The 12V battery in my 2013 Model S began to fail when the car was about three years old. The car automatically contacted Tesla Service to inform them that the 12V battery was no longer taking a full charge. I then received a phone call from Tesla Service, informing me that they were sending a Mobile Service technician to my home to replace the 12V battery before it failed completely. It was a brilliant use of smart technology. But, of course, the new lithium-ion battery will make this a very rare occurrence.
Most likely this is a major factor in why they will be able justify the cost of the lithium battery, VS the cost of the battery replacement + the cost of the tech with vehicle delivery to the site of the vehicle. I have lived in areas that have massive amounts of snow and ice and the heated driveway, VS the massive cost for labor of snow removal over the course of 5 - 10 - even 20 years. Do it right the first time and your initial cost saves you in the long run. The list of similar comparisons can go on for days but that’s one that I thought of first. Thanks for the share as well. It’s impressive to know that they can have customer service connected on a level where situations are addressed before they become problems. Especially since most customers wouldn’t even consider checking those items.
Yes, I plan on changing my battery to a Lithium ion one. My sisters 2018 PM3 died today with no warning! The car was dead!! She is having it towed on Sunday to Tesla because mobile service isn't available until a week out! Thanks for another great video!!
If you interested in updating your Model S/3/X/Y to a Lithium Ion battery you can get it here: bit.ly/LiTeslaBatteries Ther is a latch for the back seats by your ankles on the seat that you move left or right for it to be able to be lifted up to disconnect high voltage.
Something to keep in mind is that the charge profile for a lithium ion battery is different from a lead acid battery. As an example, a lead acid battery is considered depleted at 50% we are as a lithium ion battery can be drawn down to near 0%. A lead acid battery charge is much slower than a lithium ion battery. Recognizing the difference in the charge profile Tesla may have to give you an option in the settings for identifying which battery you have whether it’s a lithium battery or a little acid battery to optimize the full potential of the lithium ion battery both for charging and for discharging.
for $500......no. if yours is still working, do not upgrade. thats 4 regular 12v batteries, each lasting 3-4 yrs....so potentially 16 years payback.....just no. dont get me wrong, its cool, and will be the future. price just isnt there.
People that live in Phoenix can wear out Tesla’s lead acid battery in under two years, otherwise, don’t waste your money. UA-camrs have shown that there is backup 12 volt power coming from under the passenger seat. You can disconnect your lead acid and you can still operate the windows and the door locks.
Last time I bought a *really good* lead acid car battery that lasted for 5 years it was $70. That would be 7 batteries for $500. In his chart he shows a lead acid battery that only lasts 10 months for over $330? Im very confused by ALL of this information.
@@mitchellbarnow1709 There is not a second 12v battery. There is likely a low amperage 14V current coming from the high voltage pack to recharge the 12V battery. In an ICE car, you can technically disconnect the 12V battery while the car is running (not recommended) and lights and windows will (sort of) work. Lights will probably be very dim and windows very slow because the power coming from the alternator is not enough to run everything. And once you shut the car down it wont be able to restart. This is not a chicken or egg scenario, the car NEEDS the 12V battery to be in the system to actually work.
I swapped mine out last week. Never had a warning but I have a 2018 so a matter of time plus had a 20% off coupon from tesbros for the same lithium ion battery you bought so a great deal $371.00
i had my battery die after about 2 years of owning a model 3 with no warning. I thought my main battery died!! fortunately Tesla came out and replaced it at no charge. I had a second battery die at 4 years, but this time I got a warning. I will be switching to the ion-lithium battery asap! Thanks for your vid 👍
My Tesla 3 just gave me a message that my 12v needed to be replaced. I schedule a service appt and they are coming to me next week. I’ll have to find out if i can get a lithium ion battery. Thanks for the very informative video. Also do you think my car is safe to drive until they come?
So I just replaced my original battery which died without warning. I looked at the lithium brand you show here and if memory serves it was around 450 or 500. I ended up getting the battery from my local service center instead for 80-90 bucks. The original lasted 2.5 years, so for me it didn't make financial sense to go the lithium route (seems like the lithium had a 5 year warranty). I won't debate that the lithium is probably superior, but still for me, every 2.5 years 80-90 bucks and having immediate access to a lead battery and not having to wait for the lithium to be shipped has the lead battery as the better option for right now.
Wait until you need the battery in a hurry and Tesla asks you to wait for 2 weeks because they do not have 12 V battery in stock! That is what happened to me - 12 V battery warning in morning. By evening - a totally dead undriveable car and Tesla asked me to wait for 2 weeks but no offer for backup transportation!
Thanks for video Raj. Definitely will hold this info if the times comes soon to replace in my Y. But I am really waiting for is a battery upgrade in the Y with more mileage. Hopefully, in three years I'll just change the car.
I installed an Ohmmu lithium battery a couple of weeks ago, after getting a warning that my 12v needed replacing. Easy task in my Model S, especially when following their step by step video.
thanks for the video. Changing battery is quite easy. Ohmmu is quite pricy ~$500. I chose to keep replacing with the Tesla lead acid and it's only $80 ea. My model 3 is at around 60k miles, and I am about to do my first replacement.
