Tesla is working to reduce the drain on your car’s battery when Sentry Mode is active. The improvements will be included in a software update that is planned to be released in the next few months.
Tesla first released Sentry Mode through a free over-the-air (OTA) software update in 2019, activating the ability for the built-in cameras to continuously monitor the car’s surroundings. If any movement near the car is detected, video from all cameras will be recorded and saved to a USB device. These video clips can also be viewed on the in-car display.
The feature has proven to be extremely useful, with it being used to capture thieves and vandals in the act, in many cases with the video leading to their arrest and prosecution.
The one downside to Sentry Mode is that it eats up a lot of your battery when it is active, as the cameras and sensors are constantly drawing power to detect potential threats. The feature consumes so much power that Tesla doesn’t allow you to turn it on when your car’s state of charge (SoC) is below 20%. Although Tesla has never published any official figures on the amount of battery drain, independent tests have shown it can consume as much as 10-15% per day.
However, Tesla is working to significantly reduce this figure.
In a post on X, Tesla’s SVP Powertrain and Energy Engineering Drew Baglino agreed that the battery drain from Sentry Mode was too much, promising an upcoming software update to be released in Q2 (April-June) will reduce power consumption by about 40%.
Agreed, sentry mode power consumption needs improvement, the team is working to reduce by ~40% in a Q2 software update.
— Drew Baglino (@baglino) February 22, 2024
A 40% reduction in the amount of power consumed while Sentry Mode is active will be a huge improvement for owners, and likely lead to increased use of the feature. It is not uncommon for Sentry Mode not to be turned on because of how much the battery is drained, especially when parking for prolonged periods, the perfect time to be using such a feature.
