Trunk 12V socket - draining the battery?

[flixden]

Hi all!
I have a portable 12V fridge/cooler that I like to leave running in the trunk even when the car is parked. Looks like the 12V outlet remains powered in park, that's good!
But since I suspect that the socket is powered by the 12 V battery, I am wondering if the battery could be drained, leaving the car undrivable. Or will the 12V battery get recharged by the high V battery even in park?
Thanks for any feedback on this!

 

[jcanoe]

Hi all!
I have a portable 12V fridge/cooler that I like to leave running in the trunk even when the car is parked. Looks like the 12V outlet remains powered in park, that's good!
But since I suspect that the socket is powered by the 12 V battery, I am wondering if the battery could be drained, leaving the car undrivable. Or will the 12V battery get recharged by the high V battery even in park?
Thanks for any feedback on this!

If you use the TMC Search function you will find multiple threads on powering a 12V refrigerator. A couple of points:

No, the tiny lithium starting battery does not power the 12V systems in the Tesla Model Y when parked. That garden tractor sized battery is currently a 6.9Ah rated 15.5V lithium battery that only powers specific systems such as the door locks, Bluetooth modem and LTE modem when the Tesla Model Y is parked, in Sleep mode.

At all other times, when driving or when the Tesla Model Y is parked (in Standby mode) the Tesla Power Conversion System provides power (up to 2 kW) from the high voltage battery (stepped down in voltage) for all of the low voltage accessories. (No longer a ~12V system, the low voltage system outputs ~16V.)

You would need to find a portable refrigeration cooler than can operate at 16V (most won't operate above 15V.)

Assuming you can find a 16V compatible cooler your Tesla Model Y could be set to Camp mode, while parked, to keep the low voltage accessory ports (one in the center console, a second in the rear hatch storage area) powered on, along with the USB ports.

You may be able to power a 12V portable cooler using a portable 12V power unit and charge the power unit via USB-C. There are two USB-C ports located behind the center console.

 

[stopcrazypp]

Hi all!
I have a portable 12V fridge/cooler that I like to leave running in the trunk even when the car is parked. Looks like the 12V outlet remains powered in park, that's good!
But since I suspect that the socket is powered by the 12 V battery, I am wondering if the battery could be drained, leaving the car undrivable. Or will the 12V battery get recharged by the high V battery even in park?
Thanks for any feedback on this!

As far as I know, all 12V sockets in Teslas now shut off when the car goes to sleep (DC contactor having disconnected the HV battery, you hear a clunk when it does that). It's still on in park, but that is when the car is awake and the DC-DC converter is powering the 12V loads.

Have you actually tested it when the car is asleep?

When car is asleep, the car awakes occasionally to recharge the 12V or 16V battery.

 

[flixden]

As far as I know, all 12V sockets in Teslas now shut off when the car goes to sleep (DC contactor having disconnected the HV battery, you hear a clunk when it does that). It's still on in park, but that is when the car is awake and the DC-DC converter is powering the 12V loads.

Have you actually tested it when the car is asleep?

When car is asleep, the car awakes occasionally to recharge the 12V or 16V battery.

I used the cooler today. Left the car, and then realized later that I had left the fridge plugged in and running. Went back to the car (about 10 mins after originally leaving), and looked first through the rear hatch window without touching anything, and the fridge was for sure running.

 

[stopcrazypp]

I used the cooler today. Left the car, and then realized later that I had left the fridge plugged in and running. Went back to the car (about 10 mins after originally leaving), and looked first through the rear hatch window without touching anything, and the fridge was for sure running.

Car might not be asleep yet only 10 minutes after and note there are settings like Sentry, Cabin overheat, Summon Standby, camp mode that may keep the car awake. If the car is asleep, when you pull the door handle, you will hear a clunk as the contactors connect.

Another way to see is if you keep the trunk open, after car goes to sleep, the lights turn off.

There's actually an old thread that discussed this, and people referenced the manual:
Does the 12 volt accessory plug in the trunk area of the Y stay active if car is turned off?

The manual still says the same thing:

Power is available whenever the vehicle is considered "awake". The vehicle may be awake for many reasons. For example, when using features such as Summon, or when features such as Preconditioning, Cabin Overheat Protection, Keep Climate On, Dog Mode, Camp Mode, Sentry Mode, etc. are enabled. The vehicle is also awake whenever the low voltage battery is being charged or is in use, during HV charging, when the vehicle is communicating with the mobile app, etc. Leaving an accessory plugged in does not deplete the low voltage battery.

Model Y Owner's Manual | Tesla

 

[zoomer0056]

Camp mode may keep the 12v active.

 

[carlrbrugger]

I keep sentry mode on. Fridge never shuts off.