Tesla Model 3 12V Battery Swap
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ก.พ. 2025
- Ohmmu Energy shows you how easy it is to swap the 12V battery in your Tesla Model 3 (2017-2022.3) and upgrade to the best 12V lithium battery for your Tesla!
The Ohmmu 12V Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) battery is lighter, more efficient, higher capacity and lasts 4x longer than the OEM battery from Tesla (Atlas BX B24LS, 1129182-00A, 1129182-00-B).
You can get one of these 12V lithium batteries for your Tesla at: www.ohmmu.com
I, a middle-aged woman, just installed the 12v battary on our 2yar Tesla 3 following this video. Feels so proud.
1999? You’re young! Was it easy though?
My Model 3 battery died without any warning, leaving me stuck in my rural hometown. Tesla said that I was out-of-reach of mobile service until the second week of September, and that I'd have to have the car towed to their service center 90 miles away at my expense to have it replaced sooner. I decided instead to order this replacement, since, even if I was out of commission for a couple days, at least it would be shipped to the door. Less than 24 hours later, and I just finished the install with the help of this video, and everything is back up and running.
I purchased an Ohmmu battery for my Model 3 and Sean came to my house and installed it. He's extremely knowledgeable and friendly. I could have talked to him for hours about electric cars. You can’t ask for better customer service. Thanks again Sean.
So many youtubers who make step by step videos leave out some important steps. Not here. Well done detailing each step for us.
The written instructions (Tesla/Ohmmu Tech Note) differ slightly. The Tech Note tells you to disconnect the 12v battery *before* the high voltage, then disconnect high voltage then wait 2 minutes, then specifically NOT re-connect the 12v battery until the high voltage is re-connected. It warns that re-connecting the 12v battery before the high voltage can lead to over discharge issues (though it sounds strange as nobody would do this for an extended period). I think both instructions are safe and work. I followed the Tech Note but this video was still valuable to give confidence about the procedure. It would be good if Ohmmu could correct either the Tech Note or this Video to avoid uncertainty for other customers.
I highly recommend the Ohmmu replacement battery for weight savings and longevity alone. The potential benefits of more power with less sag are a bonus too. A replacement Tesla battery with labour costs at least half and may have to be replaced twice in the same 4 year warranty time of the Ohmmu battery. This is a positive upgrade whichever way you look at it, for the features or just to avoid having to replace the lead acid battery. It will most likely return more than the investment over the lifetime of the car, as LiFePO4 batteries should last that long without any replacement.
Yeah, it a bit frustrating that they still have the sequence wrong. Negative of 12V is the first thing to disconnect and the last thing to reconnect. I wonder how they missed this in the video.... and don't correct it.
Interesting. Thanks for the tip!
Thanks. Your tutorial was super simple to follow, and everything was done in less than 30 minutes work.
You saved me the 2 work day plus weekend wait for Tesla to come do it.
You rock!😊
I had to buy a Tesla battery today because my car literally died outta no where, but your video was extremely helpful
My model 3 is at 144k miles and this was my first 12v.
Might I suggest adding something on how to open the hood when the battery is completely dead? In case anyone is wondering, pop the tow hook cover off, grab the wires connected to it, and hit em with a 9v battery (positive wire is marked red, and is longer).
Thank you. I wish I could have bought one of your batteries but I have a road trip coming up. You saved that trip btw so I really appreciate you showing me how to swap my battery.
Man i wish i had this video last Sunday lol. The harness had me scratching my head for an hour.
Used this tutorial to replace my M3 battery. Worked great. One thing that was different was that as soon as I put on the negative side the car fully booted back up
Great step by step instruction.
Not sure how long the OEM batteries last but I've saved this video towards battery replacement when the time comes.
Excellent video, thank you!
@Daniel Brice Arizona heat is killing some batteries in not much more than a year (folks that park in the sun a lot I'm guessing). My battery is alive and well at 14 months thus far...
Just replaced mine at 1.5 yrs; Florida.
@Daniel Brice Make it "about 1/10th the price" in Europe.
- Ohmmu Lithium Battery 439USD+20% VAT+shipping from USA (or 559€ shipped from a european online store)
- Varta 12V lead battery: 58€ shipped on Amazon
My 2018 M3 still had a good battery. They say if you keep it plugged in it takes stress off the 12 volt battery and it will last longer and in my case it’s true but I replaced it anyway. You don’t want a 12 volt failure on the road. It’s a pain to reset it and get the car to drive again. I’ve watched many TH-cam Tesla guys who explain this. Good purchase price from Tesbroes there a certified dealer for Ohmmu for only 373.15 as I got 20% off coupon. You can google tesbroes for valid coupons. Good luck
Mine is 7 yrs old and I just got a notice to change the 12 v soon.
Great vid, just bought a new Model Y so not planning on replacing my battery for a few years, but I did ask my local SC how much it would cost and they said $112 ($85 for OEM battery and $26.25 Mobil service labor total is $111.25). That’s cheaper than I anticipated and it’s done in your own garage.
