General Information About Charging; Important; The Battery; Designed To Be Plugged In - Tesla Roadster 2 Owner's Manual

General information about charging

Important!

Charging your vehicle

General information about charging

Caution: If the Battery's charge level
falls to 0%, it must be plugged in
immediately. Failure to do so can
permanently damage the Battery and this
damage is not covered by the New Vehicle
Limited Warranty. Also, if you allow the
Battery to fall to a critically low level it may
not be possible to charge the vehicle. If you
are unable to charge the vehicle, contact
Tesla Motors.
WARNING: The Battery has no parts
that an owner, or a non-Tesla authorized
technician can service. Under no
circumstances should you open or tamper
with the Battery. Always contact Tesla Motors
.
to arrange for Battery servicing
At the end of its service life, the Battery
will be recycled. Contact Tesla Motors
for recycling arrangements.

The Battery

The Tesla Roadster's Battery provides power
to the motor as well as all the other electrical
systems on the vehicle, such as lights,
instruments, audio system, etc.
The Battery is one of the largest and most
advanced battery packs in the world,
consisting of several thousand lithium-ion
battery cells that store enough energy for the
vehicle to travel over 200 miles (320 kms)
without recharging.
Note: Actual range will vary based on driving
style. The vehicle consumes more energy if
you are driving aggressively, driving up hills,
5-2
or are using more resources such as air
conditioning. Also, over time, the Battery
experiences a gradual loss of capacity,
inherent in all lithium-ion batteries. So, as
your vehicle ages, the capacity of the Battery
declines.
As you drive your vehicle, the level of charge
in the Battery is depleted and you'll need to
recharge it. The Roadster's built-in charging
system allows you to easily recharge it by
connecting an electrical power supply to the
vehicle's charging port.

Designed to be plugged in

The Tesla Roadster is designed to be plugged
in when not in use. This ensures that the next
time you use the vehicle, it is fully charged
and ready to go. There is no advantage to
waiting until battery level is low before
charging. Plugging in every night eliminates
the risk of damage that could be caused by
over-discharging the battery.
When plugged in, the vehicle optimizes the
lifetime of the Battery by managing its
charge level and temperature. The vehicle
wakes up every 24 hours and, if needed,
automatically initiates the charging process
to keep the Battery at an optimum charge
level.
If you're not driving your vehicle every day,
see Storing your vehicle, page 5-3.

Leaving the vehicle unplugged

Even when you're not driving the vehicle, the
Battery will slowly lose its charge. Therefore,
when you're not using the vehicle, you should
leave it plugged in. However, situations may
arise in which you must leave the vehicle
unplugged for an extended time (for
example, at an airport when travelling for a
couple of weeks). If this is the case, it is your
responsibility to ensure that the Battery does
not become fully depleted. Charge the
Battery to a maximum level before leaving it.
Keep in mind that when the vehicle is left
unplugged with a full Battery, the initial rate
of decline can be significant. When fully
charged, the Battery's charge level can drop
as much as 7% a day and 50% within the first
week. When the Battery's charge level falls
below 50%, the rate of decline slows down to
approximately 5% per week. Over-discharge
can permanently damage the Battery.
If for some reason, you are unable to keep the
vehicle plugged in when it is not being used,
it is up to you to preserve battery life by
paying attention to the charge level and the
temperature (see bulleted list below). If
leaving your vehicle unplugged for more than
24 hours, follow these do's and don'ts to
avoid prematurely decreasing the life of your
vehicle's Battery:
• DO leave the vehicle plugged in whenever
possible.
• DO maintain at least a 15% charge level in
the Battery if leaving it unplugged for
more than 48 hours.
Charging your vehicle