The differences between Keep Climate, Dog Mode and Camp Mode
Not a Tesla App
Keep Climate On, Dog Mode, and Camp Mode all allow you to keep your vehicle's climate control system running while the vehicle is parked. These settings can maintain the cabin temperature in hot or cold weather conditions. However, there are some differences between the three options.
Tesla's 2022.12 update in April of 2022 added the ability to enable Dog Mode and Camp Mode directly from the mobile app, but you'll need to enable Keep Climate On from within the vehicle.
Keep Climate On
Keep Climate On is helpful in circumstances that require the car to remain at a specific temperature when no one is in the vehicle. For example, if you run into a store and want to maintain the cabin at an ideal temperature so that it's at an ideal temperature when you return.
Keep Climate On can only be enabled from within the vehicle. To activate it you go to the HVAC menu and choose the 'Keep' icon on the right.
The Keep Climate On option is very similar to activating the climate system from within the Tesla app. Where they differ is how long they'll remain on and which notifications Tesla will send you.
Keep Climate On will keep your HVAC system on indefinitely until it's either, turned off, or until the car's battery gets down to 20%. Whereas, turning on the climate system from within the app will only keep your cabin at a set temperature for up to two hours.
When using the app, Tesla will also send you multiple notifications letting you the climate system has been enabled for an extended period.
Dog Mode
Dog Mode was specifically created for your pet. It'll keep a comfortable cabin temperature for them while letting nearby individuals know that your pet is safe and comfortable inside the vehicle.
While Dog Mode is similar to Keep Climate On, there are a few significant differences.
The most obvious is that the display stays on. It displays an animated balloon animal and shows the temperature inside the vehicle.
While Dog Mode is enabled, Sentry Mode and the vehicle's alarm are both disabled to prevent them from going off accidentally.
For more details about Dog Mode, view our Dog Mode page.
While you can monitor the vehicle's temperature from the Tesla app, Dog Mode should only be used for short periods while you are nearby in case the temperature cannot be maintained due to failure, a low battery or extreme temperatures.
Camp Mode
Camp Mode is designed for camping and offers a few additional features over Dog Mode and Keep Climate On.
While Camp Mode is enabled, the vehicle's USB ports and low-voltage socket remain powered so that you can charge devices or use electronics while Camp Mode is active.
The touchscreen also remains on, allowing you to use the vehicle's infotainment system to play music, browse the web, or watch streaming video. Similar to Dog Mode, the vehicle's alarm and Sentry Mode are both disabled while Camp Mode is active.
In Camp Mode, the vehicle's auto-locking system is also turned off, so you'll need to manually lock the vehicle by tapping the lock button on the screen before going to bed.
For more details about Camp Mode, view our Camp Mode page.
Feature Comparison
Feature
Keep Climate
Dog Mode
Camp Mode
Display stays on
Able to use infotainment
Can be enabled from app
Turns off when battery reaches 20%
Auto lock disabled
Most efficient
Sentry Mode can be used
Can view cabin camera
Vehicle alarm is enabled
To activate Dog Mode or Camp Mode from the Tesla app, you can navigate to the Climate section and swipe up from the bottom. This will reveal some additional climate options, which include the ability to turn on Dog Mode and Camp Mode, as well as Defrost and Cabin Overheat Protection.
While Keep Climate On, Dog Mode and Camp Mode have some differences, they're also similar in a few ways.
To prevent you from returning to a vehicle with an empty battery, Keep Climate On, Dog Mode and Camp Mode are all automatically disabled if your vehicle battery reaches 20%. Tesla will attempt to send you multiple notifications letting you know that the climate mode you're in will soon be turned off.
Software updates can not be performed while these climiate modes are engaged and if you shift out of Park each of these modes is automatically turned off as well.
Tesla’s been on a roll with Supercharger improvements lately, from the 325kW charging update for the Cybertruck, to 500kW with V4 Superchargers coming next year. While those improvements have been limited to the Cybertruck, Tesla didn’t put all their focus on their new flagship vehicle, but looked at their more affordable vehicles as well.
LFP Battery Heating
Tesla’s Superchargers can now heat LFP Batteries - those that are in the Model 3 and Model Y Rear Wheel Drive variants. This applies to Long Range and Standard Range models, which saw a limited run. This is another update included as part of the 2024 Tesla Holiday Update - which really arrived with a lot of unannounced new features and capabilities.