Not to long ago Tesla replaced with another lead battery. So within a year or so i will upgrade to a lithium ion battery Your daughter was awesome picking up the lithium battery. Great job
Data Point: My Tesla Model S 2016 refreshed version's 12V battery lasted 5 years. Just got a warning a week ago on the dash to replace the 12V battery, so I called Tesla and they came out and replaced it for $220 (parts and labor). I'm not sure where the "you need 11 lead acid batteries for 10 years" comes from (1:49). I'm not sure where the "$339.71 per lead acid battery" comes from (1:49). ½completely My Model S has been through a reasonable variety of cold and hot weather - I live in Texas (hot!) and have driven it to Nebraska twice during winter months (cold!) and to New Mexico (also hot!). Five years seems reasonable (although on the short end) in those conditions. batterythemay (or may not!) be able to interestingworth
I totally agree. I was also very astonished by those figures in his chart. I do also own a 2016 MS it's 90D and just got the 12V battery replacement warning yesterday. So it's almost 7 yrs for me never needed to replace it with over 57000 miles driven in cold and hot weather around Maryland, DC, Virginia.
Oh man, is this ever timely! My 12V just died last week. Without warning! I was totally locked out and stranded. And it took Tesla Roadside Assistance over two hours to get someone out to tow my car to a service center. At least the new battery was free under warranty. I am definitely going to go to a Lithium Ion battery in the near future. Also, adorable daughter! Also, also...longetivity??? Lol!
@@rickfernandez7947 I wouldn’t worry too much about it but I would make sure I am prepared should it happen again. No, there’s no way to know if your battery will just die. I think we’re supposed to get a warning but I did not get one. But I’d say make sure you’re familiar with how to jump the battery and how to contact Roadside Assistance. Also be very familiar with the proper ways to have the car towed, because the guy they sent out to me had zero idea how to jump my battery and very little experience towing a Tesla. Fortunately I did know how. And it’s important to be able to get power to the 12V battery, because if you don’t power it up you can’t put the car in towing mode.
@@McQ14 Thank you for those tips. Very useful! However, I'm not a big car person so none of that sounds remotely familiar to me. (I'm the kind of driver who just gets in the car and drives and is perfectly content never to have to open the hood.) I'm going to have to spend some time following up on all those tips.
Hopefully Tesla eventually offers an OEM lithium battery for the Model 3 and Y. They might be able to get the price down a little from the Ohmmu battery. Otherwise when mine (eventually) dies, I'll get that. My car is only a month old though, so I don't expect to need a battery soon.
Here in AZ, the heat destroys Tesla’s crappy 12V lead acid batteries in the Model 3/Y every 12-18 months. We had so many people with dead batteries during the summer. I went for a Model Y test drive in August and the service center had a cart full of batteries out and they replacing them in the parking lot. It sucked paying out of pocket $430 for a lithium ion 12V battery but I didn’t wanna deal with getting stuck on a road trip with a dead battery.
Enjoyed the video. The representative told me when I picked up my 2023 Model 3 last month. He stated it had the new battery. Question. What charges the 12 volt battery? I am not a daily driver. Thanks.
Isn’t there a specific charging process for lead acid versus Li ion in the car? With an ICE car changing to Lithium required a diode of some kind as the charging process is different..
Hi Raj! I am Tesla Model 3 owner in a country with No Tesla Service Center support. My 12V battery on Model 3 died last week and can I replace it with ordinary 12v battery because I can’t find the original 12v Tesla battery in my country. Appreciate your comment
I wish I had seen this video earlier. I've had my Tesla Model 3 since June 2018 and it suddenly died overnight (3 years old). My car was inoperable when I tried to go to work and had to have it towed out of my garage. I was disappointed that there was no warning given by the car. Unless Tesla can show that they'll provide reliable warnings in the future I'll probably just change my car battery every 2 years to be on the safe side. It'll be far less painful and expensive than having it towed out of warranty.
This is what happened to me - 12 V battery warning in morning. By evening - a totally dead undriveable car and Tesla asked me to wait for 2 weeks because they did not have battery in stock. no offer for backup transportation - my car is still under warranty! I ordered Ohmuu for overnight delivery which I installed myself thanks to the you tube videos.
Raj, do you if this battery has a thermal type of protection to prevent it from charging when its below 0 degree F ? alot of LI-ion batterys will be hurt if charge during extreme cold events ?
Keeping the Li battery charged is different than keeping the lead battery charged. You should check with Tesla to see if there is a setting you need to change so that your new 12 volt Li battery won’t be damaged because the charging method needs to be adjusted.
Raj, great video on the 12 volt battery and I just had Tesla replace mine last year under warranty without any notifications on the screen or email or text that it was going bad but at least it was in my garage when it failed. Living in AZ the heat does numbers on lead acid batteries but I was told that the Tesla battery has a wire clipped to it to communicate back to Tesla on its functions? Does your new Lithium battery have that same plug? Also, the Tesla tech at the time advised me to keep the car plugged in all the time to ensure the 12 volt battery if needed to charge was using power from the grid rather than my HV battery in the car? Have you head of this before? Thanks
I have a 2016 MS, I heard that BMS that comes with the Li-ion or LiFePO4 batteries does not have a thermo-monitoring system and the battery packs maybe damaged and a alert my show up on your dash monitor? Your thoughts.
Great video, just what I was looking for. My wife was just stranded in Philly because of this. Got it changed. The price I paid makes me think it was a lead battery. Will be looking for a lithium in the future.
Thanks Raj I just ordered a new lithium battery ,free shipping to my city. My X is three years old ,I don’t want to take a chance with the original battery.
Any issue with the Tesla Charging system? Do you need TSC to make some programming changes to let the car know you using Lithium battery so it will charge correctly? I am shopping for new battery now for my 2018 MX since I got the low battery message.
