Can I get 12V/5V from the power points when ignition is off?

[Justin Smith]

We are due to go on our first camping holiday (non electric pitch) with the Auris but it has occurred to me their may be a problem with recharging our phones / rechargeable batteries / lights because (unlike on my prev Focus) the power to the "cigarette lighters" / power points, switches off when the ignition is off. We are not intending to do much driving whilst we are there, just short journeys, so I am hoping I do not have to sit in the car with the ignition switched on in order to recharge our stuff ? ! ?
Anyone got any ideas ?

[TonyHSD]

6 minutes ago, Justin Smith said:

We are due to go on our first camping holiday (non electric pitch) with the Auris but it has occurred to me their may be a problem with recharging our phones / rechargeable batteries / lights because (unlike on my prev Focus) the power to the "cigarette lighters" / power points, switches off when the ignition is off. We are not intending to do much driving whilst we are there, just short journeys, so I am hoping I do not have to sit in the car with the ignition switched on in order to recharge our stuff ? ! ?
Anyone got any ideas ?

Hi, it will be a huge mistake if you are planning to use your hybrid in acc mode or to recharge your devices directly from the 12v Battery. ⚠️🪫
 Your car has a tiny 12v Battery and this gets discharged very quickly if you do so and very likely  you will end up with a flat Battery and be stranded. 
For whatever reason you need any power source from your Toyota hybrid make sure your car is in “ready mode “ car ON and ready to drive , otherwise you are risking a flat battery. Perhaps a good power bank for iPhones, tablets worth investment. Amazon has a great choice. 
Enjoy your camping and make sure you do always in ready mode 👍

[Guest]

As Tony suggests, why not take a couple of rechargeable "power banks" which themselves can be charged from the car while you are driving. Assuming that's possible in a Hybrid if in fact if you have a Hybrid? Your Toyota Model just indicates "Auris".

[Cyker]

There's no reason to not sit in the car with the ignition 'on', i.e. in Ready mode, TBH - With normal ICE cars it can waste a lot of fuel, but with hybrids, and EVs especially, there is no reason not to, as they will not run the engine most of the time, and when they do it's just briefly to top the traction Battery up.

But this is not unusual - I don't know of any car that powers the 12v socket when the car is off. Most will power it when the car is in Aux mode (Ignition switch Position 2, or press the start button without the brake), as will the hybrids, but even on ICE cars it's not a good idea to use it in that mode for long, esp. with a strong load, as I suspect after an hour or so you'd find the car wouldn't start any more!

There is a project on DashcamTalk which sells a lithium pack which can be plugged in permanently and constantly supplies power - It's designed to power dashcams continuously, even when the car is off, and charge when the car is on, without having to unplug things (Most power banks won't power devices when they're being charged). It's stupidly expensive tho' as it's a low volume /niche product.

[Gerg]

1 hour ago, Cyker said:

don't know of any car that powers the 12v socket when the car is off.

German cars and their derivatives, and Ford's from my experience. (Limited sample-size admission alert here!) 

 

[Cyker]

Maybe specific ones? My friend had an Audi A3 and I've had a Fiesta and my dad's had an Escort, Sierra, Granada and Focus over the years (He was a big Ford fan!  ) and I don't remember the 12v socket working in any of those when the car was off...

I know some cars have an always-on 12v socket, often hidden in an armrest or glovebox location, but I've never seen a normal 'ciggy lighter' one that wasn't switched with the engine on, so I don't think it's that common...

(Disclaimer: Like Johnny English, I also know nothing  )

[TonyHSD]

Even if not a hybrid never a good idea to use 12v power if engine it’s not running. These batteries aren’t designed as constant power source but for engine start and then alternator needs to keep them charged. Because many done so and got away definitely doesn’t mean it’s a good practice. A lots of new to the hybrids owners learned about that the hard way. 👍

[Roy124]

4 minutes ago, Gerg said:

German cars and their derivatives, and Ford's from my experience. (Limited sample-size admission alert here!) 

 

Ford yes (20 years ago at least).  Mercedes no (from at least 20 years ago).  I got caught going to India with a knackered cell phone Battery confident that I could plug into a lighter socket.  Only the Ford Escort in my final week allowed for power off recharging.

I think a hybrid 'tiny' Battery could charge a phone.  An option would be to make an extension lead and run a socket from the Battery.

As Tony suggests, get a power bank.  If, for about £35, you get a power bank that can also be used as a jumper pack you have win/win.  

[Rhymes with Paris]

My old Lexus had the power socket aka known as cigar lighter,on when the key was in accessory position,ie ignition off , but radio etc powered.

As I found out one summer with my 12 v fridge plugged in.

On the other hand my ax diesel had the socket on all the time, irrespective of key position,or key in or out.

The Battery never ran down on that one even when spending 12 hours on a ferry with that same fridge plugged in.

I was doing around 20-25 thousand miles a year in those days though, so the Battery stayed ok from brand new.

 

[Guest]

19 hours ago, Cyker said:

I don't know of any car that powers the 12v socket when the car is off. Most will power it when the car is in Aux mode

Smart Alec alert!

My Daughter's Zafira had  permanent 12v socket. It made installing a Dashcam (without parking mode)difficult using that supply.

I had to tap in to a fuse box at the rear and run a switched power cable to the front!

Yes, you are correct, it is rare. That's the only time I have experienced it.

[TonyHSD]

My dad’s  Passat estate has permanent 12v socket in the boot, but it’s Battery is double the size of modern Toyotas, and still I won’t use it with engine off. 

[Justin Smith]

On 4/3/2023 at 4:26 PM, Cyker said:

Maybe specific ones? My friend had an Audi A3 and I've had a Fiesta and my dad's had an Escort, Sierra, Granada and Focus over the years (He was a big Ford fan!  ) and I don't remember the 12v socket working in any of those when the car was off...

