Portable refrigerators for Model Y

[Itsuo-DC]

Connecting directly to the Y's onboard battery will kill it in a few hours if the car is not running so not a good alternative.

This is also incorrect as most portable fridges have a low-voltage cut off to auto shut-off if the voltage of the 12v power source gets too low. Some fridges even let you set a variable H/M/Low voltage cut-off so you aren’t left with just one option.

That being said I usually use an external battery for when the car is off but it’s not exactly correct to indicate leaving a fridge connected to a vehicle could deplete the onboard 12v battery.

 

[Physicslawyer]

This is also incorrect as most portable fridges have a low-voltage cut off to auto shut-off if the voltage of the 12v power source gets too low. Some fridges even let you set a variable H/M/Low voltage cut-off so you aren’t left with just one option.

That being said I usually use an external battery for when the car is off but it’s not exactly correct to indicate leaving a fridge connected to a vehicle could deplete the onboard 12v battery.

We are getting a fridge tomorrow and will be going camping in a sense. We are staying at an Airbnb and going to a festival at a campground. I was going to get a campsite for the MYP. Some nights the bands end after midnight and the Airbnb is a bit of a distance, so we might sleep in the car a night or two.

Should I get a battery or can we just leave the car plugged in at the campsite? We were going to bring food and I bought a heated lunch box type thing. The campground is in the middle of nowhere. The Airbnb is near civilization. It seems like people with the 12 V fridges are also getting power stations.

 

[Itsuo-DC]

We are getting a fridge tomorrow and will be going camping in a sense. We are staying at an Airbnb and going to a festival at a campground. I was going to get a campsite for the MYP. Some nights the bands end after midnight and the Airbnb is a bit of a distance, so we might sleep in the car a night or two.

Should I get a battery or can we just leave the car plugged in at the campsite? We were going to bring food and I bought a heated lunch box type thing. The campground is in the middle of nowhere. The Airbnb is near civilization. It seems like people with the 12 V fridges are also getting power stations.

Sounds like you don’t really need an external battery if you’re not looking to relocate the fridge outside of the car.

We bring the external battery because we don’t always want to walk over to the car to access the fridge, etc.

 

[Midnightsun]

This is also incorrect as most portable fridges have a low-voltage cut off to auto shut-off if the voltage of the 12v power source gets too low. Some fridges even let you set a variable H/M/Low voltage cut-off so you aren’t left with just one option.

That being said I usually use an external battery for when the car is off but it’s not exactly correct to indicate leaving a fridge connected to a vehicle could deplete the onboard 12v battery.

Problem is if the car is off it will not charge the 12v battery form the main battery unless there is some safety feature built in for this which automatically kicks in. I did say IF the fridge is directly connected to the 12v battery. Yes most do have low cutoff features however many of them are too low and may not be enough left to be able to run what ever it is supposed to. Not sure how much you know about 12v lead acid batteries however low voltage cutoff on these fridges is typically 11.4v which is equivalent to 0 capacity left on a standard 12v battery.

Regardless, just leave sentry on which will allow the vehicle to charge from the main battery to the 12v battery and keeps the 12v sockets live. Only drawback is sentry does suck up quite a bit of juice, probably 3% plus/day and add another % for the fridge. As long as you know this, you can use it accordingly.

 

[Itsuo-DC]

Problem is if the car is off it will not charge the 12v battery form the main battery unless there is some safety feature built in for this which automatically kicks in. I did say IF the fridge is directly connected to the 12v battery. Yes most do have low cutoff features however many of them are too low and may not be enough left to be able to run what ever it is supposed to. Not sure how much you know about 12v lead acid batteries however low voltage cutoff on these fridges is typically 11.4v which is equivalent to 0 capacity left on a standard 12v battery.

Regardless, just leave sentry on which will allow the vehicle to charge from the main battery to the 12v battery and keeps the 12v sockets live. Only drawback is sentry does suck up quite a bit of juice, probably 3% plus/day and add another % for the fridge. As long as you know this, you can use it accordingly.

Since there does not seem to be a way for a Tesla to be off and still running the 12v fridge, it doesn't really matter how AGM batteries work. (Though since you brought it up, if you were talking about an ICE vehicle, I read "10 volts is the electromotive force your alternator needs to get the car moving".)

 

[Physicslawyer]

Update- we put the Alpicool K25 in the subtrunk and connected it to the 12V plug in the back. We took it inside the Airbnb and plugged it into the wall. We took two cars and left the Tesla at the campground plugged into a 50A in camp mode. The refrigerator has been doing refrigerator things. And, I like that it's white so it will reflect the light if you have it outside of the car or exposed to light inside of the car. So far, so good! We have it open a few inches to vent. See attached for a picture of the fridge and of our bed setup with the fridge underneath

 

[Brad_SC]

Update- we put the Alpicool K25 in the subtrunk and connected it to the 12V plug in the back. We took it inside the Airbnb and plugged it into the wall. We took two cars and left the Tesla at the campground plugged into a 50A in camp mode. The refrigerator has been doing refrigerator things. And, I like that it's white so it will reflect the light if you have it outside of the car or exposed to light inside of the car. So far, so good! We have it open a few inches to vent. See attached for a picture of the fridge and of our bed setup with the fridge underneath

Did having this fridge under you impact your sleep at all?

 

[JohnB007]

We just spent 1 week at Acadia National Park, will move to Fundy National Park tomorrow.

So far, it's really comfy sleeping in the car, with fridge running 24/7. Mine keeps frozen food frozen, even Hagen Daz ice creams.