If you use intelligent charging and use the main battery to provide power, you could have the 12V battery last ten years or more. The trick is: It lasts very long if it is fully charged all the time, and since you have that huge high voltage battery, you can keep the 12V charged... always. Then of course you need to have a quality 12V battery and i guess Tesla also cheaped out on that.
Thanks for this video. Wish I had seen it sooner. My car is stone cold dead and I got no warning... can even get in the car. Only two years old. Thanks for the info.
Unfortunately we did not watch your video sooner as we got stranded in our Model Y with NO warning while we were out to dinner. The vehicle was fully charged but would not open or start. Doors would not open. Windows would not open. Key would not work. App would not work. We had to have it towed. Which turned out to be a problem too because since all 4 wheels have power on the Model Y and you can't put the car into neutral or tow mode with a dead 12V battery we needed a tow truck with some unique equipment. Note: You can remotely open the front trunk without power. Note: if you "charge" the 12V battery with jumper cables you can open the passenger door but be sure to leave it open while you are in the vehicle so you don't get locked in with doors/windows that DO NOT open. Note: If you jump the 12V battery with jumper cables you still can not start the Model Y or put it into tow mode. This is a major design flaw.
It doesn't really matter to your average viewer but it bugs me so here's my rant: You don't actually need a 12V battery in an EV. I know because I have been designing EV electrical systems for years, and have made a vehicle without one that's been working for over a year now. It still has a 12V system, but no battery. Not sure why tesla hasn't figured this out yet. The basic differences in my system are a HV key switch/start switch that signals the DC-DC(the thing that actually powers the 12V system in all EVs) to turn on, and an extra DC-DC to power your BMS when the vehicle is off so you can still have j1772 charging. If you are clever you can also use that extra dc-dc to power your key switch instead of running high voltage but I wasn't that clever my first go around.
Why can't they convert their main battery 200v or something to 12v to run the accessories in the way the alternator in the gas cars powers the rest cars after it was started. That way the Tesla AGM battery would last as long as the 12v batteries in the gas cars.
My question is cold weather, some Lithium Ion batteries will be trash if charged during freezing weather. Have you considered this with your replacement battery?
I have made 12v lithium batteries for my home, but you can't make 12v with lithium ion. My batteries are lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4). The teslarati website doesn't say "ion", so I did a little research and found that they are LiFePO4 (not lithium ion). I have plenty of extra LiFePO4 cells, so I might make my own 12v battery for my Model 3 (with a good BMS).
With the charge profiles being so different for LiFePO and PB, how can you put a Li battery in a car that has software that controls the charging profile and most importantly (for Li), trickle charging? This sounds dangerous to me.
If I run an inverter from the cigarette lighter of my M3, will the main battery pack keep the 12v battery fully charged for as long as I am running the inverter?
Hello Raj, where could I find a ohmmu tesla model 3 lithium battery in stock and once I get one how can I go about disposing or getting credit for the old lead acid battery?
I've driven ICE cars for 7 years at a time without replacing the battery at all. 3 Year replacement intervals don't manifest themselves that others talk about. My understanding is that so long as the engine is running above idle, then the alternator charging the battery. So those discharge cycles only really manifest themselves with short drives and long parking periods (especially in cold weather). With an EV, shouldn't it be the case that the 12V bus is being powered by the HV DC-LV DC converter when the car is "awake", thereby avoiding those life limiting battery discharges? Isn't the car able to monitor the 12V battery charge periodically in "sleep" mode and give it a charge when needed to avoid deeper discharges?
Just replaced my 3's 12v battery. It was 2 years old and I didn't want to get stranded. The Lithium you linked to looks awesome but at $439 I can get Tesla to replace the lead acid 3 times including labor. At least I can at at today's prices. We'll see what they quote in 2 years time. Appreciate the demo of how to do it, that's exactly how the mobile tech did it when he came by a few months ago.
Hello Raj, Do you know if these Li-ion batteries work good in cold temperatures in the range -25C - 35C. I have been reading that Li ion do not work good in the -ve temperatures. Could you give more insight about the optimal working temperatures and what are the limiting temperatures too... Would highly appreciate it.. /srinivas
What AAA takes an hour to do, Tesla promised to do for me in 2 weeks while I had a totally dead car due to totally dead 12 V battery. Tesla did not have the battery in stock. No back up transportation. Will never buy another Tesla again. When I pay $70 K plus for a car, I expect that level of service. Tesla service sucks. I chose to go for Ohmmu battery which I paid for and installed myself thanks to you tube videos.
@@TeslaRaj Ohmmu has been amazing trying to solve this issue..it's weird that most of us are getting it. I decided to keep mine and work with them on trying to figure out what's causing it.
Is there something special about the 12V battery in a Tesla, that it costs so much and wears out so soon? I usually buy high grade lead acid batteries for our truck and cars, and never pay more than $150, and they last several years, not just 1 yr. And at least with small batteries, I've never seen a Lithium anything battery last 10 yrs; it seems that if the car used up a lead battery in a yr, it would have to age Lithium faster, too. And the weight? Even my truck battery doesn't weigh more than about 60 lbs or so. Not trying to be critical; just curious.
after replacing 12v in 2016 x 2 days later the vehicle shut down and would not start. saying low voltage. suspension not working etc. Good thing i had Tesla do the battery swap or i would have thought i did somehing wrong. Ive been reading that this happens often when 12v battery is changed. does anyone know about this? i have no clue whats going to happen next. getting it towed tomorrow to tesla. Ive heard so many stories the heater was changed for 700 bucks to its a glitch and they can find anything on tests help
Thanks for this awesome video! Will definitely be replacing my Model 3’s original battery with a Lithium-Ion when it dies. But it’s still running strong at 55,000+ miles. I wonder if Tesla will eventually sell lithium-ion batteries for the 3 and Y.