I know some cars have an always-on 12v socket, often hidden in an armrest or glovebox location, but I've never seen a normal 'ciggy lighter' one that wasn't switched with the engine on, so I don't think it's that common...

(Disclaimer: Like Johnny English, I also know nothing  )

My old car was a Focus, 2006 plate, and that kept the power on to the "cigarette lighter" when the ignition was off. It was very handy for recharging low current stuff likes phones or our camping light / fan.

On the other hand my wife's Yaris cut off power when switched off.

[Justin Smith]

On 4/3/2023 at 11:11 AM, olonas said:

As Tony suggests, why not take a couple of rechargeable "power banks" which themselves can be charged from the car while you are driving. Assuming that's possible in a Hybrid if in fact if you have a Hybrid? Your Toyota Model just indicates "Auris".

It's a petrol not a hybrid, have updated my profile.

[Derek.w]

A lot of Vauxhall have permanent 12 volt sockets.

Your options use a secondary Battery pack for powering devices.

Some jump start packs have 12/5 volt sockets you can use plus you can recharge it via the 12 aux socket in the car when you are traveling.

You dont want a situation when going hame of insuficint Battery power to start.

[AisinW]

Just get a powerbank for £10-£20 and its enough for charging 4 or 6 times.

I have hybrid and bought Tacklife T8 for about £70. It is a jump starter with fast charging features.  Useful for diesel too. 

 

[Justin Smith]

On 4/15/2023 at 7:12 PM, AisinW said:

Just get a powerbank for £10-£20 and its enough for charging 4 or 6 times.

I have hybrid and bought Tacklife T8 for about £70. It is a jump starter with fast charging features.  Useful for diesel too. 

Is that little thing really 18,000mAH ? ! ?

I note it has an adapter cable to allow a standard (!Removed! lighter) 12V plug to fit.

I think I might buy one and keep it in the car anyway because, AFAIK, you cannot bump start an automatic car.....

Where would you advise getting one in the UK ? I have seen them on E Bay but, I have found, the problem with buying stuff off E Bay is it effectively has only got a 3 month warranty. Many sellers are only bothered about what buyers think whilst they have the opportunity to write feedback !

[AisinW]

My advice, get the one fro. LIDL or Aldi when they are available. They are TÜV certified and proven safe. 

If not, get welknown brand such as Anker, Taklife, Bosch, etc. Amazon is a good place with clear 2y warranty on all stuff. 

[Justin Smith]

1 hour ago, AisinW said:

My advice, get the one fro. LIDL or Aldi when they are available. They are TÜV certified and proven safe. 

If not, get welknown brand such as Anker, Taklife, Bosch, etc. Amazon is a good place with clear 2y warranty on all stuff. 

Thanks.

Tacklife T8s seem to be more available in the USA rather then the UK ?

[Justin Smith]

Has anyone got one of these ? :

GOOLOO GE2000

It seems to have most of the stuff I'd want, but is "only" 10,000mAH, is that enough ? ! ?

 

[AisinW]

You only need 1000mAh, and minimum Amperage 60 Amp. Any jump starter even £10 unknown brand can start any hybrid or EV. It is not the total capacity/energy, but the power or Amperage that is important. 

Gooloo is pretty good. Comparable to tacklife 

Supercapacitor is actually better, last longer, and always ready because we never need to charge it. However, Supercapacitor  jumper rarely work for large diesel. 

[Derek.w]

At a push you can use a 12 volt Battery off a alarm system.

A 12 volt drill Battery will also do the trick.

Just use a lot of Li-ion 18650 cells one cell 3.7 volts 1700mAh so you need 4 cells.

Then a dedicated charger to keep them good and a cell monitor per cell thats what you paying for in a powerbank except the cells are usully flat bag type.

[Derek.w]

If you want 5 volts from a seperate 12 volt Battery you can find lots of devices for this with usb port output as a electronic card or if you have a spare cigarette lighter socket with usb plugs output just connect some flying leads to it via its own fuse.

[Justin Smith]

10 hours ago, Derek.w said:

If you want 5 volts from a seperate 12 volt battery you can find lots of devices for this with usb port output as a electronic card or if you have a spare cigarette lighter socket with usb plugs output just connect some flying leads to it via its own fuse.

TBH what would be ideal for me is a powerpack with 5v USB, 12V "!Removed! lighter" socket and a 240v inverter mains, plus the croc clips for emergency start. But I realise I might be asking for a bit there! 

I'd want a large ampage because we want it to recharge our stuff when camping and may find it awkward to recharge, esp as the Auris 12V output goes off when the key is removed (hence the thread).
However, the larger GOOLOO GE3000 has a capacity of 22800mAh but does not seem to even have a 12V socket type output (nor a carry case like the GE2000 has !).

[Justin Smith]

"!Removed! lighter"

Hey ? ! ?

I assume this has censored out the word Foxtrot Alpha Golf !

Seriously ?

[Derek.w]

12 hours ago, Justin Smith said:

TBH what would be ideal for me is a powerpack with 5v USB, 12V "!Removed! lighter" socket and a 240v inverter mains, plus the croc clips for emergency start. But I realise I might be asking for a bit there! 

I'd want a large ampage because we want it to recharge our stuff when camping and may find it awkward to recharge, esp as the Auris 12V output goes off when the key is removed (hence the thread).
However, the larger GOOLOO GE3000 has a capacity of 22800mAh but does not seem to even have a 12V socket type output (nor a carry case like the GE2000 has !).

Try google 12 volt to 240 volt inverters but this will pull a lot of power from your Battery so you need a second Battery to run this it may be cheper just to buy a new device that works from 12 volts.

Not sure why you need a petrol generator for all your 240 volt kit.