 

[AudreyHTX1]

We got an Alpicool K25 for our Model X. We’re not camping, just road-tripping, so we take it inside at our destination where we can also plug it in if desired. Very nice accessory. Worked well on our last trip. Our Model X has the higher DC voltage, Alpicool app reports 14.7 volts and works perfectly well. DH is thrilled not to have to deal with ice.

Are you sure this true if Sentry Mode is on? I thought the main battery keeps the 12v battery topped up if Sentry is on. Because otherwise, leaving the car with Sentry mode on for a few days would drain the 12v battery and NOT drain the main battery which is the opposite of what happens. I've left my fridge connected to the 12v outlet when sentry mode is on and it keeps working until the car goes to sleep, that's when the 12v outlet shuts off.

This is my understanding as reported in articles. And we have Sentry Mode on unless we are parked at home, so not an issue. Guide To Using A 12v Fridge On An EV/Tesla Road Trip

 

[Physicslawyer]

Did having this fridge under you impact your sleep at all?

I slept in the car twice, neither time with the cooler under me. I don't think you would notice it though.

 

[JohnB007]

Since the last trip, we had few more. Freezer under the mattress is a non-issue.

 

[BikerPeaBody]

how about this one:

Model Y Built-In Refrigerator - Cargo Side Pocket Drop-In (Fridge)

Brand New for All Model Y's with 5 Seats. Our new drop in tuck-away refrigerator fits directly in your cargo side pocket inside your lift-gate. Simple to instal in 10 minutes and no wiring. Just plug it directly into your accessory power socket. Have Sentry Mode enabled to keep refrigerator...

www.rpmtesla.com

says it only uses 0.5 kw/day ?? seems unreal

 

[Johnny Vector]

how about this one:

Model Y Built-In Refrigerator - Cargo Side Pocket Drop-In (Fridge)

Brand New for All Model Y's with 5 Seats. Our new drop in tuck-away refrigerator fits directly in your cargo side pocket inside your lift-gate. Simple to instal in 10 minutes and no wiring. Just plug it directly into your accessory power socket. Have Sentry Mode enabled to keep refrigerator...

www.rpmtesla.com

says it only uses 0.5 kw/day ?? seems unreal

kWh per day! And yeah, it's tiny. Once everything in it is cold, I can believe that.

What I can't believe is how bad they are at making videos. I wanted to see what it was like to use, but gave up after both their videos spent the first 30 seconds showing badly edited clips and stills of their factory over dime store hip-hop beats. I'm not a fan of "you have to catch them in the first half-second", but I'm not gonna manually scroll through your 20 minute video looking for the information you told me was in there.

 

[everydaychris]

I love this one
I have a promo code too for a discount so PM me if you want it

ICECO 21QT GO20 Dual Zone Compact Refrigerator 12V Portable Fridge Car Refrigerator (White)

GO20 12v fridge freezer with a removable divider to switch between dual zone & single zone. Space-saving design makes it suitable for most vehicles. 21qt mini size is perfect for weekend camping or solo road trips. Soft-closing Lid：Kid-friendly design to prevent hand injuries; Bluetooth APP...

icecofreezer.com

 

[JohnB007]

I love this one
I have a promo code too for a discount so PM me if you want it

ICECO 21QT GO20 Dual Zone Compact Refrigerator 12V Portable Fridge Car Refrigerator (White)

GO20 12v fridge freezer with a removable divider to switch between dual zone & single zone. Space-saving design makes it suitable for most vehicles. 21qt mini size is perfect for weekend camping or solo road trips. Soft-closing Lid：Kid-friendly design to prevent hand injuries; Bluetooth APP...

icecofreezer.com

Is there a way to configure it so that the larger section is the freezer and the smaller section is the fridge?

Also, does it fit in the Model Y's trunk well? How much space do you have around it assuming it fits?

 

[everydaychris]

Is there a way to configure it so that the larger section is the freezer and the smaller section is the fridge?

Also, does it fit in the Model Y's trunk well? How much space do you have around it assuming it fits?

I dont think you can reverse it but you can remove it and make the giant thing a freezer or fridge.

Fits in the trunk well with enough space around the sides
when we going on my road trip again ill let you know

 

[Brolan]

Those of you that put your powered coolers in the sub-trunk, have you considered the lack of air flow in there? I would think the unit would get hot not being able to turn the air over and it would shorten the life of the compressor.

 

[Physicslawyer]

Those of you that put your powered coolers in the sub-trunk, have you considered the lack of air flow in there? I would think the unit would get hot not being able to turn the air over and it would shorten the life of the compressor.

I put some napkins to prop up the sub trunk cover for air flow.

 

[Misterbee]

Those of you that put your powered coolers in the sub-trunk, have you considered the lack of air flow in there? I would think the unit would get hot not being able to turn the air over and it would shorten the life of the compressor.

I have the same concerns, that heat has to go somewhere. My 12 volt Dometic fits nicely in the back of my Y, but if I ever wanted to put it in the sub-trunk, I would probably cut a piece of MDF as a replacement sub-trunk cover, and them drill enough holes in it to provide some ventilation.

 

[jeremymc7]

There’s a ton of choices.

Need frog, freezer or both. One that coverts between two.

How much run time.

How cold or warm vs ambient temp.

Charging ports.

Battery life

Exterior water protection.

Rigidness.

Runtime.

Noise levels.

Checkout out HoboTech on YouTube.

He reviews solar kits, batteries, portable AC, frigs and what not for car / RV trips. Usually all run my battery or DC car ports.

He goes in depth with all kinds of details for usually 30 min review and compares to other choices.