Are you sure it is safe to replace the lead-acid battery with a Lithium-Ion one without modifying the charging system? DC to DC converter is set up to charge different type of the battery. It will not recognize on its own that the battery was changed for a Lithium-Ion one, right? I'm afraid that the new battery may not last as long as it should because of that. Unless there is some sort of electronics built into the new, replacement battery, maintaining its health...
Yup! 4 years full-replacement warrantyProprietary 12V Lithium cell and BMS technology that is a drop-in replacement to your existing battery (no firmware changes needed) Battery Management System prevents damage to the battery in extreme situations and also balances the battery cells to maintain the pack for longer service life!
@@TeslaRaj is this something you read or service personnel told you? If car wasn’t setup for it correctly your new expensive battery can be underutilized. Thank you for doing the video, now get out there and do more FSD videos. 😃
@@TeslaRaj okay that makes scents, what should we look for that tells us it’s okay if looking at other brands to make sure they also work same way as one you got? Thank you again.
This battery causes a lot of problems as I’ve done extensive research , Tesla doesn’t know how to utilize this battery which is why majority of people are having error codes and dead cars when they reboot Bc the high pack won’t charge the lithium battery Bc it thinks it’s faulty. Funny how nobody on UA-cam is talking about this
Is the charger inside the Tesla for the 12 Volt lead/acid battery designed specifically for lead/acid and not lithium ion batteries? Don't these two types of batteries charge differently? Thank you! Love your Tesla videos! :)
It can take either. Tesla was just using lead acid because of price. Hence why they have brought it to Model S/X more margin. Hopefully Y and 3 get it eventually too.
thanks for the info! i wish i'd been aware of this sooner--my battery needs replacing...now. i received only one warning--when i got in to drive. while driving on the way home the signal lights stopped working. scheduled service in the app, and i'm supposed to drive the tesla in this condition to a service center---no joke. also, messaging in the app no longer works: I receive zero replies. had i known this could happen without warning, i would have replaced the battery in advance. don't wait. buy a new battery before its dead
update: called the service center and they (thankfully), sent service to my house and replaced the battery. they did not have the retrofit lithium ion for 2018 M3, but at this point i dont care, i'm just happy to have my car back 👍
What happens if the battery dies on the road? I believe you can't get this jump started like a lead-acid battery due to different voltages from another car + I understand after a certain % they are hard to revive.
Aw, sweetheart! Your daughter is adorable.
Thank you! ❤️
The 12V battery in my 2013 Model S began to fail when the car was about three years old. The car automatically contacted Tesla Service to inform them that the 12V battery was no longer taking a full charge. I then received a phone call from Tesla Service, informing me that they were sending a Mobile Service technician to my home to replace the 12V battery before it failed completely. It was a brilliant use of smart technology. But, of course, the new lithium-ion battery will make this a very rare occurrence.
Most likely this is a major factor in why they will be able justify the cost of the lithium battery, VS the cost of the battery replacement + the cost of the tech with vehicle delivery to the site of the vehicle. I have lived in areas that have massive amounts of snow and ice and the heated driveway, VS the massive cost for labor of snow removal over the course of 5 - 10 - even 20 years. Do it right the first time and your initial cost saves you in the long run. The list of similar comparisons can go on for days but that’s one that I thought of first.
Thanks for the share as well. It’s impressive to know that they can have customer service connected on a level where situations are addressed before they become problems. Especially since most customers wouldn’t even consider checking those items.
I definitely want to do this. So glad you showed how to actually replace the battery. Awesome!
This is cool! Will definitely be replacing with Li-ion on my Model 3 when the lead acid dies.
Yes, I plan on changing my battery to a Lithium ion one. My sisters 2018 PM3 died today with no warning! The car was dead!! She is having it towed on Sunday to Tesla because mobile service isn't available until a week out! Thanks for another great video!!
If you interested in updating your Model S/3/X/Y to a Lithium Ion battery you can get it here: bit.ly/LiTeslaBatteries
Ther is a latch for the back seats by your ankles on the seat that you move left or right for it to be able to be lifted up to disconnect high voltage.
Great insight! You provide some of the most useful and uncommon insights on UA-cam. I’m now a subscriber. Thanks!
Appreciate that Alex!
Yes! I just experienced this. 12volt Battery failing is not fun. Luckily I found out before I left for the road!
Excellent video, Raj! You really covered the most important points. Thank you so much 😊 I will eventually buy one of these replacement batteries!
Thanks Mitchell!
Love the scientific daughter test 😂
Drive the weight point home lol
Def will be upgrading my S to a Li battery. Thanks for the tip and showing how easy it is!
Thanks for the tip! When my 12V goes out, I will switch to the Li-ion.
Something to keep in mind is that the charge profile for a lithium ion battery is different from a lead acid battery. As an example, a lead acid battery is considered depleted at 50% we are as a lithium ion battery can be drawn down to near 0%. A lead acid battery charge is much slower than a lithium ion battery. Recognizing the difference in the charge profile Tesla may have to give you an option in the settings for identifying which battery you have whether it’s a lithium battery or a little acid battery to optimize the full potential of the lithium ion battery both for charging and for discharging.
for $500......no. if yours is still working, do not upgrade. thats 4 regular 12v batteries, each lasting 3-4 yrs....so potentially 16 years payback.....just no.
dont get me wrong, its cool, and will be the future. price just isnt there.
Tesla will use their own cells in future vehicles. Then it will be more affordable. Crazy to do now unless you have unusual use cases, IMO.
