Why is the 12V port not in front with the USBs?

[MXWing]

It’s not a big enough reason to get an iPace but I sure am pissed.

Though rather than be irrationally angry, I’ll ask first if there was a defensible position to place the 12V where it was?

Too much of a mess with arranging fast charging, wireless charging, dash cam and usb music stick with two usb 2.0 ports.

 

[CameronB]

I admit I don't know where the 12V port is in Model 3. I assume not same place as M/X?

I guess you are a frequent user of the 12V port? I have never used it myself (hopefully it works!). In previous cars, the only thing I used it for was a USB adapter. Since Tesla has multiple USB ports, haven't used the 12V. But am curious where it is on the Model 3.

 

[OutofThyme]

Nope, can't think of one. Even Toyota and Mazdas have two now, one in the front where the usb is and one under the armrest. However, it is easily modified, and you can splice into 12V power in the armrest by taking off the right side of the console, and adding in one yourself. Tesla, probably didn't see it as that important. I'm personally surprised that they have USB 2.0 ports though for such an advanced tech car, even if they thought they didn't need the data throughput, just the extra power would have been smart and more futureproof. The cost of a usb 2.0 port and a 3.0 port is cents.

 

[MXWing]

I had to RTFM twice yesterday:

1.) how to turn on the wipers. Cute that half the controls are on the stalk and half is via the Teslapad.

2.) 12V location. It useless and we need a retrofit. The center console rest doesn’t even provide a conduit or channels for routing of cables underneath.

At this point the only rationale I can think of is Elon uses it as an actual lighter for his joints. Kinda weird for the ash try in the console to be of felt material though.

 

[whatthe2]

I had to RTFM twice yesterday:

1.) how to turn on the wipers. Cute that half the controls are on the stalk and half is via the Teslapad.

2.) 12V location. It useless and we need a retrofit. The center console rest doesn’t even provide a conduit or channels for routing of cables underneath.

At this point the only rationale I can think of is Elon uses it as an actual lighter for his joints. Kinda weird for the ash try in the console to be of felt material though.

Agree I have my BlackVue battery connected to the 12v and can’t close the arm rest. Need to find a hardwired solution.

 

[Tezlanian]

I'm more annoyed about not having easy access to a 240V outlet to drain my Tesla on camping trips.

 

[Abstrakt1]

They need to add two more USB ports and a 12v in there. Let us use the two phone ports, the dash cam and a usb for music.

 

[MXWing]

To be clear, no I don’t expect Tesla to rework
100,000 cars. That would be bad for my TSLA holdings. My whole point is

1.) wow that was dumb and who made that decision?
2.) any fix is going to have to come from the community or 3rd party to make the 12V usable.

 

[BioSehnsucht]

I had to RTFM twice yesterday:

1.) how to turn on the wipers. Cute that half the controls are on the stalk and half is via the Teslapad.

2.) 12V location. It useless and we need a retrofit. The center console rest doesn’t even provide a conduit or channels for routing of cables underneath.

At this point the only rationale I can think of is Elon uses it as an actual lighter for his joints. Kinda weird for the ash try in the console to be of felt material though.

I agree the lack of pass through (you'd naively expect that it is one long volume) was a design mistake. If we could shove cables through from one end to the other, putting the 12V or USB anywhere in particular wouldn't matter...

 

[outie]

I admit I don't know where the 12V port is in Model 3. I assume not same place as M/X?

I guess you are a frequent user of the 12V port? I have never used it myself (hopefully it works!). In previous cars, the only thing I used it for was a USB adapter. Since Tesla has multiple USB ports, haven't used the 12V. But am curious where it is on the Model 3.

The 12V is inside the armrest console, which is completely isolated from the center console. Think of it being inside the armrest cup holder of S/X. When the armrest is closed it’s completely enclosed without any space or hole for cable to come out.

I think most people use the 12V for USB chargers now because there are only 2 ports on the front. The dashcam feature needs one and usb music needs another. That leaves 0 for USB charging. It can be easily solved with a 12v usb charger with multiple ports but being in an isolated location it makes cable routing difficult.

I ended up ripping and cutting apart the console to add a 12v 5 port usb charger so I can place it inside the front console.

 

[ecarfan]

They need to add two more USB ports and a 12v in there. Let us use the two phone ports, the dash cam and a usb for music.

There are 4 USB ports in a Model 3. Two in the center console in front and two at the rear of the center console. Is that not enough for your purposes?

The 12V location seems less than ideal because the armrest has to be unlatched and slightly lifted so that the 12V power cable can be routed out of that location. Hmm....

 

[TeeEmCee]

It’s not a big enough reason to get an iPace but I sure am pissed

Right behind you! I’ll be getting on the eTron wait list. Not yet ready to sell the Tesla but getting there fast. Every day there’s somethig else that is not working properly, or is needlessly geeky or plain dumb.

 

[Uncle Paul]

That is the problem with future cars. They are perfect in every way....until consumers get a chance to take them on the road.

 

[outie]

There are 4 USB ports in a Model 3. Two in the center console in front and two at the rear of the center console. Is that not enough for your purposes?

The 12V location seems less than ideal because the armrest has to be unlatched and slightly lifted so that the 12V power cable can be routed out of that location. Hmm....

