Sometimes, you need to charge a few USB-powered devices in your car while you’re out and about. Maybe your phone or wireless headphones have a low battery, or you’ve got a tablet or laptop that you need to use later and won’t have power.
You can leave your devices charging in your vehicle by making sure the USB ports stay powered on, but there are a few things to know.
Keeping USB Ports Powered
Power to USB ports are normally powered off when the vehicle goes to sleep after about 15 minutes of inactivity. However, there are some things you can do to keep the USB ports powered. If you activate Sentry Mode, Keep Climate, Dog Mode, or Camp Mode, then power to the vehicle’s USB ports will also remain on. Keep in mind that all of these modes will consume power themselves, so if your only goal is to charge your device, then you’ll likely want to use Sentry Mode so that the HVAC doesn’t stay running.
In most modes, you can keep your vehicle locked and secure while your devices charge off either the USB ports in the front console, the USB-A port in the glovebox, or the USB ports behind the center armrest. Some of these ports may be USB-A or USB-C depending on the model and year of your vehicle.
What Not to Use
Camp Mode keeps the vehicle unlocked. While it’s a good choice if you’ll be around the vehicle, avoid it if you want your vehicle to stay locked. Camp Mode will also keep the climate system enabled and the display on.
Locking Your Vehicle
If you’re charging a phone that is also a phone key for your vehicle, then you'll want to be sure to turn off Bluetooth on your device or disable the phone key feature, or else your vehicle won’t lock. You can disable Phone Key by navigating to Security & Drivers in the Tesla app and turning off the Phone Key option. Whichever method you use, you’ll need to keep two things in mind. Be sure to lock your vehicle with another phone or with the buttons on the screen, and make sure you have your Tesla key card with you so that you can get back in.
Cybertruck
The Cybertruck in particular has one additional option – it’s equipped with 120V and 240V outlets – the same type you’ll find in your home in North America. The 240V outlet located in the bed can also be left running when you’re out of the vehicle – and all these outlets can be powered while the vehicle is locked.
In order to get these running, you’ll want to go into Vehicle Controls > Outlets & Mods, and then enable the “Keep On Cabin and Bed Outlets”. One thing to note is that power to the outlets is disabled automatically if the vehicle is plugged in (even if not charging), or if ambient temperatures are exceedingly low.
Tesla doesn’t state what the minimum temperature is, but if you know, give us a shout on social media!