People that live in Phoenix can wear out Tesla’s lead acid battery in under two years, otherwise, don’t waste your money. UA-camrs have shown that there is backup 12 volt power coming from under the passenger seat. You can disconnect your lead acid and you can still operate the windows and the door locks.
Last time I bought a *really good* lead acid car battery that lasted for 5 years it was $70. That would be 7 batteries for $500. In his chart he shows a lead acid battery that only lasts 10 months for over $330? Im very confused by ALL of this information.
@@mitchellbarnow1709 There is not a second 12v battery. There is likely a low amperage 14V current coming from the high voltage pack to recharge the 12V battery. In an ICE car, you can technically disconnect the 12V battery while the car is running (not recommended) and lights and windows will (sort of) work. Lights will probably be very dim and windows very slow because the power coming from the alternator is not enough to run everything. And once you shut the car down it wont be able to restart. This is not a chicken or egg scenario, the car NEEDS the 12V battery to be in the system to actually work.
I swapped mine out last week. Never had a warning but I have a 2018 so a matter of time plus had a 20% off coupon from tesbros for the same lithium ion battery you bought so a great deal $371.00
i had my battery die after about 2 years of owning a model 3 with no warning. I thought my main battery died!! fortunately Tesla came out and replaced it at no charge. I had a second battery die at 4 years, but this time I got a warning. I will be switching to the ion-lithium battery asap! Thanks for your vid 👍
My Tesla 3 just gave me a message that my 12v needed to be replaced. I schedule a service appt and they are coming to me next week. I’ll have to find out if i can get a lithium ion battery. Thanks for the very informative video.
Also do you think my car is safe to drive until they come?
So I just replaced my original battery which died without warning. I looked at the lithium brand you show here and if memory serves it was around 450 or 500. I ended up getting the battery from my local service center instead for 80-90 bucks. The original lasted 2.5 years, so for me it didn't make financial sense to go the lithium route (seems like the lithium had a 5 year warranty). I won't debate that the lithium is probably superior, but still for me, every 2.5 years 80-90 bucks and having immediate access to a lead battery and not having to wait for the lithium to be shipped has the lead battery as the better option for right now.
I agree. It doesn’t make financial sense really. Just change it every 3 years then
Wait until you need the battery in a hurry and Tesla asks you to wait for 2 weeks because they do not have 12 V battery in stock! That is what happened to me - 12 V battery warning in morning. By evening - a totally dead undriveable car and Tesla asked me to wait for 2 weeks but no offer for backup transportation!
2021 LR going on 3 yrs no issues
Thanks for video Raj. Definitely will hold this info if the times comes soon to replace in my Y. But I am really waiting for is a battery upgrade in the Y with more mileage. Hopefully, in three years I'll just change the car.
I installed an Ohmmu lithium battery a couple of weeks ago, after getting a warning that my 12v needed replacing. Easy task in my Model S, especially when following their step by step video.
It was $439 delivered and arrived in about 4 days.
thanks for the video. Changing battery is quite easy. Ohmmu is quite pricy ~$500. I chose to keep replacing with the Tesla lead acid and it's only $80 ea. My model 3 is at around 60k miles, and I am about to do my first replacement.
Not to long ago Tesla replaced with another lead battery. So within a year or so i will upgrade to a lithium ion battery
Your daughter was awesome picking up the lithium battery. Great job
I replaced my battery in 2019 in my 2015 MS. I wish I knew this then! I will be getting a Li-ion next time. I hope my Cybertruck has a Li-ion
The problem is in freezing weather you cannot charge that lithium battery what will you do then
Awesome vid Raj. I learnt loads. Gonna upgrade mine now. And will a shout out too.
I'll definitely go lithium next time. First replacement was under warranty so free part and free install in my driveway was my choice.
Data Point: My Tesla Model S 2016 refreshed version's 12V battery lasted 5 years. Just got a warning a week ago on the dash to replace the 12V battery, so I called Tesla and they came out and replaced it for $220 (parts and labor).
I'm not sure where the "you need 11 lead acid batteries for 10 years" comes from (1:49).
I'm not sure where the "$339.71 per lead acid battery" comes from (1:49).
½completely
My Model S has been through a reasonable variety of cold and hot weather - I live in Texas (hot!) and have driven it to Nebraska twice during winter months (cold!) and to New Mexico (also hot!). Five years seems reasonable (although on the short end) in those conditions.
batterythemay (or may not!) be able to
interestingworth
I totally agree. I was also very astonished by those figures in his chart. I do also own a 2016 MS it's 90D and just got the 12V battery replacement warning yesterday. So it's almost 7 yrs for me never needed to replace it with over 57000 miles driven in cold and hot weather around Maryland, DC, Virginia.
Great diy and enhancement. Thx Raj!
Oh man, is this ever timely! My 12V just died last week. Without warning! I was totally locked out and stranded. And it took Tesla Roadside Assistance over two hours to get someone out to tow my car to a service center. At least the new battery was free under warranty.
I am definitely going to go to a Lithium Ion battery in the near future.
Also, adorable daughter!
Also, also...longetivity??? Lol!
Just cuz this is now very worrying, how do we avoid being stranded because 12V dies? Is there any way to gauge remaining battery life to prevent this?
@@rickfernandez7947 I wouldn’t worry too much about it but I would make sure I am prepared should it happen again.
No, there’s no way to know if your battery will just die. I think we’re supposed to get a warning but I did not get one.