The two in the back are only for charging. They are not data ports. When you use the two in the front for usb player and one for dashcam, you have nothing in the front for charging. Don’t forget they designed and put a charging station in the front console. Yea sure you could connect the cables from the back all the way to the front station, but not everyone likes to see the cables dangling around the car and you wouldn’t be able to close all the console covers with the cables in the way.

 

[TeeEmCee]

Though rather than be irrationally angry, I’ll ask first if there was a defensible position to place the 12V where it was?

Too much of a mess with arranging fast charging, wireless charging, dash cam and usb music stick with two usb 2.0 ports.

Short answer: no!

Check out this third world setup I cobbled together today to get the radar detector going. That 12V splitter is held with double sided tape on the side of the center console. If you lay the cable just like in the picture (so it comes out right over the corner), the armrest closes without pinching the cable.

 

[outie]

View attachment 343626

Short answer: no!

Check out this third world setup I cobbled together today to get the radar detector going. That 12V splitter is held with double sided tape on the side of the center console. If you lay the cable just like in the picture (so it comes out right over the corner), the armrest closes without pinching the cable.


View attachment 343626


View attachment 343627

You can actually make this a lot cleaner by taking off the trim and the metal frame under it. Your cable can go inside and come out right below the adapter out of the trim.

 

[owensd]

Because Tesla doesn't actually want you to use regularly?

To prevent excessive interference with the vehicle’s electronics, Tesla recommends that you do not plug any non-Tesla accessories, including power inverters, into the 12V power socket.

Now... not really sure why, and it's annoying, but it's in a big "warning" block in the manual. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[MXWing]

Right behind you! I’ll be getting on the eTron wait list. Not yet ready to sell the Tesla but getting there fast. Every day there’s somethig else that is not working properly, or is needlessly geeky or plain dumb.

Nationwide charging infrastructure > Software infrastructure > 12V Placement annoyance > Atari games so I am still SOLIDLY in the Tesla camp for baddest EVs on the planet.

Judging by the disagrees, some have already ingested copious amounts of Teslaquila however.

I call bull *sugar* where ever I see it, and man that 12V placement is one of them.

I had a Q5 before the Model X and I mostly liked it - I still see the eTron as DOA for lack of frictionless high speed charging network and Audi themselves are not pushing it seriously. That gives me no confidence for growth in its ability for autonomous driving and software updates. If Audi was serious, they would be taking losses to bring the car to show rooms, test drives and aim for Model X volume and capabilities.

Support for eTron at every Audi dealer is also going to be problematic. Every issue that plagues Tesla, I believe to also plague anyone else making a serious BEV push. When I mean serious push, 5,000+ units per week manufacturing.

 

[TeeEmCee]

You can actually make this a lot cleaner by taking off the trim and the metal frame under it. Your cable can go inside and come out right below the adapter out of the trim.

Thank you. I was planning to have it hardwired at some point.

I’m going to hold off on that and all the other things I had planned for the car until I see if/how the current crop of issues get resolved. If the ownership experience does not improve (e.g. have the damn thing stop creaking and rattling like a Lada), then off it goes.

 

[TeeEmCee]

Nationwide charging infrastructure > Software infrastructure > 12V Placement annoyance > Atari games so I am still SOLIDLY in the Tesla camp for baddest EVs on the planet.

Judging by the disagrees, some have already ingested copious amounts of Teslaquila however.

I call bull *sugar* where ever I see it, and man that 12V placement is one of them.

I had a Q5 before the Model X and I mostly liked it - I still see the eTron as DOA for lack of frictionless high speed charging network and Audi themselves are not pushing it seriously. That gives me no confidence for growth in its ability for autonomous driving and software updates. If Audi was serious, they would be taking losses to bring the car to show rooms, test drives and aim for Model X volume and capabilities.

Support for eTron at every Audi dealer is also going to be problematic. Every issue that plagues Tesla, I believe to also plague anyone else making a serious BEV push. When I mean serious push, 5,000+ units per week manufacturing.

I don’t know, I test drove an eGolf and it was wonderful and, with the discounts at the time and the income tax credit, a new one would have been just a tad over 1/3 the price of the Model 3. I didn’t buy or lease one because I was not confident I could service it in Texas. The eTron for now seems to be positioned as a nationwide-availbility vehicle and I get advertising from the local dealership about it. Surely they wont be the first ones to see any significant allocation, but that’s likely to be solved quickly.

I don’t know about eTrons being plagued with issues. VW AG have been involved with electric powertrain development for a while now, their first iteration will probably not be perfect but I wouldn’t expect any substantial flaws (if anything, they do actual testing, beyond the parking lot behind the factory). The eTron will basically be an electric Q8 and the Q8 part will be just a refinement of what they’ve been doing since the Touareg.
Tesla’s issues, in contrast, are less related to the “electric” part (repeated S/X drivetrain replacement notwithstanding) and more related to the “car” part. That’s what’s driving me bonkers every day, trouble with what should have been the easy part. I’m not upset by what Tesla couldn’t have done, but rather by what they couldn’t be bothered to do (like line up the effin body panels properly and such).

Oh well, I’ll see how it goes. I think the big problem in my case were my expectations. I wanted a nice car with an electric motor. What I feel I got is a wonderful powertrain with a *sugar*mobil attached to it.