Camp Mode for Mach-E

[Mark813]

How many of us sleep in our cars?

There is a cult of people in the "Van Life" area of you tube. They outfit a Van with the necessities of eating sleeping working and travel the country. Navigating things like showering daily (planet fitness is nationwide), finding free overnight parking (several apps) and keeping their vehicle running (usually a Dodge Van because of the massive amount of replacement parts)

But now and then you'll see someone living out of their car with a foam mattress for a non-homeless reason and somehow liking it. But usually a short three month travel the country and still have flexibility to stay in a hotel.

I think the RAV4 Prime (plug in hybrid) would be best since the battery can power the AC overnight and you'd still have the gas engine backup.

Although KOA campgrounds usually have 14-50 RV plug-ins you could recharge your Mach-e overnight, the expense of getting a site every night adds up.

Not sure what mattress in the back of my mach-e could support my 57-year-old back without blocking the rear view mirror during daily travel

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[Mark813]

I think the RAV4 Prime would be best since the battery can power the AC overnight and you'd still have the gas engine backup.

Although KOA campgrounds usually have 14-50 RV plug-ins you could recharge your Mach-e overnight, the expense of getting a site every night adds up.

I was off target here, but I've passed a few KOA signs in my travels with that EV charging listed on the billboard.

KOA states: “It is essential to understand that EVs require constant electricity flow to charge their batteries, and the majority of our campgrounds’ electrical pedestals do not have this capability. Plugging your EV into a traditional 50-30 amp campground pedestal could permanently damage your vehicle as well as the campground’s electrical system.”

I guess you'd have to check and see if the KOA site explicitly advertises EV charging at that site. Can't assume the NEMA 14-50 or similar RV outlet is acceptable for EV charging.


Not sure how those van life people survive!

 

[DougI]

I recently drove from Central Texas to a Chicago suburb (Elmhurst) to visit my Son. I purchased a great bed from HELE Outdoors that fits nicely in the back of my MME. I slept in the back of my MME for two nights and will do the same in my way back to Texas. I’ll save $400 on hotel bills on this trip alone.

 

[Mark813]

I recently drove from Central Texas to a Chicago suburb (Elmhurst) to visit my Son. I purchased a great bed from HELE Outdoors that fits nicely in the back of my MME. I slept in the back of my MME for two nights and will do the same in my way back to Texas. I’ll save $400 on hotel bills on this trip alone.

When I was younger I tried to drive straight through on long trips that I did- FL to NY or the reverse.

If I got tired, I would try to catch a nap from white line fever in the rest area for an hour. But I would wake up every 5 minutes with some small noise near me thinking someone's snooping around my car.

If I were doing it nowadays in the MME, I'd need blackout inserts for every window in the vehicle. Then park on the long haul side with the campers and 18 wheelers and suck it up and try to sleep.

 

[Colorado MME GT]

Some of us actually camp recreationally. Actually go to a state or national forest campground for several days, not because we're homeless or there's an apocalyptic event, but because we think it's fun and stimulating. Even though I tent camp (and the MME holds a lot of camping equipment if the seats are down), I would like camp mode as a single button for very cold nights. It's not unusual for the Colorado high country to get below freezing at night, even in the summer. I carry an inflatable mattress designed for the cargo area in my frunk for this very purpose. Yes, this mode can be partially emulated manually through a multistep process, but it then needs to be undone manually as well. There's also the issue of the touch screen, which cannot be turned off completely (turning down the brightness is not effective in dark localities).

 

[Mark813]

Some of us actually camp recreationally. Actually go to a state or national forest campground for several days, not because we're homeless or there's an apocalyptic event, but because we think it's fun and stimulating. Even though I tent camp (and the MME holds a lot of camping equipment if the seats are down), I would like camp mode as a single button for very cold nights. It's not unusual for the Colorado high country to get below freezing at night, even in the summer. I carry an inflatable mattress designed for the cargo area in my frunk for this very purpose. Yes, this mode can be partially emulated manually through a multistep process, but it then needs to be undone manually as well. There's also the issue of the touch screen, which cannot be turned off completely (turning down the brightness is not effective in dark localities).

