Electric Vehicles (EV) & Dash Cams
So we know that Dash Cams work in conventional petrol vehicles. Most of us have Dash Cams in our own conventional cars or know someone that uses a Dash Cam.
But do Dash Cams also work the same in Electric Vehicles (EV)?
Dash Cams do not know what type of vehicle they are installed into. They cannot tell the difference between a sedan, hatch, dual cab, Toyota, Ferrari or truck.
Provided the Dash Cam gets power from the vehicle, it will power up record videos the Micro SD card.
A Dash Cam will work in an electric vehicle. However there a some differences in how to operate them. This is not due to the Dash Cam itself, more the design and operation of the Electric Vehicle.
RECORDING WHILE DRIVING ONLY
So if you plug a Dash Cam into a 12V cig lighter socket of an electric vehicle, it will power up. When you turn off the engine the camera will shut down.
Very Important Note: the 12V cig lighter socket must not provide power when the engine is OFF. If it does, the camera will continue to record when parked and could fully drain the 12V auxiliary battery.
Note, the larger battery to run the car is separate from the 12V auxiliary battery which powers the vehicles accessories.
The 12V auxiliary battery may or may not influence the engine starting, so best to be safe and not plug it in to a constantly powered cig lighter socket.
To check this, simply plug the Dash Cam cig lighter cable into the 12V EV socket with the engine OFF. If the Dash Cam turns on, then it is constantly powered and should not be used. If the Dash Cam doesn’t boot up, you are good to go for recording while driving only.
RECORDING WHILE PARKED
This is the more restrictive scenario when using a Dash Cam in an electric vehicle. You can record while parked in an EV, however it is recommended to use an external battery pack like the Cellink NEO or B130X battery pack.
Yes, it is strange that it is recommend to use separate battery when the whole vehicle is powered by a massive one.
There is a reason.
In a conventional petrol powered vehicle, a Dash Cam’s hardwire cable is installed into the fusebox for park mode recording. Via the fusebox, the Dash Cam draws power from the car battery and shuts down when a set low voltage cut off is reached. This prevents the car battery from draining to point where you can’t start the engine.
With electric vehicles, some don’t have a fusebox, like the Tesla Model 3, so you can’t even hardwire the Dash Cam for parking mode power.
With electric vehicles that do have a fuse box, they generally have a very small 12V auxiliary battery that powers the vehicles electric components (like doors, windows etc etc…). If hardwiring a Dash Cam to this auxillary battery via the fusebox, the amount of park mode recording time is very limited.
Because the Dash Cam will shut down at a set cut off voltage (lowest cut off voltage is normally 12.0V), the 12V EV auxiliary battery will reach this cut off very quickly. So the Dash Cam will not stay on for long to protect you while parked.
Some electric vehicles are also known to throw errors on the screen if the car doesn’t recognise what is drawing power from the car battery while parked.
To maximise your park mode recording time, and minimize any hardwiring issues in an EV, it is recommended to use an external battery pack like the Cellink NEO or B130X.
These battery packs provide power to the Dash Cam when the engine is off, so no draw from the EV battery whatsoever.
Using a battery pack bypasses the vehicles battery system while parked.
The Cellink NEO or B130X battery simply plugs into a 12V cig lighter socket and charges up while you drive. When you turn off the engine at the shopping centre, the NEO or B130X stops charging and powers the Dash Cam, so draw on the EV battery system.
Before installing a Dash Cam into an EV we highly recommend you have a chat with the car manufacturer/dealer for suitability.
If you have any further enquiries or would like more assistance please do not hesitate to contact us on (03) 9350 2605 or info@dashcamsaustralia.com.au or on our Live Chat tab on the site.