So, finally made a consequential error. I’ve had a Clarity since 2019, love it. Park it in an enclosed attached garage with charger.
Newish driver age 18 uses the car, parked in the garage. Must have powered it off, then started it up again in accessory mode (I’ve done this a few times by hitting the power twice when I think it didn’t turn off the first time). Not 100% sure. Didn’t plug it into charger.
As best I can tell, overnight therefore it ran the heater and other accessories until the battery was used up, then started up the engine to recharge the battery.
Noticed a funny, faint, smell in the morning, more near the garage, opened the interior house-to-garage door and was baffled to find the garage quite hot (engine was off at that moment so it was confusing). A few seconds later, the carbon monoxide detectors in the house 20 ft away started to go off, more than 800 ppm (which is a dangerous level). Open the main garage door, got in and took the car out of accessory mode (a mistake, should’ve just gotten out of there, but did note the battery level was zero), left, then put it all together.
No harm done, carboxyhemoglobin (a measure of CO poisoning) in the emergency department was only about six or 7%, which is barely more than smokers, but could’ve been consequential. If for example, I had close the garage door behind me and spent more time poking around in the garage for what was going on with the main door closed.
Moral of the story: teach new drivers to double check that the car is truly off if it beeps when you close the door. Also to always plug in the charger if it’s inside (though I’m not 100% sure it will charge in accessory mode or other).
Likely to put a carbon monoxide detector in the garage itself, which, of course would be ridiculous for an ICE car, but here might work, unless it triggers on those occasions when I have to drive home on pure engine.
[Edit: actually, it appears the car was left in a mode that has no name – it’s what you get if you hit power on twice without your foot on the brake. First press is accessory mode, in which heat, etc. don’t run. Second press, display states “ to start car, put foot on the brake” . Driving is not possible, but In this mode, heat and everything can draw power and therefore drain the battery. I can’t tell if having a charger in or not makes a difference or if this nameless mode is so close to driving that it rejects charging.].
Newish driver age 18 uses the car, parked in the garage. Must have powered it off, then started it up again in accessory mode (I’ve done this a few times by hitting the power twice when I think it didn’t turn off the first time). Not 100% sure. Didn’t plug it into charger.
As best I can tell, overnight therefore it ran the heater and other accessories until the battery was used up, then started up the engine to recharge the battery.
Noticed a funny, faint, smell in the morning, more near the garage, opened the interior house-to-garage door and was baffled to find the garage quite hot (engine was off at that moment so it was confusing). A few seconds later, the carbon monoxide detectors in the house 20 ft away started to go off, more than 800 ppm (which is a dangerous level). Open the main garage door, got in and took the car out of accessory mode (a mistake, should’ve just gotten out of there, but did note the battery level was zero), left, then put it all together.
No harm done, carboxyhemoglobin (a measure of CO poisoning) in the emergency department was only about six or 7%, which is barely more than smokers, but could’ve been consequential. If for example, I had close the garage door behind me and spent more time poking around in the garage for what was going on with the main door closed.
Moral of the story: teach new drivers to double check that the car is truly off if it beeps when you close the door. Also to always plug in the charger if it’s inside (though I’m not 100% sure it will charge in accessory mode or other).
Likely to put a carbon monoxide detector in the garage itself, which, of course would be ridiculous for an ICE car, but here might work, unless it triggers on those occasions when I have to drive home on pure engine.
[Edit: actually, it appears the car was left in a mode that has no name – it’s what you get if you hit power on twice without your foot on the brake. First press is accessory mode, in which heat, etc. don’t run. Second press, display states “ to start car, put foot on the brake” . Driving is not possible, but In this mode, heat and everything can draw power and therefore drain the battery. I can’t tell if having a charger in or not makes a difference or if this nameless mode is so close to driving that it rejects charging.].
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