Calm Screen option? (forget the exact name) makes my screen black with just the time but I get that in pitch black there's probably plenty of light coming off that. Wondering if a large piece of black felt from the craft store block most of it?

On the Ford site the MME configurator showed a $495 tent option. One of those tents with the sleeve that goes over the back of your crossover. It let's you leave the hatch open and you can get the AC or heat into the tent. It wasn't made specific to the MME though.

Thinking about MME glamping now, at a magic KOA that can also charge my MME onsite overnight.

 

[dan_meh]

Helpful set up advice:

 

[Mark813]

Helpful set up advice:

Calm Screen in dark mode looked like it was still putting out a nice glow

 

[dan_meh]

Calm Screen in dark mode looked like it was still putting out a nice glow

True. You could solve it with a towel. Everything I need to know in life comes from Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.

 

[Mark813]

True. You could solve it with a towel. Everything I need to know in life comes from Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.

RIP Douglas Adams

True, and here I am looking for black felt at Michael's

 

[Jimrpa]

What does camp mode do?

Apparently, housing for Tesla owners is so expensive, they’re forced to live in their cars (we call them “unhoused” here.) it lets them run the climate control and entertainment systems all night long, so they can keep all the other unhoused people living in their cars awake all night.

 

[lifebythemile]

3. I've morphed into such a frugal SOB, that while out of town or on vacation, I tell my wife we are saving money by possibly getting the worse night sleep of your life either sitting in a car seat to sleep or putting the world's best Yoga Pad in the back to sleep on and possibly having to employ a chiropractor if you ever wanted to walk again.

You've obviously never slept in a European hotel bed

I chose to spend the night in the Mach E with a $30 single airbed rather than buy a tent and all that for a company retreat (my mom joked when I was a kid that roughing it was slow room service ). Slept better with the aircon going on the airbed than I have in many European hotel beds. Those are worse than sleeping on a solid plank of wood and definitely should include a chiropractor treatment every morning.

 

[User100723]

Some of us actually camp recreationally. Actually go to a state or national forest campground for several days, not because we're homeless or there's an apocalyptic event, but because we think it's fun and stimulating. Even though I tent camp (and the MME holds a lot of camping equipment if the seats are down), I would like camp mode as a single button for very cold nights. It's not unusual for the Colorado high country to get below freezing at night, even in the summer. I carry an inflatable mattress designed for the cargo area in my frunk for this very purpose. Yes, this mode can be partially emulated manually through a multistep process, but it then needs to be undone manually as well. There's also the issue of the touch screen, which cannot be turned off completely (turning down the brightness is not effective in dark localities).

Walmart towels, face and hand for the two screens. Darkest color available. Another reason having climate and knob at bottom of screen is good, because I can just peel the bottom towel to make quick adjustments.

Do a lot of night shifts and when I want to catch a break,

1. Headlights fully off
2. Dim screens to minimum (buttons near headlight switch)
3. Disable timer
4. Towel screens
5. Someone else suggested this, but small felt stickers for map lights

Reverse when you’re ready to drive again.

So yeah, some of us actually do use our cars at night besides driving or filling up. One button would be awesome, but i guess we in the minority.

 

[Jimrpa]

You've obviously never slept in a European hotel bed

You obviously have been staying in the he wrong European hotels I’ve always found the beds to be satisfactory.

 

[PINOLERO]

Campe Mode is built into Tesla’s for people who like camping or sleeping in their cars. It put’s the car in like sleep mode to utilize less drain on your battery .

from Tesla site:

Tesla's Camp Mode is a feature that keeps the climate control, interior lighting, and power ports on while parked, making it comfortable and safe to sleep or stay in the car. It disables Sentry Mode, the security alarm, and walk-away door locks to prevent them from activating and uses the battery to power these systems until it reaches a 20% state of charge. You can enable it through the climate controls on the car's touchscreen or remotely via the Tesla app.

About two weeks ago I camped inside my MYP had a comforter, so I actually did not need to use camp mode. It's a great feature to have, going camping again this weekend.

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