Below is a story about Chevy Bolt and battery problem, cold weather problem that throws ‘propulsion reduced’ message and could no longer charge the vehicle.
Now I know this should not happen on a Tesla as they have a battery management system that monitors charging, discharging and battery temperature. I assume that the system draws power though. So is a vehicle left on the charger overnight in cold climes? Or if the vehicle is 85%-100% charged; it does not matter?
What about when the owner is gone for a month in the winter? Tesla left plugged in to the charger? Or if the vehicle is 85%-100% charged; it does not matter?
OK I looked around the internet.
Cold temperatures can cause an EV battery to lose charge, even when the vehicle isn’t in use. To avoid deep discharge and keep the battery at an optimal temperature, it’s recommended to plug in your EV when parked in freezing conditions.
Preheating your EV is actually an efficient way to conserve energy. When your EV is plugged in, you can preheat the cabin and the battery using power from the charger rather than drawing from the battery itself.
https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/leaving-tesla-plugging-in-during-cold-weather.210518/
Leave Your Tesla Plugged In
We always recommend leaving your Tesla plugged in when it’s not in use. This is especially helpful when it’s cold as staying connected helps your battery retain the heat it needs to operate efficiently and leverage regenerative braking.
Lastly found this YouTube of a Canadian Tesla owner that keeps his Tesla plugged into 120 wall socket in -25 degree weather and it gains charge. He does not have a 240 charger in his garage as he has access to one at work. He has owned Ford & Cadillac EV prior to the Tesla and found the 120 wall socket worked as well. He has read on Tesla forums that some Tesla owners found that their Tesla lost charge even while plugged into a 120 wall socket.
So it seems the best practice is to keep an EV plugged into a wall socket if one lives in very cold climate location.
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