Any tire inflators compatible with new 16v Li-Ion battery?

[pepperoni]

I would like to carry a tire inflator for emergency purposes. Most portable inflators that run off the 12v outlet only specify 12v 15a. The new low voltage battery in the MY is 16v, and I would hate to blow a fuse on one of these inflators when I need it most.

Does anyone have a portable unit that they have used consistently with the new battery without issue? I’m struggling to find one.

 

[Watts_Up]

You could use this device and make a custom connector to the Tesla auxiliary outlet.

Numax Cordless 16V Power Inflator and Air Pump Kit with Case

 

[pepperoni]

You could use this device and make a custom connector to the Tesla auxiliary outlet.

Numax Cordless 16V Power Inflator and Air Pump Kit with Case

Thank you. My preference is not to go cordless, because it would mean I would need to keep it charged. I plan to keep this in my frunk and only pull it out when I need to top off my pressure or on the road in emergencies if I need to plug my tire or fill a slow leak. On the road, I would be concerned about a dead cordless inflator battery when I needed it most. Prefer just to plug it into the 12v outlet.

 

[howardnj]

I would like to carry a tire inflator for emergency purposes. Most portable inflators that run off the 12v outlet only specify 12v 15a. The new low voltage battery in the MY is 16v, and I would hate to blow a fuse on one of these inflators when I need it most.

Does anyone have a portable unit that they have used consistently with the new battery without issue? I’m struggling to find one.

I use a Kensun. Available on Amazon

 

[pepperoni]

I use a Kensun. Available on Amazon

Thanks! And you have the latest 16V battery? I’m curious how often you’ve inflated your tires with it. My biggest concern is the fuse in the inflator. The inflator will draw 33% more current from a 16V battery. It might also exceed the 15A current rating for the outlet.

 

[jcanoe]

Thanks! And you have the latest 16V battery? I’m curious how often you’ve inflated your tires with it. My biggest concern is the fuse in the inflator. The inflator will draw 33% more current from a 16V battery. It might also exceed the 15A current rating for the outlet.

Why do you believe the tire inflator will draw more current when connected to a 16V power source? The amperage draw should not change.

 

[AlvarHanso]

I would like to carry a tire inflator for emergency purposes. Most portable inflators that run off the 12v outlet only specify 12v 15a. The new low voltage battery in the MY is 16v, and I would hate to blow a fuse on one of these inflators when I need it most.

Does anyone have a portable unit that they have used consistently with the new battery without issue? I’m struggling to find one.

For an inflatable SUP pump (not so different), I made an adapter with a 12v aux cable and a buck-boost converter to take the 15.5V of the battery and step it down to the 12v that the pump needed. Works fine. In my case, the pump was rated at 100W, so the converter was relatively inexpensive. It was about $40 all-in, and I can use it for multiple devices that might be finicky about the higher voltage.

This is the converter I used:

Amazon.com

 

[pepperoni]

Why do you believe the tire inflator will draw more current when connected to a 16V power source? The amperage draw should not change.

Ohm’s Law.

 

[pepperoni]

For an inflatable SUP pump (not so different), I made an adapter with a 12v aux cable and a buck-boost converter to take the 15.5V of the battery and step it down to the 12v that the pump needed. Works fine. In my case, the pump was rated at 100W, so the converter was relatively inexpensive. It was about $40 all-in, and I can use it for multiple devices that might be finicky about the higher voltage.

This is the converter I used:

Amazon.com

That’s a good idea. I would need one rated for at least 12A, but I’m sure they can be found. Too bad none of the units on the market (that I could find) state that they are rated for 16V, but I would bet that some are.

 

[jcanoe]

Ohm’s Law.

If you are referring to Ohm's law; V (voltage) = I (amps) X R (resistance) then were the voltage to increase the current would decrease, not increase, for the same power.

P (power in watts) = V (volts) X I (amps); if you increase or decrease the voltage the resulting power (watts) goes up or down by the same amount. The amperage does not automatically change. (This is observed when charging at Level 2 and the voltage is not fully 240V but only ~230V. The available power while charging is slightly reduced while the charging amperage remains the same, i.e. 32A - 48A.)

 

[DownshiftDre]

Thanks! And you have the latest 16V battery? I’m curious how often you’ve inflated your tires with it. My biggest concern is the fuse in the inflator. The inflator will draw 33% more current from a 16V battery. It might also exceed the 15A current rating for the outlet.

Hi Pepperoni. You have the Ohms Law backwards. It is inverse proportional. Higher voltage will decrease the amperage draw with a fixed load.

I have a 12v cig lighter inflator (Husky brand) that I have used on both of my 2022 Teslas with no problem.

