Tesla Keep Mode:
Preserve Cabin Climate While You Run Errands
Tesla’s Keep Climate On (‘Keep Mode’) is a climate control feature that allows drivers to maintain a comfortable cabin temperature for passengers while the driver steps out. It also protects groceries, sensitive electronics and personal items from overheating or freezing. Keep Mode turns off when battery drops to 20%.
Tesla Keep Mode: Climate Control When Parked
Whether you’re leaving groceries in the car during extreme temperatures or need to step out briefly while your passengers stay inside the vehicle, Keep Climate On (Keep Mode) is one of Tesla’s climate control features we love to use.
EVehicle Pro shows you how to activate Keep Mode from your touchscreen, and helps you decide when to use Keep Mode over other climate control options like Dog Mode or Camp Mode.
What is Tesla Keep Mode?
Keep Climate On (Keep Mode) is a climate control feature for Tesla vehicles that helps to keep your car’s interior at a comfortable temperature when parked. It helps protect passengers, groceries, sensitive electronics or personal items from overheating or freezing. Many Tesla owners simply refer to this setting as ‘Keep Mode’.
When to Use Tesla Keep Mode
Keep Mode is useful when you need to maintain a consistent cabin temperature in extreme hot or cold weather conditions, while parked. Use Keep Mode:
- When leaving groceries in your Tesla while you run other errands (no more melted ice cream or frozen eggs)!
- To keep sensitive electronics from overheating e.g. leaving an iPad in the vehicle while you step out
- To keep personal items from melting or freezing (remember our melted lipstick story?)
- When leaving passengers in the vehicle for a short time
EVPro Tip: Don’t use Keep Climate On if you leave your pet in the vehicle. Instead, use Dog Mode, which keep pets cool and displays the internal car temperature to any concerned passersby.
How to Turn On Tesla Keep Mode
To activate Tesla ‘Keep Climate On’ Mode:
- Ensure your vehicle’s battery is at least 20% charged
- Place your vehicle in Park
- On your Tesla touchscreen, navigate to the Climate settings by tapping the fan icon located at the bottom of the screen
- In the Climate settings, on the right hand side of the screen, turn on the ‘Keep’ option.
That’s it! Your vehicle will now maintain the current climate setting until you shift out of Park or manually turn off the feature.
How to Turn Off Tesla Keep Mode
To turn off Keep Mode, simply shift out of Park.
Alternatively, use your touchscreen and select Climate. Then toggle off ‘Keep’
Important Tips and Considerations
When using Tesla Keep Mode, keep these things in mind:
- Battery charge level: Avoid using Keep Mode when your battery charge level is low. Keep Mode, Camp Mode and Dog Mode will only work if your battery is higher than 20%. If you activate Keep Mode and your battery drops below 20%, the Tesla mobile app will attempt to send notifications reminding you to check on anything left in your Tesla.
- Software updates: You cannot perform software updates when ‘Keep Climate On’ is active.
- Dog Mode: ‘Keep Climate On’ is intended to protect people and personal items. If you need to leave your pet in the vehicle, use Dog Mode instead. Dog Mode is specifically designed to maintain a comfortable temperature for your furry companion, while displaying a message on the touchscreen for passersby. Other pet-friendly features like in-cabin camera viewing are also available in Dog Mode.
Here are the Differences between Keep Mode and Dog Mode:
If you’re like most of us at EVehiclePro, we travel with our pets as much as possible! We want all pet parents to feel safe and secure by using the best climate control option for their fur kids. Should you use Keep Mode or Dog Mode to keep your fur pet comfortable?
When Should You Use Keep Mode?
Keep Mode (Keep Climate On) is designed to maintain the cabin temperature when you need to leave people or items (not pets) inside the vehicle in hot or cold weather conditions.
Use Keep Mode:
- to keep passengers at a comfortable cabin temperature when you step out
- to prevent groceries from spoiling in the heat or freezing in cold temperatures
- to prevent sensitive electronics (like iPads, phones) from overheating (or rapid battery drain)
- to keep personal items (and your vehicle) from getting ruined (never leave lipstick in a hot car, trust us)
When Should You Use Dog Mode?
