What happens on an electric car like the Tesla Model S, if the battery runs out completely? Today James May, famous car journalist and one of the founders of the DriveTribe online community, tells us in the video below.
The Tesla Model S is equipped with two batteries: on one side there is the battery pack that powers the car, on the other hand there is a classic 12V battery that allows the car to be opened and keeps the various car settings saved in memory. The latter, after long weeks of inactivity in the garage, was discharged despite the car being connected to the power supply: the recharging system allows you to recharge this battery too, but it stops doing so when the largest battery is charged. 100% and does not need additional energy.
This setting meant that the car, stopped for a long time, had the main battery charged at 100% but the auxiliary battery completely discharged, since it continued the his job of powering the onboard computers.
Having understood the problem, May had to figure out how to reach the auxiliary battery to connect it to the power and be able to use his Tesla again. It was necessary to reach the front hood emergency releases - hidden behind the plastic covers of the front wheel arches - and remove several plastics before spotting the auxiliary battery that needed power, an operation that not everyone would be comfortable doing. in the garage of your home, and which you would not expect to have to do on a car of the caliber of a Tesla Model S.
The whole operation lasted about an hour, and created a bit of annoyance in the English journalist, who is keen to warn us about this design flaw of the Model S.