But I’d say make sure you’re familiar with how to jump the battery and how to contact Roadside Assistance. Also be very familiar with the proper ways to have the car towed, because the guy they sent out to me had zero idea how to jump my battery and very little experience towing a Tesla. Fortunately I did know how.
And it’s important to be able to get power to the 12V battery, because if you don’t power it up you can’t put the car in towing mode.
@@McQ14 Thank you for those tips. Very useful! However, I'm not a big car person so none of that sounds remotely familiar to me. (I'm the kind of driver who just gets in the car and drives and is perfectly content never to have to open the hood.) I'm going to have to spend some time following up on all those tips.
Hopefully Tesla eventually offers an OEM lithium battery for the Model 3 and Y. They might be able to get the price down a little from the Ohmmu battery. Otherwise when mine (eventually) dies, I'll get that. My car is only a month old though, so I don't expect to need a battery soon.
How much more range did you gain by upgrading to this battery gain? Thank you - for this informative video!
By replacing 20kg lighter battery in 2500kg car, you can go double the range!
Thanks a bunch for this informational video! Did you have to put any packing around Li Ion battery its being smaller?
Here in AZ, the heat destroys Tesla’s crappy 12V lead acid batteries in the Model 3/Y every 12-18 months. We had so many people with dead batteries during the summer. I went for a Model Y test drive in August and the service center had a cart full of batteries out and they replacing them in the parking lot. It sucked paying out of pocket $430 for a lithium ion 12V battery but I didn’t wanna deal with getting stuck on a road trip with a dead battery.
I live near Yuma Az.. my 2021 LR 3 has 48k we too see summer temps around 116 daily in summer.. no issues.
Enjoyed the video. The representative told me when I picked up my 2023 Model 3 last month. He stated it had the new battery. Question. What charges the 12 volt battery? I am not a daily driver. Thanks.
Isn’t there a specific charging process for lead acid versus Li ion in the car? With an ICE car changing to Lithium required a diode of some kind as the charging process is different..
I just had mine swapped yesterday after 2.5 years since delivery -_- Definitely going LI after the warranty’s done.
Do you know what the difference is price-wise between the 2 batteries? Thanks!
Great video! Didn't know any of that info. Love your channel👍👍💪💪
Hi Raj! I am Tesla Model 3 owner in a country with No Tesla Service Center support. My 12V battery on Model 3 died last week and can I replace it with ordinary 12v battery because I can’t find the original 12v Tesla battery in my country. Appreciate your comment
I wish I had seen this video earlier. I've had my Tesla Model 3 since June 2018 and it suddenly died overnight (3 years old). My car was inoperable when I tried to go to work and had to have it towed out of my garage. I was disappointed that there was no warning given by the car. Unless Tesla can show that they'll provide reliable warnings in the future I'll probably just change my car battery every 2 years to be on the safe side. It'll be far less painful and expensive than having it towed out of warranty.
This is what happened to me - 12 V battery warning in morning. By evening - a totally dead undriveable car and Tesla asked me to wait for 2 weeks because they did not have battery in stock. no offer for backup transportation - my car is still under warranty! I ordered Ohmuu for overnight delivery which I installed myself thanks to the you tube videos.
Raj, do you if this battery has a thermal type of protection to prevent it from charging when its below 0 degree F ? alot of LI-ion batterys will be hurt if charge during extreme cold events ?
Keeping the Li battery charged is different than keeping the lead battery charged. You should check with Tesla to see if there is a setting you need to change so that your new 12 volt Li battery won’t be damaged because the charging method needs to be adjusted.
no settings. its whatever software is there.
LFP battery should have no problem handling the lead acid 12volt charger. They can be charged with higher current and higher voltage.
Raj, great video on the 12 volt battery and I just had Tesla replace mine last year under warranty without any notifications on the screen or email or text that it was going bad but at least it was in my garage when it failed. Living in AZ the heat does numbers on lead acid batteries but I was told that the Tesla battery has a wire clipped to it to communicate back to Tesla on its functions? Does your new Lithium battery have that same plug? Also, the Tesla tech at the time advised me to keep the car plugged in all the time to ensure the 12 volt battery if needed to charge was using power from the grid rather than my HV battery in the car? Have you head of this before? Thanks
I have a 2016 MS, I heard that BMS that comes with the Li-ion or LiFePO4 batteries does not have a thermo-monitoring system and the battery packs maybe damaged and a alert my show up on your dash monitor? Your thoughts.
Hi, thank you for the video. I have a question. Does it power the inverter as well?
Thank you.
Great video, just what I was looking for. My wife was just stranded in Philly because of this. Got it changed. The price I paid makes me think it was a lead battery. Will be looking for a lithium in the future.
Thanks Raj
I just ordered a new lithium battery ,free shipping to my city. My X is three years old ,I don’t want to take a chance with the original battery.
Hello Raj, great information, curious to know what is the mileage gain for your vehicle after this replacement with 3 times less weighted battery?
None
Any issue with the Tesla Charging system? Do you need TSC to make some programming changes to let the car know you using Lithium battery so it will charge correctly? I am shopping for new battery now for my 2018 MX since I got the low battery message.
will you void the tesla warranty if I replace it with a 3rd party battery?
If you use intelligent charging and use the main battery to provide power, you could have the 12V battery last ten years or more.
The trick is: It lasts very long if it is fully charged all the time, and since you have that huge high voltage battery, you can keep the 12V charged... always.
Then of course you need to have a quality 12V battery and i guess Tesla also cheaped out on that.
Does the 2021 Model 3 come with the lithium ion battery? Or only the 2021 S/X?
No, Only 2021 S/X at this time.
