3 Tesla Features Worth Knowing: Keep Climate On, Scheduled Charging and Valet Mode

Quick Read

• This week's three Tesla features are Keep Climate On, scheduled charging and Valet Mode.

• Keep Climate On holds the cabin temperature while you're parked and away from the car, and unlike Pet Mode, the alarm and Sentry Mode stay available.

• On PGE's Time of Day plan, weekday charging from 5 to 9 p.m. costs about 43 cents per kWh versus about 9 cents off-peak, and a charge schedule keeps your Tesla out of that window.

• Valet Mode caps speed at 70 mph, softens acceleration, locks the glovebox and frunk, and hides your home address and other personal info.

Welcome back to our weekly Tesla features column. Every Tuesday we pick three Tesla features, explain what they do, show you how to use them and add a tip for driving in the Willamette Valley. So far we have covered Pet Mode, scheduled preconditioning and Sentry Mode, headlights, Trip Planner and Camp Mode and the phone key, Auto wipers and FSD (Supervised). This week is about three settings that save you hassle or money: one for quick stops on cold, wet days, one for your electric bill and one for the next time you hand your car to someone else.

Menu paths can shift a little between software versions, and some features depend on your car's hardware, so if something looks different on your screen, check the owner's manual for your model. We link to Tesla's own pages throughout.

1. Keep Climate On

What it does: Keep Climate On keeps the heat or air conditioning running while the car is in Park, even after you walk away. Tesla's Model 3 manual gives the example of leaving groceries in the car on a hot day so they don't spoil. It sits next to Pet Mode and Camp Mode on the climate screen, and the climate system tries to hold your settings until you shift out of Park or turn it off.

How it differs from Pet Mode and Camp Mode: Not a Tesla App's comparison says Keep Climate On is the most efficient of the three because the touchscreen turns off, and it's the only one that leaves the vehicle alarm on. Sentry Mode can still run. Pet Mode keeps the screen on with the cabin temperature showing for passersby, and Camp Mode keeps the screen, USB ports and outlet powered for people staying inside. Not a Tesla App also reports that all three shut off when the battery reaches 20%, and that Keep Climate On has to be turned on from inside the car, while Pet Mode and Camp Mode can also be started from the app.

How to turn it on:

• Make sure the car isn't in Low Power Mode.

• Shift into Park. Tesla says these settings only appear when the car is in Park.

• Set the temperature and fan the way you want them.

• On the climate controls screen, touch Keep Climate On.

Which models: Keep Climate On is part of Tesla's standard climate controls and is covered in the owner's manual alongside Pet Mode and Camp Mode. Check your own manual for your model and software.

Tip: On a raw, rainy valley morning, Keep Climate On is handy for a quick stop at the grocery store or the post office. You come back to clear windows and a warm cabin instead of a fogged-up windshield, and with the alarm still armed. It is not for people or pets. Tesla's manual warns never to leave children or pets in the vehicle unattended because the climate can shut off or fail to keep up. If your dog is along, use Pet Mode for a short stop where you stay close by. Tesla also says to avoid using any of these modes when the battery is low, so on a cold day with a low charge, plan the errand for after you plug in.

2. Scheduled charging

What it does: A charge schedule tells your Tesla when to start and stop charging at home, work or wherever you are parked. It lives on the same Schedule screen as the preconditioning schedule we covered in week one. According to Tesla's Model 3 scheduling page, if you set only an End by time, the car briefly draws power when you plug in to work out when it needs to start so it hits your charge limit on time. If you set only a Start at time, it begins then and charges until it reaches the limit.

Why it matters in Salem: Portland General Electric, which serves much of the Salem area, offers an optional Time of Day plan with three price tiers. PGE lists off-peak, from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends and holidays, at 8.93 cents per kWh. Mid-peak, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, is 16.70 cents. On-peak, 5 to 9 p.m. on weekdays, is 43.13 cents. Those prices don't include taxes and some other charges. Just as an example of the math, adding 30 kWh at the on-peak price would cost about $12.94, compared with about $2.68 off-peak. If your power comes from a different utility, check its rates before you set a schedule.

How to set it up:

• Touch Controls > Schedule.

• Choose the location: Current Location (you must be parked there), or your saved Home or Work.

• Touch Charge and set the time you want charging to start and stop, and which days.

• Touch Create, then plug in as usual. If the schedule is for later, the car waits.

Tesla notes that charging can start right away in a few cases, for example if you plug in during a scheduled window, or if there isn't enough time left to reach your charge limit by the End by time. Older software splits this into Scheduled Charging and Scheduled Departure with an Off-Peak Charging option, so your menus may look a little different.

Which models: Scheduled charging is part of Tesla's standard charging software. The exact screens depend on your software version, so check the manual for your car.

Tip: If you're on PGE's Time of Day plan, a simple weekday setup is a Start at time of 9 p.m., or an End by time of 7 a.m., the hour off-peak ends. Tesla itself recommends using your departure time as the End by time even if you don't have off-peak rates, because a battery that finishes charging hours early cools down and then needs energy to warm back up. That matters on a 35-degree November morning. Pair it with a preconditioning schedule and the car can be warm, charged and ready when you leave.

3. Valet Mode

What it does: Valet Mode limits what someone else can do with your car. Not a Tesla App's guide and the Model 3 manual's Valet Mode section list the restrictions, including a top speed of 70 mph, limited acceleration and power, a locked front trunk and glovebox, no Home or Work locations in navigation, disabled voice commands and driver assistance convenience features, no access to driver profiles, and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned off. Not a Tesla App reported that a 2024 update also stopped text messages from showing on the screen while Valet Mode is on.

How to turn it on:

• With the car in Park, touch Controls > Safety > Valet Mode, or touch the driver profile icon at the top of the Controls screen and choose Valet Mode.

• The first time, the touchscreen asks you to create a 4-digit PIN. You'll use it to turn Valet Mode off.

• The screen shows the word Valet while the mode is on.

• To cancel, with the car in Park, touch the Valet Mode driver icon and enter your PIN. You can also start or cancel it from the Tesla app without a PIN, since you're already signed in to your Tesla account.

• If you use PIN to Drive, you'll enter that PIN first. Once Valet Mode is on, the valet can drive without it.

Forgot your valet PIN? Tesla's manual says you can reset it from inside the car by entering your Tesla account credentials, which also cancels Valet Mode, or reset it in the app.

Which models: Valet Mode is a long-standing software feature that Tesla added in 2015, according to Not a Tesla App, and it's covered in the owner's manual. Check your manual for the exact restrictions on your model.

Tip: Valet Mode is worth a tap any time the car leaves your hands: hotel valet in Portland, a detail shop, a repair shop or a friend borrowing it for an errand. Not a Tesla App notes that Valet Mode doesn't block charging, so a valet can still plug in, and that parents sometimes use it for new teen drivers. For a teen who needs navigation and music, the separate Speed Limit Mode under Controls > Safety lets you pick a top speed with its own PIN instead. One more caution for the Oregon hills: Tesla warns that driving downhill can push the car past a set speed limit, so these limits are not a substitute for good judgment.

Next Tuesday

That's three more. A new column runs every Tuesday morning in our EV & Tech section, and we won't repeat a feature. Have a Tesla feature you want explained? Let us know in the comments.

Cover photo: The cabin of a red 2023 Tesla Model 3. Photo: Willamette News.