Dog Mode is also designed to maintain a comfortable cabin temperature while you’re away from the vehicle for short periods, but is better than Keep Mode when traveling with pets. We recommend always using Dog Mode when traveling with pets because:
- Dog Mode lets you actively (and frequently) monitor the cabin temperature using the Tesla mobile app
- Dog Mode sends you notifications through your app if your battery drops to 20%
- Dog Mode allows you to use your app to view your pets through the in-cabin cameras – but only if you subscribe to Premium Connectivity
- Dog Mode lets you keep Sentry Mode on while your pet is in the vehicle for added security (Keep Mode does not allow for Sentry Mode activation)
EVPro Tip: Dog Mode is not intended for people or personal items, and should be used only when you’re in close proximity to your vehicle (so you can get to your pet in an emergency). Check out our team’s tips and hints for using Dog Mode here.
Keep Mode vs Camp Mode
In addition to maintaining a comfortable interior temperature, Camp Mode:
- allows access to music and Tesla’s entertainment system through the touchscreen
- allows passengers to charge devices through USB ports and low voltage outlets
- keeps the vehicle’s interior lighting on when needed
When Should You Use Camp Mode?
Camp Mode is a feature designed for Tesla owners who want to use their vehicle as a temporary living space, such as during camping trips or long road trips. When using Camp Mode, the vehicle’s auto-locking and Sentry Mode features are disabled.
Comparing Keep Mode vs Dog Mode vs Camp Mode
Your Tesla has so many climate control options – which one should you use and when? Our EVehicle Pro experts are here to help you decide when to use each of these options. We’ve summarized the differences between Keep Mode, Dog Mode and Camp Mode.
Learn more about other climate control features like Cabin Over Protection or defrost.
When to Use Keep Mode, Dog Mode and Camp Mode
| Keep Climate On ‘Keep Mode’ | Dog Mode | Camp Mode | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How to Activate | Touchscreen only | Touchscreen or app | Touchscreen or app |
| When to Use | To set a comfortable temperature for passengers or prevent damage to sensitive electronics/groceries/personal items in vehicle (when driver steps out) | To keep pets in a comfortable temperature for a short time (while driver is nearby) | When camping/sleeping in your vehicle |
| How Long Setting Lasts | Lasts until de-activated or vehicle battery gets down to 20% | If using touchscreen, lasts until turned off or battery gets down to 20% If using app, lasts up to two hours | If using touchscreen, lasts until turned off or battery gets down to 20% If using app, lasts up to two hours |
| Touchscreen Usability | Not useable | Not usable. Touchscreen displays current interior temperature & assures passersby your pet is safe | Useable. Remains on and active for streaming, entertainment features, etc |
| Interior Camera Viewing (with Premium Connectivity) | Disabled | Active | Disabled |
| Sentry Mode | Enabled | Enabled, but disables Sentry Sounds to protect pets | Disabled |
| Efficiency & Battery Preservation | Highly efficient | Less efficient | Less efficient |
| Autolock Feature | Enabled | Enabled | Disabled (need to manually lock vehicle) |
| USB ports/Outlets Remain Powered | No | No | Yes (can charge devices) |
| Feature is Disabled When Battery Falls to 20% | Will disable | Will disable | Will disable |
| Ability to Perform OTA Software Upgrades | No | No | No |
| Notifications | Yes, when battery approaches 20% | Yes, when battery approaches 20%. Phone and vehicle must have cellular connectivity. | Yes, when battery approaches 20% |
FAQ
Does Keep Mode automatically shut off?
Keep Mode (Keep Climate On) will automatically turn off after two hours or when your car’s battery drops to 20%. You cannot activate or re-activate Keep Mode from your app – only from the touchscreen.
Will Keep Mode affect my range?
Keep Climate On (Keep Mode) uses your vehicle’s battery and will reduce your vehicle’s range. The climate feature will automatically turn off once your vehicle’s battery drops to 20%.
Will my phone send me notifications before it turns off Keep Mode?
If you use Keep Climate On (Keep Mode), Dog Mode or Camp Mode, you will receive notifications on your app as your battery approaches 20%. Once your battery reaches 20%, these features will be turned off to preserve your battery.
What Tesla models have the ‘Keep Climate On’ feature?
The Keep Climate On feature (also known as Tesla Keep Mode), is available in Tesla Models 3, Y, S and
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