It makes sense that Tesla owners like to camp. The car company is famously focused on the idea that their vehicles can run on sustainable energy, so it’s only natural that lovers of nature would gravitate towards this eco-friendly auto brand.
Enter Tesla Camp Mode, which lets Tesla drivers utilize their car as the centerpiece of their camping setup. It’s a feature that has been long in the works and now is available on the full range of Tesla cars.
THE ROAD TO “CAMP MODE”
Running from the beginning of the Tesla Model S in 2012, there was a contingent of Tesla owners who liked to go camping with the vehicle — all they needed to do was stick a mattress pad in the back of their car for an instant and portable way to enjoy the great outdoors. Though many reported positive experiences, there were also downsides — Tesla’s Climate Control feature couldn’t run for an extended time when parked, and certain workarounds led to less-than-ideal results.
In 2017, Tesla put out a software update that allowed users to keep Climate Control running for a longer duration while the vehicle was parked. Following that, in 2018, Elon Musk stated that Tesla was working on an official “party and camper mode” which was finally released in 2019 as part of Tesla’s “holiday update.”
CAMPING ON THE GO
According to Tesla, Camp Mode lets you maintain a consistent level of airflow, temperature, and interior lighting as you camp. It also allows you to play music and power devices. To enable this helpful mode, you simply have to tap the fan icon at the bottom of the car’s touchscreen and set “Keep Climate On” to “CAMP” while the car is in “PARK.” It’s that simple. Camp Mode even includes a nice animated screensaver depicting a bonfire, tent, and two chairs. It appears on the car’s screen after 10 minutes and helps to fully tie the mode together into one whole.
When used in typical conditions, Tesla Camp Mode consumes roughly around 10 percent or 7-8 kWh of battery for around eight to nine hours. If used in very cold conditions, though, the draining rate can inflate. In those cases, the mode will consume closer to around 14 or 15 percent of the car’s total battery percentage for eight hours. The mode can currently operate until the car is at 15 percent of its charge, though a recent tweet by Elon Musk suggested he wanted Camp Mode to be able to run until the car was at a mere five percent.
GOING CYBER
Tesla’s infamous Cybertruck, which truly does look like something out of a 1980s science fiction film, will take Tesla Camp Mode to the next level when it is released later this year. As it might be expected, Elon Musk confirmed that Tesla will have for sale a camper configuration for the truck that will work nicely in tandem with Camp Mode.
With the ability to incorporate a bed in the truck’s second-row seating and lots of space for storage, the combination of the Cybertruck with Camp Mode makes for a powerful camping machine — throw in the camper configuration and you have a vehicle with as much power and versatility as many RVs currently on the market.
If you own a Tesla, you are probably going to want to take advantage of Camp Mode, and there are plenty of great accessories you can use along with your car to get the most out of the experience, too — the DreamCase, for example, is a clean way to turn your Tesla into a tent. At the end of the day, Tesla Camp Mode is a way to make a powerful car even more functional and fun, and yet another excuse to get outside and enjoy the elements.
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