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I am planning to do some car camping with the MX when it arrives. I would like to use a 12V powered refrigerator/freezer (ARB Fridge Freezer 37 Qt) while travelling. It draws an average of 1.35A (16.2W) so not a big impact to range. I am hoping to get answers to a few question to determine if this will be practical or not. (1) Is there a 12V power outlet in the rear of the car or is there only the one up front? (2) Does the 12V power outlet remain energized when the car is parked? I will switch to land power whenever it is available but there are many campsites without electricity. (3) Is the 12V power outlet sourced by the 12V battery circuit or is it derived from the high voltage battery inverter? (4) If sourced from the 12V battery, would pulling 1.35 amps for say 12 hours leave it unable to support power up of the car the next morning? Thanks to anyone who can help with these questions.
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I don't know the circumstances under which the Main Battery recharges the 12V (actually probably 13.6V) system, but 1.35 A x 13.6 V x 12 hours = 0.22 kw-hr is about 0.6 mile of range. Now, if sourced only by the 12V system, that might be a problem. If the Main Battery is recharging the 12 V system during that time, then it's almost invisible.
2. Yes, is powered when in P and when car is on. If there is prolonged inactivity in P, then the car powers off.
What kind of vacuum do you use that is compatible with the 12-vold outlet? I'm shopping for a small vacuum for my X.
Yes, it comes from the 12V battery. No, you can't run it down - when the 12V battery gets to about 50%, the high voltage battery contactors engage, and the high voltage to 12V inverter charges up the 12V battery. This is the source of "vampire drain" - it's the high voltage battery having to engage every now and then to recharge the 12V battery because the 12V battery is constantly being drained by the electronics, some of which never turn off.
Your fridge won't prevent the X from starting by running overnight unless your high voltage battery is so dead that it can't recharge the 12V battery as needed. Clearly your average 16W fridge (even with inverter and charger inefficiencies) will have minimal effect on the 90,000 watt Hr high voltage battery pack.
I have no idea if the 12v socket in the rear is full time. In the S, the front 12V socket turns off some time after the car shuts down. It is not full time. On an S, some folks use the constant 12V power from the ODB-II connector in the front driver wheel well. On the S, that only has a 5A fuse, so it will not power a fridge (the 1.35A number is average - not peak.)
Your Model X has a power socket located on
the front of the center console. An additional
12V power socket is located in the rear trunk.
Power is available whenever the instrument
panel and touchscreen are on.
The 12V power sockets are suitable for
accessories requiring up to 11A continuous
draw (15A peak) or a maximum of 150
continuous watts (180 watts peak).
So plenty of power to connect your fridge but not continuous. When car goes to sleep so does your fridge. LOL
@ r.hauser This confirms that I will need to tap 12V power at the ODB connector per suggestion from Blue. A little less elegant than the power outlets but it should work.
@Triggerplz You may be thinking about what are sometimes called electric coolers. They work on a different principle than a true compressor based refrigerator and can only maintain a differential temp from ambient. The type I am considering work extremely well and are often found on boats and RVs.
I had originally planned to tow a small Airstream behind the MX which it is more than capable of doing (with an expected reduction in range). Unfortunately, I have concluded that it is simply not practical for trips of any distance since you have to hitch and unhitch the trailer at every SuperCharger which would get tiresome very quickly. Thanks to all for the information. My MX camping dreams remain alive.