Is There a Cigarette Lighter in a Tesla?


Having charging ports in an EV is important. Many owners of a Tesla may smoke and having access to a cigarette lighter is something that they would need.  It would be a lot better for the Tesla instead having someone strike matches that could end burning a hole in the expensive white upholstery.

Is there a cigarette lighter in a Tesla? You will not find a specific cigarette lighter in Tesla models but a connector port for the cigarette lighter is available. The 12-volt auxiliary port in the center console serves as the ideal place to connect your lighter. It usually is used to charge a phone or another 12v device but adding a lighter is possible.

An outlet adds excellent value when it comes to the experience you have using your hybrid or electric car. The modern auto industry has made some considerable changes on this subject. This has provided improvement in the performance and effectiveness of outlet ports. Switching from a dedicated cigarette lighter to a 12 volts port is one of the notable changes for most cars in these categories. Auxiliary power outlet ports have become the norm in the modern hybrid and electric car industry to utilize power usage without affecting performance.

Instead of charging a phone by plugging into a port, I recommend that you purchase the Topfit Model S Wireless Charger.   Click here for current pricing on Amazon.

To diversify the application of the available ports in Tesla electric and hybrid models, USB ports and 12 Volts outlets are provided. These outlets are designed to provide a wide range of usage such as charging and lighting as well. The labeling approach used on Tesla models is something one needs to get right for easy use of the car. The fact is you will find many useful outlets on your Tesla model than you can imagine if you spend time studying your car manual as well as physical examination.

Does Tesla Have an Outlet Within its Interior?

The different Tesla models come with a wide range of power options. You will find two USB ports coupled with a 12-volt outlet port in the front center console for many models. To give a wonderful experience to users’, additional ports are available for the rear passengers as well. This gives sufficient power solutions to match different device needs such as iPads and cell phones. Tapping power on any Tesla model can be done from a wide range of outlet options available within its interior. The objective is to study your Tesla model output power solutions to make effective use of the ones provided for your needs. Each outlet performance is different with some having inverter options for varying power output needs.

The outlet performance is great in the recent model Y.  A model Y has two USB c- ports that are in the rear just below the air conditioning vents.  These ports are great for transferring copious amounts of data such as 10GB of data per second.

The Model Y also has a 12v outlet that is in the center console.  It is different from other models, because it has a secondary 12v outlet that is on the left side of the storage area.

There are four USB A ports in the Model y.  These are perfect as charge ports for numerous cell phones or for connecting USB drives to access music files and to store data that is collected.  For instance, one owner, used a few ports to connect his dashcam so that he could collect sentry footage.

Where is The Tesla Model S 12 volts Outlet Located?

For the Tesla S model, you would find only one 12-volt outlet. It is in the front center console which is fitted with a 15A e-fuse. This gives adequate power for diverse use including your cigarette lighter as well as when in need of using more than one charging cable.

Nevertheless, this outlet is not always on.  It only provides power only when the vehicle is operating.  If you need constant data updates, you will need to use another source, possible a USB port since they are powered all the time by the 12v battery in the Tesla.

There is an additional large 12-volt terminus situated below the plastic nose cone, but you would have to route the wiring on your own to create another 12-volt outlet.  Your wiring would need to be fused or there is an elevated risk of fire.  In other words, not something that the typical Joe could install.

Where is the 12 Volts Outlet in a Model X Located in the Trunk?

The location of power outlet ports in each model of Tesla varies. With the X model, you would find this main point in the left rear within the structure of the shock tower. There is a tiny flap that you need to open to get access to the 12-volt outlet. This is a design available for this type of model meant to give flexible usage for those in the car. Besides, it will be possible to tape power for different use among the car users at any given time. There is ample space in the trunk, you have the space to connect larger devices.

This 12-volt outlet in the truck is always on, which means that you can use to power small items such as a camping refrigerator. There is no need to worry about draining the 12-volt battery because the Tesla will start to charge the 12-volt battery with the main battery if the power is too low.  This usage of the main power is called vampire drain.  Nevertheless, you would have to recharge the 12-v battery almost countless times before it would have a large impact on your driving range based on the power level of the main battery.

Although the Model X has power constantly for the 12-volt outlet, does the Model 3 have the same ability?

Is the Model 3 12 Volts Outlet Always on and Running?

This is a question of concern for many people using various models of Tesla. When using your Tesla model 3, you will experience continuous use of the 12-volt outlet when the car is on sentry mode. So, if you wish to have the outlet available for an extended period, ensure that you have sentry mode activated.

You would have to switch to this mode first to experience running 12 volts outlet. When the car is awake, which includes during charging, the 12-volt outlet for model 3 is always on and awake for use.

Some owners in forums would like to attach a cooler to the outlet.  Just ensure that the car is at least awake.  If you were to turn off all cell phone devices that communicate periodically with the Tesla 3, there is a chance that it would only stay awake for around 45 minutes before sleeping unless you have the latest version of sentry that keeps the Tesla alive slightly all the time.

I recommend the Tesla Frunk CoolerClick here for current pricing on Amazon.

When the car is not sleeping, the main battery will ensure that the 12v battery does not fully discharge. Usually, it provides a charge to it once the charge level is below fifty percent in the 12v battery.

Here is a video showing how to hack the cigarette lighter in a Model S so that it always on, even when the Tesla has been turned off:

Is There a Fuse for the Model 3 Cigarette Lighter?

Every outlet in Tesla models is fused for safety purposes and the model 3 cigarette outlet is no exception.  Nevertheless, the fuses for the Model 3 or for any Tesla are not the typical physical fuses.  They are e-fuses that are integrated circuits that integrate a power switch and a control circuit.  If an e-fuse for the cigarette lighter type outlet detects too much voltage or current, it will quickly reduce to a value that in the safe range.

The bottom line is that you would be able to use a cigarette lighter for every Tesla model by plugging it into the appropriate port in a safe manner because of the e-fuse. If the e-fuse flips, it will not damage your vehicle.  You may need to do a quick reset to restore power to the outlet.  In some cases, I have read that you will need to cycle the Tesla.  Cycling is described in the manual for the Model 3.

If you are still not able to restore power to the outlet after performing a cycle to reboot the car, you could try the following.  Just wait.  The e-fuse is supposed to reset itself automatically.  It can take some time.  Try to leave the car alone overnight.  If the power has not been restored by the morning, tt might be time to take a trip to the Tesla garage.

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