Had mine a year and a month and no issues. Will be getting one for the model Y. Thanks.
yeah, that Ohmmu battery is a win win to replace the BP battery. thank you for more explaining about dc-12.dc converter
I would love to replace the original battery right after 3years/36k miles.
Really awesome video, Sean! I can't wait to have this better quality battery in my Model 3. Thank you all so much.
Thank you for the great video. I just installed your battery in my P3D; simple install and one can really notice the weight difference between the OEM battery and this battery 😀
theres no way you can notice 3lb reduction in your car, maybe when you installed it lol
@@chickmagnet6004 they are talking about the weight of the battery when you pick it up.
Costco won't tell you they have Tesla battery, but the Interstate 51R group dropped right into my 2019 M3LR
Nice video. Just got an alert on my 2018 Model 3 to replace the 12V battery.
My battery was still under warranty 😃
My 2018 just past warranty just alerted me to replace the 12 volt battery. I am very much on the fence about replacing with this battery or the regular lead acid. Can anyone comment as to a noticeable difference in any way? Length of service etc....
@@18837dc no clue but I'd see if Tesla would replace it anyway if you haven't already. There were known issues that drained our 12 volt's prematurely
What great video! How much savings to the owner vs being done by Tesla. I would think the ranger would do this with a home visit.
I'm really impressed by the angle Tesla designed into the metal caps for plus and negative terminals.
Great video with lots of helpful information! I am thinking about performing the swap on my 2021 M3. Could you elaborate whether the swap or work on the 12v battery will affect any of Tesla's warranties?
Just replaced my OEM battery with the Ohmmu lithium for 2019 Mod3 SR+. Everything went smoothly. Error messages gone. Will road test later. Thanks!
How was it?
Thanks for the great video with detail! I've just purchased one and replaced the bad OEM battery.
Ordered M3 battery on Monday, arrived on Wednesday, installed in less than 30 minutes. Excellent video. Thanks.
You guys need to make a installation video for the Model Y on your website. I looked under there rear seat the high voltage cut off is not located there on the Model Y.
These are good instructions but you should say to wait 2 minutes minimum between turning off the high voltage connection and the other steps.
I thought the same thing too.
Nice video! Gotta love that lithium! 🙂
Excellent presentation !
I had a technician put it in $123. Thank you very much.
Does that price include the battery?
Just ordered two for the two model 3's we have, I love that you use 10mm metric lol
Where do you buy that wrench?
It works! great job Thank you for your videos they are very helpfull.
I did one extra step. I gaffer taped the gas tube to the side of the battery just so I don’t hear it knocking around when driving
I don’t even have a Tesla. But it was a great video
How does Tesla see the new Lithium Batterie under Service Info. Actually my M3 from 2019 shows a „lead-acid“ Battery which is installed. Do i have to change it via Setup in Service Mode??
Tesla told me I can't install a Lithium battery for the 12v system, because of "Codebase" reasons, citing that there would be neccesitations for multiple variations of code-base per vehicle to support such things and that my 2021 model 3 SR+ would never be able to have a 12v lithium battery...
Any opinions on this ??
Do we need to purchase the 12V batteries to Tesla specifically? Or is a standard one?
Very well done, will be getting one of these for my Model X after I drive out of the warranty.
My Model 3 is showing “asleep” and neither the App or the key card won’t unlock the doors…I’ve been trying to figure out what’s going on and some have said it’s the 12v battery needing replacement.
I got the frunk open and access to the 12v battery, but the DIY’s are showing the car has to be off and windows down to replace the 12v battery. How do I do that if the car is off and still locked? The jumper cables won’t unlock the doors either even when I connect it thru the old 12v battery.
I have a 2021 M3 with a LHP battery. I keep hearing that if you have a LHP battery you can only replace with another LHP. Tesla owners are reporting complications with swapping out to a lithium. Any comments..?
2021 M3 have Lead Acid battery. I'm not sure what LHP is actually?
Well done 👍🏻
Followed each step by step but after about a month 12 V replacement prompts on MCU returned. Attempted to contact company still waiting return call. Please help.
Hello. I have a question. What about charging Lithium battery. As I know there is different type of chargers for different type of batteries. Is tesla Model y charger is ok with Lithium battery? And will I see in car spec that it is now Lithium and not lead-acid.
Hi, the battery doesn't need to be charged to 100%, the charge profile in the car is set up to charge to about 14.2-14.4V and then allow it to float in the high 13.8ish range, it then allows it to discharge down to around 13.2V and recharges it again. As you can see these parameters of discharge floor and charge max are perfectly within range/spec for LFP-based chemistry!
Personally, the very first thing would be to remove the Negative battery post clamp. Then, even if you were to touch the tie down bracket across positive and the vehicle body, there would be NO arcing since there is no longer a way to complete the circuit through the battery. The Negative post clamp should also be the very last thing attached, for the very same reasons.
Great instructions! I just replaced my M3 battery and it took less than 20 minutes!
