EV Camp Mode, Utility Mode and Parked Accessory Power: What Stays On

Has camp mode is not a useful yes/no field. EVs can use very different parked states: a dedicated camping mode, a drive-disabled utility mode, a bounded keep-climate function, ordinary remote preconditioning, or a separate accessory/outlet-power state that keeps a device running after the driver leaves.

This guide records the exact U.S./North American manufacturer scopes At The Charger could verify. Not established means the checked current source does not prove the capability or boundary; it does not mean the vehicle cannot do it.

Quick answer: parked occupant modes

Parked accessory and outlet power: leaving the vehicle is a different question

A device working while you are sitting in the EV does not prove that it will stay powered after you leave. Likewise, the car is plugged in does not mean every accessory or built-in outlet follows the same charging state.

The matrix below separates those states. Output ratings belong in the separate EV V2L and off-board power guide; this table is about state and shutdown behavior.

The three most important distinctions

Tesla: awake and Keep Accessory Power On are not synonyms. Tesla says USB power is available whenever the Model Y is awake and specifically lists high-voltage charging as an awake state. Separately, Tesla says Keep Accessory Power On is the control to use when you want to continue powering or charging devices with no user present.¹⁰

Ford F-150 Lightning: Pro Power Onboard has its own vehicle-off control and reserve system. Ford directly documents Keep Pro Power ON, says outlets can be used while the truck is charging, and says reaching the user-set high-voltage reserve turns Pro Power off.¹¹¹²

Hyundai IONIQ 5: the current manual supports Utility Mode and indoor V2L, but the exact can I leave a 12V fridge running while the car is locked and charging? question is not fully answered by the checked first-party pages. Hyundai's generic Utility Mode language, dedicated 12V-outlet warning, V2L charging-door behavior and charging-climate guidance describe different subsystems. This guide keeps those boundaries visible instead of manufacturing a yes/no answer.^13141516

Tesla Camp Mode changes more than the HVAC

Tesla's current Model Y manual is explicitly scoped to 2025+ vehicles, software version 2026.26, North America.¹

Camp Mode keeps the climate system running while the car is in Park, but it also keeps the touchscreen awake for music, web browsing, games and Theater and powers the USB ports and low-voltage outlet. A paired phone can control media and climate.²

The security state changes too. Tesla says Sentry Mode and the vehicle alarm system are disabled while Camp Mode is active, and Walk-Away Door Lock is inactive.²

Tesla says the climate attempts to hold the selected setting until the vehicle shifts out of Park or the mode is manually turned off. The app can also notify the owner if climate shuts off, including when the Model Y enters Low Power Mode.²

The current passage does not say Camp Mode always shuts off at 20%. The 20% language on the same page applies to Pet Mode, so this guide does not copy that number into the Camp Mode row.²

Kia and Hyundai Utility Mode are drive-disabled parked states

Kia's 2026 U.S. EV9 manual explicitly describes Utility Mode for times when driving is unnecessary, including camping or an extended stop.³

The mode uses the high-voltage battery for the vehicle's convenience features. Kia says audio, lights, air conditioning, heating and other electrical devices can remain usable, while the vehicle cannot be driven and the gear cannot shift out of Park.³

Hyundai's 2026 U.S. IONIQ 5 N documents a materially similar Utility Mode: high-voltage battery power for non-driving electrical use, all electrical devices available, P-only operation and no driving.⁴

Hyundai's separate auto-shutoff page adds a useful distinction. The normal parked auto-shutoff function turns the vehicle off after 90 minutes when its conditions are met, but Hyundai lists Utility Mode being on as a condition that prevents that timer from starting.⁵

That does not mean Utility Mode can run forever. The checked Hyundai pages do not establish one universal maximum runtime or low-battery shutdown percentage, so those fields stay not established.

