Tesla planned firmware update could slash 'vampire drain' by 40% — here's why that's such a big deal

Tesla planned firmware update could slash ‘vampire drain’ by 40% — here’s why that’s such a big deal

Tesla owners may soon see huge improvements to the Sentry Mode security feature thanks to a planned software update that will reportedly reduce the anti-theft system’s energy use by around 40%, per Electrek.

Tesla’s senior vice president of powertrain and energy engineering Drew Baglino (@baglino) recently confirmed the company’s efforts to fix the “vampire drain” caused by Sentry Mode in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Drew said the update is planned for sometime in the second quarter between April and June.

Vampire drain refers to the significant battery drain that occurs when a Tesla vehicle is parked, caused by features like Sentry Mode running in the background that suck up energy.

The security feature allows owners to monitor their vehicle’s surroundings using numerous cameras and sensors to detect suspicious activity. According to Tesla, owners can also remotely view their vehicle with the Live Camera to ensure it’s safe.

While it’s a helpful feature, Medium reported that “this constant monitoring and analysis leads to extra battery drain, as the cameras and computers draw power even when not actively recording an event.”

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“With Sentry Mode on, some Tesla owners reported a vampire drain of 7.2 kWh in a day. That’s roughly 10% of the battery capacity of [the] long range Model 3 or Model Y,” Electrek reported.

According to the Tesla management platform Tessie, Tesla owners can disable Sentry Mode and other features to reduce battery drain.

However, many Tesla drivers may feel reluctant to turn off the feature as Teslas have recently been the target of various acts of vandalism, from people keying the vehicles to damaging their charging ports.

With the planned update, Tesla owners can still take advantage of the valuable feature without worrying about losing battery power.

Perhaps improvements to this feature will encourage more consumers to purchase Teslas or other electric vehicles, which will help the planet by reducing harmful pollution from gas-powered cars.

Tesla continues to set the bar for EVs, from its new factory in Austin, which will feature the world’s largest solar installation, to its affordable maintenance costs that have made many drivers swear off gas-guzzling cars for good.

“This will be huge as it currently averages about 1 mi/h range consumption right now,” a commenter wrote on Baglino’s post.

“OMG, this is awesome news!!” another X user added.

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Tesla planned firmware update could slash ‘vampire drain’ by 40% — here’s why that’s such a big deal first appeared on The Cool Down.