Tesla CEO Elon Musk promised to bring major software updates that will extend its 12V battery pack.
Yes, a Tesla car works with two batteries: a 12V battery that runs the car's ancillary systems and its huge main battery covered by an eight-year warranty. Unfortunately, most of the time, people overlook the 12V battery's health, which can run flat or fail, particularly when the car is left running for a long time. At the same time, the larger battery has already shifted to low energy mode.
SAN CARLOS, CA - JUNE 30: A power cable is seen plugged into a Tesla Roadster after a news conference with California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger June 30, 2008 at Tesla Motors in San Carlos, California. Governor Schwarzenegger announced that electric car company Tesla Motors will build a new manufacturing facility in California to manufacture its all-electric Tesla Roadster. The $109,000 2009 Tesla Roadster zero emissions vehicle is capable of traveling nearly 250 miles on a single charge and is capable of going 0-60 miles per hour in 3.9 seconds.
On Monday, Sept. 14, Twitter user @TeslaVibes told Musk in a tweet that Tesla users need to be warned when the "12V battery is going to die," adding that it needs to be implemented in future update. The billionaire replied: "Couldn't agree more - major software improvements are already in place to extend its life & more coming."
A Clean Technica report assumes "& more" part pertains to a better warning system when the 12V battery is already on the brink of dying. Not all Tesla owners are aware of the car's little battery secret, but worse is that there is no warning when the battery will be drained and die. The issue with a 12V battery is not unique to Tesla as it also happens in gas-powered vehicles that use the same battery pack.
Well, the million Tesla vehicle owners and those who are planning to purchase musk's EV can soon enjoy a loner lasting 12V batteries, among other improvements included in the upcoming software updates. When this happens is yet to be announced.
Perhaps, we will learn more about it during the Battery Day scheduled on September 22. After all, Musk also tweeted that "many exciting things will be unveiled" during this event. At least that is something to look forward to.
What's does 12V flat battery in Tesla does?
The Tesla 12V battery is in charge of keeping the ancillary systems working. While this is just a secondary battery, owners must ensure it has enough power supply otherwise, computers will not boot up, the doors will not open, and worse, the main battery will not charge.
While Tesla charges the 12v battery from the main battery pack, the company also urges the owners to take care the 12V battery pack as much as they protect the main one. If the battery is totally drained, its lifetime is affected. Meanwhile, if the main battery switches to low power mode, the 12v battery can run flat within 24 hours as the larger one has stopped supplying power into it.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 08: A Tesla showroom stands in Manhattan on September 08, 2020 in New York City. Shares of Tesla Inc. today suffered their biggest loss since going public as technology stocks suffered another day of losses. The electric vehicle and battery maker’s stock plunged more than 21 percent.
In case the car stopped, but it is already near a charge port, car owners may provide a 12v jump start by following the steps below:
- Check the car manual to open the car's frunk to gain access to the 12v battery. Since the battery is flat, follow the emergency procedure in the manual. For instance, for old Model S, owners can easily get hold of the battery by removing the nose cone. Remove the towing eye cover to see the two wires and pull them forward. Connect the battery charger to these wires to boost the lock. However, if there are no wires, pull the emergency release cords behind the front wheel to pop the bonnet.
- Give the battery a 12v jump to trigger the systems to power up. This can be done by charging it for at least 5 minutes before trying to do anything with the car glitches.
- Then, connect the car to a car charger or the UMC for the meantime, not a rapid charger or supercharger since the charge rates will be slow in the beginning.
- Once the car is at a modest state, owners can switch charging it to a faster charger use.
However, please take note that this is just for last resort as it is not advisable to run empty the main battery pack as it could have an adverse effect on the battery life and the car itself.
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Written by CJ Robles