The change is pretty interesting - Superchargers of the V3 and V4 variety can now pre-heat batteries for Model 3 and Model Y vehicles equipped with LFP battery packs. That means those vehicles are able to get back on the road faster when it's extremely cold. Of course, Tesla still advises you to precondition before you arrive, saving drivers time and money.
Max de Zegher, Tesla’s Director of Charging, also commented on the new feature. Essentially, Tesla is inducing an AC (alternating) ripple current through the battery to warm it up. Keep in mind that Superchargers are DC charging. That means it is possible to get a cold-soaked LFP vehicle on the road 4x faster than before, assuming that it didn’t precondition at all and that it is in the worst-case scenario (below 0ºF).
In essence, Tesla is using some engineering magic to turn the circuits inside the LFP battery into an electric heater - and powering that heater through the Supercharger. An AC ripple current is a small oscillation in the DC charging current that generates heat through electrical resistance, warming up the battery. Those ripples are a byproduct of converting AC to DC and back - so Tesla is using the onboard charger to induce those ripples to warm up the battery. Definitely an innovative technique that’s really only possible with the versatility of the NACS connector.
We’re hoping Tesla can implement this across their full lineup of vehicles, but we’ll have to wait and see how it is trialed across LFP vehicles first and if it is even possible on vehicles with 2170 or 4680 battery packs.
Tesla launched two FSD updates simultaneously on Saturday night, and what’s most interesting is that they arrived on the same software version. We’ll dig into that a little later, but for now, there’s good news for everyone. For Hardware 3 owners, FSD V12.6.1 is launching to all vehicles, including the Model 3 and Model Y. For AI4 owners, FSD V13.2.4 is launching, starting with the Cybertruck.
FSD V13.2.4
A new V13 build is now rolling out to the Cybertruck and is expected to arrive for the rest of the AI4 fleet soon. However, this build seems to be focused on bug fixes. There are no changes to the release notes for the Cybertruck with this release, and it’s unlikely to feature any changes when it arrives on other vehicles.
FSD V12.6.1 builds upon V12.6, which is the latest FSD version for HW3 vehicles. While FSD V12.6 was only released for the redesigned Model S and Model X with HW3, FSD V12.6.1 is adding support for the Model 3 and Model Y.
While this is only a bug-fix release for users coming from FSD V12.6, it includes massive improvements for anyone coming from an older FSD version. Two of the biggest changes are the new end-to-end highway stack that now utilizes FSD V12 for highway driving and a redesigned controller that allows FSD to drive “V13” smooth.
It also adds speed profiles, earlier lane changes, and more. You can read our in-depth look at all the changes in FSD V12.6.
Same Update, Multiple FSD Builds
What’s interesting about this software version is that it “includes" two FSD updates, V12.6.1 for HW3 and V13.2.4 for HW4 vehicles. While this is interesting, it’s less special when you understand what’s happening under the hood.
The vehicle’s firmware and Autopilot firmware are actually completely separate. While a vehicle downloading a firmware update may look like a singular process, it’s actually performing several functions during this period. First, it downloads the vehicle’s firmware. Upon unpacking the update, it’s instructed which Autopilot/FSD firmware should be downloaded.
While the FSD firmware is separate, the vehicle can’t download any FSD update. The FSD version is hard-coded in the vehicle’s firmware that was just downloaded. This helps Tesla keep the infotainment and Autopilot firmware tightly coupled, leading to fewer issues.
What we’re seeing here is that HW3 vehicles are being told to download one FSD version, while HW4 vehicles are being told to download a different version.
While this is the first time Tesla has had two FSD versions tied to the same vehicle software version, the process hasn’t actually changed, and what we’re seeing won’t lead to faster FSD updates or the ability to download FSD separately. What we’re seeing is the direct result of the divergence of HW3 and HW4.
While HW3/4 remained basically on the same FSD version until recently, it is now necessary to deploy different versions for the two platforms. We expect this to be the norm going forward, where HW3 will be on a much different version of FSD than HW4. While each update may not include two different FSD versions going forward, we may see it occasionally, depending on which features Autopilot is dependent on.
Thanks to Greentheonly for helping us understand what happened with this release and for the insight into Tesla’s processes.
