Hurricane Helene power outage - use SE to charge devices?

[GvilleGuy]

Helene has hammered Greenville, SC. Half a million without power and no estimate for restoral. If I put my SE in drive ready and plug in phones to charge, is that using the 12V battery, and does the 12V replenish from the main EV batteries? I don’t want to drain my 12v if it will not replenish itself while not actually driving. Local roads are blocked by trees.

 

[teslarati97]

Good to hear that you still have your SE! Honestly the power draw of 5W-30W is probably not significant enough to force the 12V 50Ah battery charge from the HV battery.

If you are concerned, you can start your vehicle and turn on climate controls to drain the 12V accessory battery. You could also drive up and down your driveway and see how many three point turns you can do in 5 minutes?

 

[Puppethead]

If I put my SE in drive ready and plug in phones to charge, is that using the 12V battery, and does the 12V replenish from the main EV batteries?

Yes, the SE's high voltage batteries are used to keep the 12 V battery charged (there's no alternator like an ICE vehicle has). You don't even need to be in drive-ready state. And as @teslarati97 points out, it will take a lot of device charging to drain the 12 V battery.

 

[teslarati97]

I'm not sure if the EME is active in accessory mode, because that's where the 12V battery is connected to. Anyways, there isn't a combustion engine/starter to crank so you will be totally safe with a low voltage on the 12V battery.

 

[GvilleGuy]

Thanks, guys! 550K customers still without power in the Greenville area. Eight large trees down in the backyard. Luckily, none hit the house (close calls). Neighbors’ houses have trees on them. Good to know I can top up phones as needed. Luckily, I charged to 100% yesterday. My SE is still perfection after 3.5 years and 17K miles.

 

[pictsidhe]

If you aren't sat in the car, the cigarette lighter socket shuts off after a few minutes. I don't know if there is a bimmercode fix for that...

 

[Rexsio]

If you aren't sat in the car, the cigarette lighter socket shuts off after a few minutes. I don't know if there is a bimmercode fix for that...

As I installed small computer fan to blow air into front windshield to dry any moisture and is running permanently as I drive but is shut of by car in 5 minutes and is plug into UBS port once car is park .My thermometer digital with probe is measuring temperature under a hood on top of inverter and is plug to cigarette port and this one is shut of after 13 minutes when I park a car .As I have this devices for 3 months no issues with 12 V. Accesories battery .And I’m sorry your charging telephone is debunked you have drive or live. Car with ready setting to drive to energize UBS or cigarette port .

 

[Rexsio]

As I installed small computer fan to blow air into front windshield to dry any moisture and is running permanently as I drive but is shut of by car in 5 minutes and is plug into UBS port once car is park .My thermometer digital with probe is measuring temperature under a hood on top of inverter and is plug to cigarette port and this one is shut of after 13 minutes when I park a car .As I have this devices for 3 months no issues with 12 V. Accesories battery .And I’m sorry your charging telephone is debunked you have drive or live. Car with ready setting to drive to energize UBS or cigarette port .

But if you DIY guy is simple to by pass going directly to 12 V battery with those 3 items on picture and few feet of wire going directly to cabin is a rubber plug as you can snake through fire wall 2 nd picture

 

[GvilleGuy]

The first few days after I posted this, I did not need to charge anything. Our house was without power for six days. But I eventually tested this out - I don't recall the name of it, but I clicked an adapter I bought years ago into my seat belt to make the SE think I was still sitting there and put it in drive ready. I plugged phones into the USB ports to charge and came back almost an hour later to check on them. They were still charging and the battery only went down to like 99%.

 

[insightman]

The first few days after I posted this, I did not need to charge anything. Our house was without power for six days. But I eventually tested this out - I don't recall the name of it, but I clicked an adapter I bought years ago into my seat belt to make the SE think I was still sitting there and put it in drive ready. I plugged phones into the USB ports to charge and came back almost an hour later to check on them. They were still charging and the battery only went down to like 99%.

Ali Express has a seat-belt "extender" for under a buck that even has a MINI logo (authorized? who knows?)