Nice...do you know if the Tesla Warranty stays active if I change the battery on my own?
what is the Ah on the lead acid battery compared to the PbEq on the lifepo4 battery?
I have almost 5 years on my S dual drive car and will replace the battery with a Lithium Ion. Is Tesla stocking them now? Alternate suppliers?
Thanks for this video. Wish I had seen it sooner. My car is stone cold dead and I got no warning... can even get in the car. Only two years old. Thanks for the info.
I’m bout to crest over to 99k miles and 39 months on my original lead acid, thinking it’s about at the end of its life
Unfortunately we did not watch your video sooner as we got stranded in our Model Y with NO warning while we were out to dinner. The vehicle was fully charged but would not open or start. Doors would not open. Windows would not open. Key would not work. App would not work. We had to have it towed. Which turned out to be a problem too because since all 4 wheels have power on the Model Y and you can't put the car into neutral or tow mode with a dead 12V battery we needed a tow truck with some unique equipment. Note: You can remotely open the front trunk without power. Note: if you "charge" the 12V battery with jumper cables you can open the passenger door but be sure to leave it open while you are in the vehicle so you don't get locked in with doors/windows that DO NOT open. Note: If you jump the 12V battery with jumper cables you still can not start the Model Y or put it into tow mode. This is a major design flaw.
yup same thing happen to me also. had to call tesla and towed my car to the nearest tesla service center. just for them to change my battery
It doesn't really matter to your average viewer but it bugs me so here's my rant:
You don't actually need a 12V battery in an EV. I know because I have been designing EV electrical systems for years, and have made a vehicle without one that's been working for over a year now. It still has a 12V system, but no battery. Not sure why tesla hasn't figured this out yet. The basic differences in my system are a HV key switch/start switch that signals the DC-DC(the thing that actually powers the 12V system in all EVs) to turn on, and an extra DC-DC to power your BMS when the vehicle is off so you can still have j1772 charging. If you are clever you can also use that extra dc-dc to power your key switch instead of running high voltage but I wasn't that clever my first go around.
Can’t find that battery anywhere in stock
Hello Sir, have you noted any improvement in range over the past several months yet with this battery? Thank you
Why can't they convert their main battery 200v or something to 12v to run the accessories in the way the alternator in the gas cars powers the rest cars after it was started. That way the Tesla AGM battery would last as long as the 12v batteries in the gas cars.
Thank you for your video. Replacing with Lithium battery.
Thanks Raj for the validation, had my eyes on that type of battery. That will definitely be my next 12V battery for my Tesla. Awesome video.
Thanks Jose, always glad to help educate
My question is cold weather, some Lithium Ion batteries will be trash if charged during freezing weather. Have you considered this with your replacement battery?
Very helpful Raj. Cheers.
Why should I change the battery to LT when I’m not keeping this car for more than a few more years..
I have made 12v lithium batteries for my home, but you can't make 12v with lithium ion. My batteries are lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4). The teslarati website doesn't say "ion", so I did a little research and found that they are LiFePO4 (not lithium ion). I have plenty of extra LiFePO4 cells, so I might make my own 12v battery for my Model 3 (with a good BMS).
With the charge profiles being so different for LiFePO and PB, how can you put a Li battery in a car that has software that controls the charging profile and most importantly (for Li), trickle charging? This sounds dangerous to me.
Haha! Increase range by saving about 60lbs when the car itself is thousands of lbs. You'll get more range by going 5mph slower in hwys.
If I run an inverter from the cigarette lighter of my M3, will the main battery pack keep the 12v battery fully charged for as long as I am running the inverter?
Hello Raj, where could I find a ohmmu tesla model 3 lithium battery in stock and once I get one how can I go about disposing or getting credit for the old lead acid battery?
When do you think all Tesla models will come with the new 12v battery?
I hope by end of year. But all in Tesla’s hands
I've driven ICE cars for 7 years at a time without replacing the battery at all. 3 Year replacement intervals don't manifest themselves that others talk about. My understanding is that so long as the engine is running above idle, then the alternator charging the battery. So those discharge cycles only really manifest themselves with short drives and long parking periods (especially in cold weather).
With an EV, shouldn't it be the case that the 12V bus is being powered by the HV DC-LV DC converter when the car is "awake", thereby avoiding those life limiting battery discharges? Isn't the car able to monitor the 12V battery charge periodically in "sleep" mode and give it a charge when needed to avoid deeper discharges?
Awesome! Thanks for this!
Crazy question, when charging what battery is being charged? Is it the battery 12V or the other battery?
Big battery
Very useful! Thanks Raj!
How did you know your battery needed replacement?
Just replaced my 3's 12v battery. It was 2 years old and I didn't want to get stranded. The Lithium you linked to looks awesome but at $439 I can get Tesla to replace the lead acid 3 times including labor. At least I can at at today's prices. We'll see what they quote in 2 years time.
Appreciate the demo of how to do it, that's exactly how the mobile tech did it when he came by a few months ago.
Yeah I’m thinking the same, I’d like one, but just too pricey to justify...
Hello Raj,
Do you know if these Li-ion batteries work good in cold temperatures in the range -25C - 35C.
I have been reading that Li ion do not work good in the -ve temperatures.
Could you give more insight about the optimal working temperatures and what are the limiting temperatures too...
Would highly appreciate it..
/srinivas
What AAA takes an hour to do, Tesla promised to do for me in 2 weeks while I had a totally dead car due to totally dead 12 V battery. Tesla did not have the battery in stock. No back up transportation. Will never buy another Tesla again. When I pay $70 K plus for a car, I expect that level of service. Tesla service sucks. I chose to go for Ohmmu battery which I paid for and installed myself thanks to you tube videos.
