120 "wall outlet" IN the car? [no]

[JoeyJOEJOE]

Hi,

New to forum so forgive me if this has been posted. I tried to do a search but as you can imagine a search for "wall" or "charger" yielded too many results to be of use.

Anyhow I am wondering if there is a 120 (I think thats the right voltage) charge IN the Tesla. For example if you are going camping and want to plug stuff in the car is there a place to do so? I obviously know the USB ports and see the "cigarette lighter" hole thing but cant find a place to plug in stuff. Do I need to buy an adapter?

Thanks in advance!

 

[JulienW]

No, the Pickup will have it and at a high current level.

 

[Eno Deb]

No, the Model 3 does not have an AC outlet. You can buy an inverter for the 12V cigarette lighter outlet though (they are not expensive). The outlet is limited to 12A continuous load (i.e. 144W).

 

[JoeyJOEJOE]

Ok good to know I wasn’t just missing it and that I need an adapter. Now new related question:

I keep my Tesla pretty full and was curious in the event of an emergency (power outage during heat waves) could I use the car as a giant back up battery? I know I could charge my phones (or USB) through it but could it say power my fridge for a couple hours?

 

[JulienW]

...could it say power my fridge for a couple hours?

No. That is called V2G and Tesla doesn't have any AC out or support it. You can only use the same as any 12V DC (low current if inverted to 120V AC) car output (cigarette lighter plug or USB 2.x).

 

[smartypnz]

You could always go to the Climate setting and set the car at 40 degrees and hang beef carcasses in the car.

 

[ecarfan]

I keep my Tesla pretty full and was curious in the event of an emergency (power outage during heat waves) could I use the car as a giant back up battery? I know I could charge my phones (or USB) through it but could it say power my fridge for a couple hours?

No that is not possible.

No, the Model 3 does not have an AC outlet.

Just to expand on that, no Tesla model ever has had such an outlet.

There is speculation that the future Tesla Truck may have that feature. The upcoming EV truck that Rivian says they will be producing will have AC power outlets.

 

[Knightshade]

FWIW the 12v plug in the model 3 is rated for 12 amps continuous, 16 peak... so 144 watts continuous power, 192 watts peak plenty via an inverter for phones, laptops, etc...but nowhere near enough for a fridge.

 

[miimura]

If you really need to power your refrigerator during a power outage, you can connect an inverter directly to the 12V battery under the hood. You would need to find out the startup current needed for the refrigerator and buy a large enough inverter. You would also need to make sure the car stays on so that it continues to charge the 12V battery from the traction battery. I have not experimented with this on our Model 3. I already have this kind of setup installed on my RAV4 EV with an Anderson type connector for 12V power export.

 

[Dan203]

You could always go to the Climate setting and set the car at 40 degrees and hang beef carcasses in the car.

I know this was a joke, but will the car actually get that cold? The minimum thermostat setting on my BMW is 60.

 

[afadeev]

I know this was a joke, but will the car actually get that cold? The minimum thermostat setting on my BMW is 60.

No, 60F is as low as it goes in a Tesla, same as in all modern cars, our BMWs included.

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[smartypnz]

Simple fix - put hand warmers on the thermostat. It will think it is warmer than 60 and keep cranking out.

 

[PoitNarf]

Simple fix - put hand warmers on the thermostat. It will think it is warmer than 60 and keep cranking out.

You win the Internet today!

 

[SSedan]

Few weeks ago we had an outage long enough for these concerns.
Bought a 750watt continuous inverter at Northern Tool hooked it to the battery on my old ICE truck and left it idle for several hours. Actually powered 2 modern fridges no problem.
Not going to pull that current thru small accessory power wiring inside a car.
Also figure in that truck the alternator is big enough for fuel pump, two large engine cooling fans old school lighting no LED and all that.
The dc-dc in the 3 might be up to the task but I think you risk an expensive out of warranty repair.

 

[Dan203]

Would be kind of cool if Tesla sold a setup where you could plug in your car and have it act like a Powerwall in an emergency. They probably never will though as it would shorten the life of the batteries and screw up their warranty.

 

[justsomeguy]

Would be kind of cool if Tesla sold a setup where you could plug in your car and have it act like a Powerwall in an emergency. They probably never will though as it would shorten the life of the batteries and screw up their warranty.

I figure it's also to prevent the people who currently abuse FUSC to further game the system.

 

[rdskill]

Ok good to know I wasn’t just missing it and that I need an adapter. Now new related question:

I keep my Tesla pretty full and was curious in the event of an emergency (power outage during heat waves) could I use the car as a giant back up battery? I know I could charge my phones (or USB) through it but could it say power my fridge for a couple hours?

Actually it's.called V2H, Vehicle To Home. The Prius can be used for this. Takes minimal modifications to do it. The nature of Hybrids makes them ideal for this purpose.

 

[1I111I1]

If you really need to power your refrigerator during a power outage, you can connect an inverter directly to the 12V battery under the hood. You would need to find out the startup current needed for the refrigerator and buy a large enough inverter. You would also need to make sure the car stays on so that it continues to charge the 12V battery from the traction battery. I have not experimented with this on our Model 3. I already have this kind of setup installed on my RAV4 EV with an Anderson type connector for 12V power export.

I'm in the direct path of Hurricane Dorian. I'd like to power the internet modem, wifi router, and TV using a 400 Watt or 800 Watt inverter directly connected to the 12V battery in the Model 3. Something like this, https://www.pepboys.com/duracell-high-power-inverter-400-watt/product/1914720?quantity=1 or this https://www.pepboys.com/duracell-high-power-inverter-800-watt/product/1914737?quantity=1.

Does anyone know if there is a fuse between the Model 3's DC-to-DV inverter and the 12V battery? If so, what is the amperage on that fuse? I don't want to blow it.

 

[TjckTock]

Best way to avoid errors is to tap into the DC-DC output under the rear seat as described in the link below. Author claims "I'm told it can deliver at least 200A and I believe it." (Read it on the internet so it must be true) None-the-less, there is a lot of useful information here relevant to what you are attempting. Suggests you could attach a 120V 15A plug here (with an appropriate inverter of course).

Tesla Model 3 Stereo - Part 9: Summary and Lessons Learned

 

[Jedi2155]

I'd like to just charge my laptop....but it has a 250W power brick so no 12v aux adapter is able to power it .