Toyota bZ My Room Mode is tied to active charging

Toyota's current U.S. 2026 bZ digital manual includes a dedicated Using My Room Mode topic under Charging.⁸ The exact 2026 OM42J21U procedure says to connect the charging cable and start charging first, then turn the power switch ON while charging. The multimedia system automatically displays the My Room Mode prompt; selecting Yes starts the mode.⁹

The start step cross-references both AC and DC charging, so this is not limited to one charger type. Toyota explicitly names air conditioning and audio as functions that can be used and describes their power as coming from the connected external source.⁹

The exit behavior is also specific. Turning the power switch off disables My Room Mode, and Toyota says the mode automatically turns off when DC charging completes. If the driver turns the power switch ON while charging but does not select My Room Mode, the power switch automatically turns off after approximately 100 seconds.⁹

Do not turn those facts into broader claims. The checked current passage does not establish a specific locked/unattended state, alarm behavior, one low-SOC/runtime cutoff or a universal 12-volt-battery diagnosis. Toyota's current 2026 brochure separately lists a 120V/1500W AC outlet on both XLE and Limited, but the checked My Room Mode material does not establish that the outlet can be used at 1500 W concurrently with My Room Mode.¹⁷ Outlet hardware and charging-linked cabin mode therefore remain separate fields here.

Polestar's Keep climate is not the same promise

The 2026 U.S. Polestar 4 manual says Keep climate can maintain the interior climate and entertainment system while the vehicle is parked.⁶

But the same current page says parking-climate functions automatically shut off when their maximum running time is reached or the battery level is too low. The checked page does not provide the numeric duration or battery threshold.⁶

For this comparison, that makes it a documented parked-climate state—not proof of an unlimited or overnight-equivalent Camp Mode.

Ford Remote Start is preconditioning, not evidence of a camp state

Ford's 2026 Mustang Mach-E manual describes Remote Start around preconditioning and a secured remote-start state. The prior verified source establishes that power outlets energize during remote start; the vehicle remains secured, requires a valid key before it can be driven, and leaves other vehicle systems off.⁷

That is materially different from the F-150 Lightning's Pro Power Onboard state above. One Ford EV's remote-start behavior is not evidence for another Ford EV's high-power outlet behavior.

What to check before sleeping in or powering devices from an EV

For an overnight parked-use state or an unattended accessory load, ask more specific questions than does it have Camp Mode?:

• Does the OEM document the mode for remaining inside the vehicle or camping?
• Does it keep HVAC only, or also displays, media, USB/low-voltage outlets and built-in AC outlets?
• Is there a separate control specifically for leaving accessories powered with nobody in the vehicle?
• Does the source explicitly establish behavior after locking, or only after exiting?
• Can the same power path stay active while the traction battery is charging?
• Is there a user-set reserve, maximum runtime, low-battery boundary or automatic power-down path?
• Can the vehicle shift into Drive while the state is active?
• Does alarm, proximity locking or walk-away locking behavior change?
• Does the behavior depend on model year, equipment or software version?

Camp Mode, accessory power and V2L are separate jobs

A parked state suitable for an occupant is different from leaving a pet safely monitored in the vehicle. For pet-specific displays, alerts, control lockouts and shutdown behavior, see At The Charger's EV Pet Mode guide.

It is also different from external/off-board power. A vehicle can support outlets or V2L without proving that its cabin HVAC/media/security state is designed for overnight occupancy, and it can support an occupied Utility state without proving a specific unattended 12V or charging-coexistence workflow. For outlet hardware, output paths and power limits, see the EV V2L and off-board power guide.

Energy use is intentionally not estimated here

How much battery does Camp Mode use overnight? or how long will my fridge run? has real demand, but a defensible number depends on outside temperature, HVAC setpoint, device load, duty cycle, cabin volume, occupancy, battery temperature and vehicle/software state.

This guide therefore does not publish a generic X% per hour estimate. A future energy-use layer should use a reproducible test or dataset rather than copying owner anecdotes into a false cross-model constant.

Update policy

This is a frequently changing living reference. Reverify a row when an OEM publishes a new model year or owner manual, an OTA/release note changes parked climate/accessory/security behavior, a named mode is added or removed, or a timeout, reserve, charging-interaction or battery threshold changes.

The scheduled next review is September 30, 2026, with an earlier recheck on any controlling change.

Sources