12 volt

An automobile auxiliary power outlet (also known as car cigarette lighter or auxiliary power outlet) in an automobile was initially designed to power an electrically heated cigarette lighter, but became a de facto standard DC connector to supply electrical power for portable accessories used in or near an automobile directly from the vehicle's electrical system. Such include mobile phone chargers, cooling fans, portable fridges, electric air pumps, and power inverters.
In most vehicles, at least one car outlet is present. Some vehicles may have more power outlets: usually one for the front passengers, one for the rear passengers and one for the luggage trunk.
The voltage of the power outlet is usually near 12 V DC, and may be elevated between 13.5 V to 15 V while the engine is running.
The 12 V power circuit is protected by a car fuse, often rated at 10 to 20 amperes, which provides 120 to 240 watts of power. Large appliances such as hair dryers or toasters draw too much power to be fed from an auxiliary power socket. If wired directly rather than through the ignition, an empty car battery can be charged through the outlet from an external power source, which is more convenient albeit slower than currents supported through electrical clamps on the car battery.

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  1. Laurence Brown

    How long should the 12 volt, battery last ?

    We have had ther MG ZS for 40,000 miles and I am worried the 12 volt, battery will suddenly let us down - where and when we least expect it to. When driving the meter still shows a healthy charge, but really, a nearly four year old battery still functioning as if it were new?! The longetivity...
  2. M

    Dual 12 volt system

    Hello I have just got an mg4 trophy 77 kWh. I want to install a dual 12 volt system. Has anyone done that, and could you explain how to do it.
  3. M

    12 volt Battery charging

    Hi all, I like to keep the 12 volt battery in any vehicle I have maintained. There doesn’t seem to be a really accessible grounding point in the boot of the Hybrid+ (apart from the negative of the battery, which is generally considered safer to avoid), does anyone know if the battery can be...
  4. S

    12 volt battery replacement query

    The 'resting' voltage on my battery is now down to 12.1V so, coupled with the low battery message when the accessories phase is on for more than a few minutes, I feel it is time for a new one (car is 4 years old with original battery) The easy option would have been to pop down to Halfords but...
  5. R

    12 volt plug in boot.

    . Hello. I've had a look and can't find one in an obvious place. Does the ZS have a 12 volt (cigarette lighter socket) outlet in the boot? Maybe hidden away? Rob
  6. F

    Discharged 12 volt battery

    Hello, I would like to have information on the problems of a discharged 12 volt battery, which causes the vehicle to be immobilized.... Many MG3 owners have had this problem. Is there a fix applied by MG so that this no longer happens?
  7. mj224

    Struggling a bit with the EO charger and now a flat 12 volt battery

    Elsewhere on this site, I have been moaning about an EO charger that seems to be duff. Last night, the Charger switched on as per schedule, but did not charge. This morning, the 12 volt was flat enough not to switch on the car. I imagine that the charger switched on the 12V circuits, which then...
  8. Inexorabilis

    MG ZS EV - 12V regularly dies or goes flat. What to do and How to Fix Longterm [SOLVED]

    Hello everyone, I posted this as a reply in a thread previously, but I feel it deserves it's own thread so that anyone googling this problem will find a good resource with steps to take to resolve the issue. Background: I bought my MG ZS EV in November 2022 and in the following year the 12V...
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