mknox
Well-Known Member
One thing to be aware of is that the 12v outlet shuts off when the car shuts off (in case you plan to leave a cooler in there while parked for a time).
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Owner
Active Member
Oh, that makes it kind of worthless....
Just talked to someone in the real world (as in face to face) who said they are really not worth it....
Just talked to someone in the real world (as in face to face) who said they are really not worth it....
mknox
Well-Known Member
I guess it depends. I've used them on road trips, or taking groceries to the summer home etc. They won't cool things down like a refrigerator, but if you put already cold things into them, they will keep them cold pretty much indefinitely, and you don't have to worry about ice (taking up space and melting) in the cooler.
I have used an electric cooler in my S and I found it useful for bringing food song on a road trip. I stowed it in the trunk and ran the cord forward to the 12V outlet. When I got to my destination (cottage I was renting) I transferred the food to the fridge.
I'm afraid that I can't recommend a specific plugin cooler as mine was swag from a winery. But, it fits on the floor of the backseat and is easily reachable from the driver's seat. After completing a road trip 2 weeks ago I have to say that it was fantastic. Just make sure that it 1) it fits where you want it to fit for accessibility and 2) it has the capacity you need.
As noted above, it takes a while to cool things down but if the beverages are cold to begin with it works well.
As noted above, it takes a while to cool things down but if the beverages are cold to begin with it works well.
This is something that I actually know a little bit about as I've used multiple types for offroad/dispersed camping travel where trying to maintain ice levels would be unrealistic.
There are two main types of 12v refrigerators, one is a thermoelectric. My experiences with these were all unsatisfactory for our needs due to poor performance and terrible energy efficiency. One issue we ran into is that these types of 12v fridges only cool to 40°F lower than the ambient temperature. Satisfactory for many in autumn/winter operations, or inside an air conditioned passenger cabin but on extended holiday in the desert with allot of food, not so much. One benefit to these is that they tend to be small to maximize their efficiency and they also tend to be inexpensive. If you are looking to just keep a few cans or bottles in these may in fact be perfect for you and shouldn't be ruled out.
The other type, which we currently use has a real compressor motor in it which greatly reduces the load placed on your vehicles electrical system but makes for great performance in all ambient temperature ranges. Ours is quite big as it is used to carry food for four people for up to three to four weeks at a time. I would not want to use it in a Model S as it would be too big. As it sits inside a Land Cruiser Troopy it's not a problem. You can find models that have a fridge/freezer operation or just a plain fridge. We are using an "Engel" brand fridge but may be upgrading to a "National Luna" brand fridge freezer soon just because we want something a bit bigger and sometimes when it's really hot outside, whipping out a couple of bowls of ice cream really make kids happy. There are as you can imagine quite a few quality brand options available with a range of features and prices. These are not as inexpensive as the thermoelectric types and may very well be "too much" for what many of you that are interested in are looking for but if you travel allot and like to picnic, car camp, or shop for groceries first thing and then run errands after before heading home then they might be worth your consideration.
There are two main types of 12v refrigerators, one is a thermoelectric. My experiences with these were all unsatisfactory for our needs due to poor performance and terrible energy efficiency. One issue we ran into is that these types of 12v fridges only cool to 40°F lower than the ambient temperature. Satisfactory for many in autumn/winter operations, or inside an air conditioned passenger cabin but on extended holiday in the desert with allot of food, not so much. One benefit to these is that they tend to be small to maximize their efficiency and they also tend to be inexpensive. If you are looking to just keep a few cans or bottles in these may in fact be perfect for you and shouldn't be ruled out.
The other type, which we currently use has a real compressor motor in it which greatly reduces the load placed on your vehicles electrical system but makes for great performance in all ambient temperature ranges. Ours is quite big as it is used to carry food for four people for up to three to four weeks at a time. I would not want to use it in a Model S as it would be too big. As it sits inside a Land Cruiser Troopy it's not a problem. You can find models that have a fridge/freezer operation or just a plain fridge. We are using an "Engel" brand fridge but may be upgrading to a "National Luna" brand fridge freezer soon just because we want something a bit bigger and sometimes when it's really hot outside, whipping out a couple of bowls of ice cream really make kids happy. There are as you can imagine quite a few quality brand options available with a range of features and prices. These are not as inexpensive as the thermoelectric types and may very well be "too much" for what many of you that are interested in are looking for but if you travel allot and like to picnic, car camp, or shop for groceries first thing and then run errands after before heading home then they might be worth your consideration.
Owner
Active Member
That's what caught my eye as a n-ice (bad joke intended) solution.
Not interested in the heater part.
But from what I understand they won't do anything when the car is parked. So if I am somewhere hot in the central valley for an hour or so, an ICE cooler would be better for a EV.
Not interested in the heater part.
But from what I understand they won't do anything when the car is parked. So if I am somewhere hot in the central valley for an hour or so, an ICE cooler would be better for a EV.
ken830
Model S 85, Model 3 Performance, Model X LongRange
On road trips, I take this with me:
Igloo Iceless Thermoelectric Cooler
I chose a hard-sided cooler because it insulates better, but the size prevents it from fitting between the front seats. I place it behind the driver's seat. I need it because I carry baby formula, frozen baby food, and fresh fruits. We used to use a regular cooler with ice-packs, but it was risky on hot days or longer-than-planned outings and completely useless at hotel rooms where most mini-fridges can't keep food at a safe temperature let alone re-freeze our ice packs for the return-trip. We have an AC-to-DC (12V) power supply for the hotel room. Properly-used, the cooler will keep our foods cold and frozen indefinitely.