Have you been getting the "Replace 12V Battery Soon" alert using the Ohmmu battery?
Not once!
@@TeslaRaj Ohmmu has been amazing trying to solve this issue..it's weird that most of us are getting it. I decided to keep mine and work with them on trying to figure out what's causing it.
@@TeslaRaj My voltage is running at 13.1v when parked. Any idea what yours runs at?
I loved the, “Your battery be heavy when a 3 year old can’t pick it up.” part. LOL. Too funny. Great information to know about the 12V though. Thanks.
Does a 2022 model y come with a li ion?
Is there something special about the 12V battery in a Tesla, that it costs so much and wears out so soon? I usually buy high grade lead acid batteries for our truck and cars, and never pay more than $150, and they last several years, not just 1 yr. And at least with small batteries, I've never seen a Lithium anything battery last 10 yrs; it seems that if the car used up a lead battery in a yr, it would have to age Lithium faster, too. And the weight? Even my truck battery doesn't weigh more than about 60 lbs or so. Not trying to be critical; just curious.
Great tip. Thank you.
Is the 12v charging circuitry capable to charge Lion battery??
How many amps coming out of that 12V battery?
after replacing 12v in 2016 x 2 days later the vehicle shut down and would not start. saying low voltage. suspension not working etc. Good thing i had Tesla do the battery swap or i would have thought i did somehing wrong. Ive been reading that this happens often when 12v battery is changed. does anyone know about this? i have no clue whats going to happen next. getting it towed tomorrow to tesla. Ive heard so many stories the heater was changed for 700 bucks to its a glitch and they can find anything on tests
help
anyone know if this battery is compatible with a 2019 model 3?
I've been thinking about that after Elon mentioned to Sandy about it, I've had my Model 3 almost 5 months, will be checking prices...
Thanks for this awesome video! Will definitely be replacing my Model 3’s original battery with a Lithium-Ion when it dies. But it’s still running strong at 55,000+ miles. I wonder if Tesla will eventually sell lithium-ion batteries for the 3 and Y.
Are you sure it is safe to replace the lead-acid battery with a Lithium-Ion one without modifying the charging system? DC to DC converter is set up to charge different type of the battery. It will not recognize on its own that the battery was changed for a Lithium-Ion one, right? I'm afraid that the new battery may not last as long as it should because of that. Unless there is some sort of electronics built into the new, replacement battery, maintaining its health...
Yup! 4 years full-replacement warrantyProprietary 12V Lithium cell and BMS technology that is a drop-in replacement to your existing battery (no firmware changes needed)
Battery Management System prevents damage to the battery in extreme situations and also balances the battery cells to maintain the pack for longer service life!
@@TeslaRaj is this something you read or service personnel told you? If car wasn’t setup for it correctly your new expensive battery can be underutilized.
Thank you for doing the video, now get out there and do more FSD videos. 😃
@@howards9093 the way this specific battery was created requires no change of configuration on the vehicle.
@@TeslaRaj okay that makes scents, what should we look for that tells us it’s okay if looking at other brands to make sure they also work same way as one you got? Thank you again.
This battery causes a lot of problems as I’ve done extensive research , Tesla doesn’t know how to utilize this battery which is why majority of people are having error codes and dead cars when they reboot Bc the high pack won’t charge the lithium battery Bc it thinks it’s faulty. Funny how nobody on UA-cam is talking about this
Still, why dont they run from the main battery? Sounds a bit redundant this way,
Very informative
Say Raj, I'd say $415 for a lithium battery is more than just a little more expensive. I'll wait for the lead0acid to die first thanks.
It's worth it, It will last 5x longer But it's only 2x the price. I'll will save money on electricity too
Is the charger inside the Tesla for the 12 Volt lead/acid battery designed specifically for lead/acid and not lithium ion batteries? Don't these two types of batteries charge differently? Thank you! Love your Tesla videos! :)
It can take either. Tesla was just using lead acid because of price. Hence why they have brought it to Model S/X more margin. Hopefully Y and 3 get it eventually too.
Thank you for the expedient response@@TeslaRaj - Tesla Brother! :)
Guess this answers my question I would have to be 100% certain as I have an older 2017 Model S
@@xShane23x Have you replaced it? How is it? I have 2016 model S and need to replace it and am not sure. Would you please share your experience?
@@anmarams I did not, got rid of the car for a newer one, but it’s not hard, give it a shot.
Great video Raj. I’m sold. 👍🏻 I’ll make the change when the time comes.
How do you know when the time comes? I don't want to be caught out somewhere on the open road with a dead 12V.
@@rickfernandez7947 I believe i saw that there is now an alert to warn you before
thanks for the info!
i wish i'd been aware of this sooner--my battery needs replacing...now. i received only one warning--when i got in to drive. while driving on the way home the signal lights stopped working. scheduled service in the app, and i'm supposed to drive the tesla in this condition to a service center---no joke. also, messaging in the app no longer works: I receive zero replies. had i known this could happen without warning, i would have replaced the battery in advance.
don't wait. buy a new battery before its dead
update: called the service center and they (thankfully), sent service to my house and replaced the battery. they did not have the retrofit lithium ion for 2018 M3, but at this point i dont care, i'm just happy to have my car back 👍
What happens if the battery dies on the road? I believe you can't get this jump started like a lead-acid battery due to different voltages from another car + I understand after a certain % they are hard to revive.
Correct. Once the battery dies you essentially could be stranded