With One Poorly-Judged Software Update, Tesla Crippled Ownership Experience for Millions

This is a major blow to those who used their Tesla for camping or who sleep in their cars, as powering a fridge during the day is impossible.

Tesla has been often praised for listening to its customers, with CEO Elon Musk responding on social media to feature requests and optimizations. In the past year, things have changed, though, as Musk is more likely to reply to a conspiracy theory or political rant than a message from a Tesla owner. Hopefully, people at Tesla are still monitoring social media channels because there's a major wave of complaints after the EV maker rolled out the 2023.32 software update.

The update brings what were supposed to be optimizations to power efficiency when Sentry Mode is activated. The aim was to reduce the power draw by about 40% on Sentry Mode, as former SVP Drew Baglino said in February. It appears that one area of improvement is powering down power outlets and USB ports with Sentry Mode on so that any accessory the owner forgot to unplug would not drain the battery. However, this also means that any device using power legitimately would no longer work with Sentry Mode on.  This includes any device that works alongside Sentry Mode, such as automatic streaming Raspberry Pi boxes.

With the 2024.32 update, the 12-volt (or 16-volt for newer models) outlets are only powered when someone is in the driver's seat or the Camp Mode is activated. There are also a few scenarios when the outlets are powered for brief periods, such as when the low-voltage battery is charged or when the vehicle is communicating with the mobile app. However, the power is down most of the time, which means that people who relied on 12-volt power to run appliances like a fridge or power bank would no longer be able to do it.

The outlets are only powered when the Camp Mode is active, which means you can use them at night. However, if you plan to go hiking during the day, you won't be able to keep the appliances powered. Activating the Camp Mode means the HVAC system will run, draining the battery. There's no workaround for this other than buying a fridge with a backup battery or using a power station. However, both solutions ruin the limited trunk space for those who sleep in the car.

All Tesla models except the Cybertruck are affected, which explains the number of people complaining and asking Tesla to reconsider this decision. With the Cybertruck, you can set in the Outlets menu to keep outlets powered for 12 hours after leaving the vehicle. This might also come to the rest of the fleet, but for now, people who use their Tesla to go camping or sleep (yes, apparently, that's a thing) won't be able to keep their food cold during the day.