The key is to pre-cool the cooler and only place pre-cooled/frozen stuff in it. On very long trips or during outings that will have the car spend a lot of time "off", I place a few ice-packs and frozen water bottles to help it "span the gap". I've never seen any evidence of the ice getting close to melting even after several hours on very warm days. The more packed the cooler, the more momentum it will have in staying cold. If you area really concerned with extended hours spent in the "off" state, just periodically remotely-cool the car. That will bring down the cooler's "ambient" temperature and will also turn on the 12V outlet to further cool the interior as well.
There is no concern with power as the cooler draws about 5 amps and the socket can supply 15 amps. There is also no concern with energy usages because a 60W accessory will theoretically take 1,000 hours to deplete a 60KWh battery or 1,417 hours to deplete an 85KWh battery -- much less than vampire drain.
Igloo Iceless Thermoelectric Cooler
I chose a hard-sided cooler because it insulates better, but the size prevents it from fitting between the front seats. I place it behind the driver's seat. I need it because I carry baby formula, frozen baby food, and fresh fruits. We used to use a regular cooler with ice-packs, but it was risky on hot days or longer-than-planned outings and completely useless at hotel rooms where most mini-fridges can't keep food at a safe temperature let alone re-freeze our ice packs for the return-trip. We have an AC-to-DC (12V) power supply for the hotel room. Properly-used, the cooler will keep our foods cold and frozen indefinitely.
The key is to pre-cool the cooler and only place pre-cooled/frozen stuff in it. On very long trips or during outings that will have the car spend a lot of time "off", I place a few ice-packs and frozen water bottles to help it "span the gap". I've never seen any evidence of the ice getting close to melting even after several hours on very warm days. The more packed the cooler, the more momentum it will have in staying cold. If you area really concerned with extended hours spent in the "off" state, just periodically remotely-cool the car. That will bring down the cooler's "ambient" temperature and will also turn on the 12V outlet to further cool the interior as well.
There is no concern with power as the cooler draws about 5 amps and the socket can supply 15 amps. There is also no concern with energy usages because a 60W accessory will theoretically take 1,000 hours to deplete a 60KWh battery or 1,417 hours to deplete an 85KWh battery -- much less than vampire drain.
SteveW25561
Member
I installed a 12v outlet in the trunk area wired to a continuously on 12v circuit specifically for one of these active 12V coolers -- that way even after leaving the car, the cooler continues to run. I haven't seen it deplete the Model S's 12 V battery even after leaving a cooler running 4-5 hours (drawing 5 amps) -- I understand the 12v battery gets top up charging from the larger drive battery pack. This has allowed us to leave cold groceries in the trunk for several hours at a time.
Owner
Active Member
This is a very interesting approach that I like. Hard sided, AC-DC keep it running in the hotel too, and supplement it with ice packs if needed. May follow your advice as a good solution.
SteveW25561
Member
Actually, I have no idea where the 12V battery is, so I ran a long wire from the front fuse box to the rear. Super easy to do. Here are a bunch of pics for reference. If the 12V battery is indeed in the back, then it might be easier than what I did. I used lamp wire rated for 16 amps, I think. Here is my pictoral.
I tapped into the circuit for the glove compartment light: this one has constant 12V available to it. I'm using this same circuit for the dashcam I installed. The white paper is just here so you can see the wire more clearly.
Nice and neat:
Routing the wire:
As the wire exits from the channel, you can feed the wire into the cabin without drilling any holes in the car or firewall. Route it under the rubber door gasket.
Then, feed the wire through the cabin, tucking it under the door sill and up between the rear passenger seat, and into the trunk. I didn't take a picture, but the rear socket is then crimped onto the wire. Velcro up inside the hole holds the socket. I pulled some wire out so you can see the route of the wire better, but there are lots of gaps in the rear carpeting to feed the wire easily.
Nice and neat, ready to feed power!
We've used this many times and it works flawlessly.
Hope these pics help others.
I tapped into the circuit for the glove compartment light: this one has constant 12V available to it. I'm using this same circuit for the dashcam I installed. The white paper is just here so you can see the wire more clearly.
Nice and neat:
Routing the wire:
As the wire exits from the channel, you can feed the wire into the cabin without drilling any holes in the car or firewall. Route it under the rubber door gasket.
Then, feed the wire through the cabin, tucking it under the door sill and up between the rear passenger seat, and into the trunk. I didn't take a picture, but the rear socket is then crimped onto the wire. Velcro up inside the hole holds the socket. I pulled some wire out so you can see the route of the wire better, but there are lots of gaps in the rear carpeting to feed the wire easily.
Nice and neat, ready to feed power!
We've used this many times and it works flawlessly.
Hope these pics help others.
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ken830
Model S 85, Model 3 Performance, Model X LongRange
Another tip: Bring some heavy-duty ZipLoc bags with you. As you consume food from the cooler, replace the empty space with bags of ice from the hotel. In my experience, they will stay perfectly frozen indefintely and will act as further insurance during hours-long gaps if you need to stop somewhere for an extended amount of time on your journey home.
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