 

[pepperoni]

If you are referring to Ohm's law; V (voltage) = I (amps) X R (resistance) then were the voltage to increase the current would decrease, not increase, for the same power.

P (power in watts) = V (volts) X I (amps); if you increase or decrease the voltage the resulting power (watts) goes up or down by the same amount. The amperage does not automatically change. (This is observed when charging at Level 2 and the voltage is not fully 240V but only ~230V. The available power while charging is slightly reduced while the charging amperage remains the same, i.e. 32A - 48A.)

The impedance of the motor (the “R” in Ohm’s law that you quoted) is fixed. If I apply a higher voltage to a DC motor, it will draw more current. Of course the motor will spin faster too, with more back-EMF, so the current will not go up proportionally. But it will still go up. And so will power.

 

[pepperoni]

Hi Pepperoni. You have the Ohms Law backwards. It is inverse proportional. Higher voltage will decrease the amperage draw with a fixed load.

I have a 12v cig lighter inflator (Husky brand) that I have used on both of my 2022 Teslas with no problem.

I don’t have it backwards. Please see my previous post.

Sheesh guys! I came here for advice on an inflator, not an electronics lesson!

 

[Midnightsun]

You are overthinking this, simply purchase any 12v rated inflator. It is not uncommon for any standard car to reach up to 15v when the alternator has a demand. A 12v battery is not actually 12v, more like 12.7 and on a float charge around 13.2.

 

[jcanoe]

The impedance of the motor (the “R” in Ohm’s law that you quoted) is fixed. If I apply a higher voltage to a DC motor, it will draw more current. Of course the motor will spin faster too, with more back-EMF, so the current will not go up proportionally. But it will still go up. And so will power.

Duly noted. Tesla states that the low voltage power socket (the outlet previously known as 12V accessory port) will support 12 amp continuous and 16 amp peak loads.

The earlier Tesla low voltage system (non lithium starting battery version) would operate at ~13.5V. The new low voltage system can operate as high as 16V. The difference (even stretching from 13.0V to 16.0V) is only 23%. The Tesla Model Y Owner's Manual cautions about using voltage inverters with the 16V low voltage system that cannot accept 16V input, nothing about inflator pumps.

Depending on the design of the inflator pump DC motor the amperage draw increase when being connected to 16V versus 13V source is probably not be enough to exceed the operating range of the low voltage system.

 

[DownshiftDre]

I don’t have it backwards. Please see my previous post.

Sheesh guys! I came here for advice on an inflator, not an electronics lesson!

Lol. The math is still wrong. But peace since were both a little wrong. Lets both ignore the theoretical.

My empirical says that my cig lighter inflator works fine. So you can take that to the bank.

 

[patmurphey]

I bought one of these from Amazon. It will inflate 4 smaller car tires on a single charge. (Lion batteries do not lose power over time.) Ot's super easy to use - set a pressure on lighted screen and it will auto stop at the desired pressure. It charges on either 12volt DC or 120volt AC.

Amazon.com

 

[nate704]

Any 12V inflator will work. They are designed for 12V through 20V. Even the plug socket in the trunk says 12V.
By the way, I am a Dewalt Fanboi, so I got the following:

DEWALT 20V MAX Cordless Electric Portable Inflator (Tool Only) DCC020IB - The Home Depot

The DEWALT DCC020IB 20-Volt MAX Corded/Cordless Air Inflator can run on any 1 of 3 power sources for maximum versatility: 20-Volt maximum battery, 12-Volt DC or 110-Volt AC. Use it on the job-site or on the go. It features a high-pressure rubber hose for durability. The threaded chuck and...

www.homedepot.com

 

[STS-134]

Ohm’s Law.

Ohm's law is only for pure resistive loads, and a motor is not a resistor. It will draw more current, however you need to remember that ICE vehicles nearly always supply over 14V when the engine is running. Sometimes, the alternator will be supplying 15-16V, so the fuse should be designed to handle it.

 

[pepperoni]

Ohm's law is only for pure resistive loads, and a motor is not a resistor. It will draw more current, however you need to remember that ICE vehicles nearly always supply over 14V when the engine is running. Sometimes, the alternator will be supplying 15-16V, so the fuse should be designed to handle it.

You guys are killing me! No no no! Ohm’s law is not for pure resistive loads only, it applies just as well to coil impedance (resistance and reactance) such as a motor coil. At least you’re not claiming that current will go down as I apply more voltage to a DC motor, unlike a few of the other helpful posts here.

You make a good point that on ICE cars, there will be more than 12V on the 12V outlets while the engine is running. And it is reasonable to assume that the EEs designing these inflators have taken this into account. So you are probably right that most or all of these will work just fine at 16V. Still, I wish they would just include a spec sheet stating a voltage range rather than just 12V.