let’s take a look at the owner’s manual…
[Page 5-2] Even when you’re not driving the vehicle, the Battery will slowly lose its charge. Therefore, when you’re not using the vehicle, you should leave it plugged in. However, situations may arise in which you must leave the vehicle unplugged for an extended time (for example, at an airport when travelling for a couple of weeks). If this is the case, it is your responsibility to ensure that the Battery does not become fully depleted. Charge the Battery to a maximum level before leaving it. Keep in mind that when the vehicle is left unplugged with a full Battery, the initial rate of decline can be significant. When fully charged, the Battery’s charge level can drop as much as 7% a day and 50% within the first week. When the Battery’s charge level falls below 50%, the rate of decline slows down to approximately 5% per week. Over-discharge can permanently damage the Battery.
If for some reason, you are unable to keep the vehicle plugged in when it is not being used, it is up to you to preserve battery life by paying attention to the charge level and the temperature (see bulleted list below). If leaving your vehicle unplugged for more than 24 hours, follow these do’s and don’ts to avoid prematurely decreasing the life of your vehicle’s Battery:
• DO leave the vehicle plugged in whenever possible.
• DO maintain at least a15% charge level in the Battery if leaving it unplugged for more than 48 hours.
• DO charge the Battery to a full charge before leaving it unplugged. This maintains the charge level needed to keep the Battery’s electronics operational. If storing for more than 15 days, it is strongly recommended that you keep it plugged in.
• DO NOT expose an unplugged vehicle to ambient temperatures below -20°F (-29°C) or above 120°F (49°C.
Do you consider that strong enough warning? Nowhere does it say it’ll cost you $40K if the battery goes dead!
And it says “strongly recommended” that it remain plugged in – not “required”!!
I guess you and I will have to agree to disagree on this one. I think this sort of behavior from a car is unacceptable.
Guess that means I won’t be owning an electric car anytime soon!
