car left on/Key FOB not near car

[joso]

yesterday when I got my car back from the valet I noticed that my avg mpg was low- after i started driving I was getting 40+, but the average was still very low and would only inch up a little

I think the valet forgot to turn off my car- I know the key was not close by since it was at the valet stand- if the valet left my car on and the key was taken away from the car (it was nowhere near it), would the car continue to run?

[akira751]

Yes it will stay running, I have seen many TCHs left on over nite.

[moptop]

Yes, the car would definitely continue to run! It's like leaving the keys in the ignition of a regular car. The display on the dash would read 'key is not detected' and the car would beep at you when you got out, but if someone were to enter the car (assuming it was not locked) they could just drive away. It would only be when someone without the FOB turned the car off, they would not be able to turn it back on.

Obviously this is safety feature that would prevent your car from locking up in case your FOB were to become disabled or the FOB battery died while you were driving or stopped at a light. Make sure valet's know what to do with keyless ignitions!

The reason your mileage went way down is that the car would have continued to start and stop the ICE to keep the engine at the proper temperature and to keep the EV battery charged.

[joso]

thanks for your help!