Tesla to restore Model Y 12V and USB outlets power it cut in Sentry Mode

Tesla owners who've had to leave their gadgets to charge in their cars overnight, or continuously run a mini fridge, will be delighted to know that power to their 12V sockets will be restored with an upcoming Accessory Power mode.

Last year, Tesla resolved an excessive battery drain issue in Sentry Mode, the same one it has now turned on automatically to prevent vandalism against its cars, with the 2024.32.6 software update.

What it did, however, was to simply cut off the power to the 12V outlets and USB ports of cars in Sentry Mode when there is nobody in the vehicle. This less than intelligent solution led to many a Model Y owner unable to run a handy sub-trunk accessory like the Acopower TesFridge overnight, and left laptops or tablets left to charge in the car without power the next morning.

The way it addressed the phantom battery drain in Sentry Mode that consumed 14% of the main pack's capacity in a 24-hour period was a bit perplexing, though. A part of it was due to the Vision cameras recording in Sentry Mode, so Tesla went through the motions to optimize the video processing algorithms and reduce their power consumption significantly.

For devices and accessories that needed to remain plugged in the Model Y while the driver is away, however, it simply killed the 12V and USB socket power. This crude solution will now get a more refined version with an upcoming Accessory Power mode.

With the big Spring Update, Tesla is now reportedly going to have a Controls > Charging menu option that says Keep Accessory Power On. It will provide continuous power to all 12V sockets and USB ports, until the vehicle's battery charge falls below 20%.

The kicker is that the new Accessory Power option won't need Sentry Mode to work now, circumventing the potential for phantom battery drain issues developing again.