Why Do Parked Electric Cars Sneakily Lose Power?

When you park an electric car and turn it off, you might expect it to freeze completely like a paused video game. But if you leave it parked for a week and return, you might notice the battery gauge has dropped by a few percent! Engineers call this mystery power loss phantom drain, and it happens to almost every battery on wheels.

Even when an electric vehicle is sleeping, it is quietly running tiny chores behind the scenes. Just like your phone listens for notifications while its screen is dark, parked cars keep their antennas ready. They wait for digital keys, check for software updates, and stay connected to mobile phone apps.