Where did u buy ur 12v battery?
How long do they last?
I will be ordering mine in June, great video and huge thanks.
Thank you ... this info is hard to find !
Glad it was helpful!
Here’s the situation for most people...your Model 3 12V battery is going bad, the car tells you it is going bad and you have time to call Tesla service. Tesla comes to your house a couple days later and installs the new battery, free, under warrantee. If you’re lucky even the next time the 12V fails you are still inside the 8 year warrantee. After that one might want to consider alternative batteries, not before (and not before 2025 for any Model 3, first released in 2017). If you’re too far for mobile service, you can always take a little road trip.
Or just go to Walmart and for $150 get a 51R battery and put it in yourself. Took me 10 minutes to install and less hassle than taking it in for service. Are you sure the 8 year warranty covers the 12volt battery and not just the high voltage one?
Due to the potential for arcing, is it a "must do" to wear gloves like you have on during the video? Are those gloves specifically designed to guard against electric shocks?
That's not the correct power down procedure you can damage modules in that way. Granted it's a very small risk but still not worth it.
1. Lower windows and power off from screen
2. Disconnected the neg cable on the battery
3. THEN disconnect the LV connector under the back seat.
You can now replace the battery however once you do, DO NOT CONNECT the neg cable yet.
Now powering back up is in reverse. Connect the LV connector then finally connect the neg cable
Other then that it's a very informative video
I know the last step in your comment is, well, raise back the windows.
I do want to know, however, why lower the windows as first step? Is this step only for summertime?
@@TeslaEVVideos it's cause when it's powered down the windows will not lower when you try to open the door and you can possibly slam it on the chrome trim
What if the battery is so dead you can't tell the car to turn off? Same steps but skip that one?
Trying to bump this up. Mountain Pass performance also has a guide for this.
@@TheBowerbird The Mountain Pass Performance guide is missing the steps for disconnecting the low voltage supply to the penthouse (under the rear sear),
Wow!
Great video and a lot of information. Thanks.
Glad it was helpful!
I have a 2018 dual-motor long-range model 3.
please tell me if the OEM battery is or is not an lithium ion type???
Also would like to know what is the life range of the OEM battery on model 3?
My 12 V battery just died, two hours away from my house, with no prior warning on the display !
The OEM battery is lead. Life range is 2-4 years.
I just wish these things were in stock, now that I need one. I should have bought one sooner and just stored it.
This battery sounds awesome. Any holiday cheer with a discount code?
Excellent video!
Fantastic video! Thanks for sharing.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Have you had any problems yet like Tesla is having since including lithium 12v batteries from the factory?
How do we open door to get under the sear to turn off high voltage if the 12V battery goes out?
Depends on if you have access to inside at all, Tesla doesn't always do things the mosts obvious and bright way. If your 12V is out, the doors won't open b/c they are all actuated by electronics. But, you can remove the little round cover thats in the bumper on driver side, behind it you'll find 2 wires (red and a black); connect them to a 12V source and the car will pop the frunk. Swap the 12V battery and you'll then have access inside.
The part of the 12V swap that involves the back seat HV plug disconnect is not relevant when the car has completely shut down b/c the total shut-down state means the HV battery is already "off" so nothing further needs to happen to disable the HV battery for a 12V replacement.
Great info... thank you!
In the video the vent tube is left loose, so just remember to connect vent tube to the new battery.
No, actually the new one won't have that, don't need to reconnect, can leave hanging or zip tie to something.
Nice step by step. What year was that Model 3 you did this on? Thank you.
So the spacers come with the new battery?
Yes they do
Replacing battery after warranty
Is there a risk of losing any settings while the power is disconnected?
I didn't see any missing or lost settings after swapping out the OEM 12V battery for the Ohmmu lithium 12V battery.
@@tedc2158 Thanks for the data point!
@@tedc2158what year and model tesla do you have? Thanks
I have a 2018 Model 3 long range AWD
Great video!!! Thank you so much 😊
Have you guys tried making a higher voltage battery and see if that works with this 12v error alert issue?
What did you do with the vent tube? Was it plugged in again? Or left to dangle?
Left to dangle or get a zip-tie and tie it to something.
Can you replace a lead acid 12V battery with the Li Iron Phosphate batter? Does the car care?
For most Tesla its easy to answer this for the Model 3/Y there is a weird situation that has come up in the last year or so, the car seems to care now and flags alerts if things aren't dialed in just right. Getting the formula of the sped on the LFP is essential to making it work right in these cars! The Rev4+ from Ohmmu will be that battery! It is slated to release by the end of this year for new purchases
Does replacing OEM 12v battery with this battery void factory warranty?
How do you replace the 12v battery when car is dead and you cannot open the car? Hood is open by way of jumping bumper access
There is always a way to open the hood, even without power, depending on the model there are different methods.
Do these batteries have low temp cut off?
Will doing this help with clearing a "VCFRONT a196 - Low voltage battery disconnected" warning code?
The procedure could potentially do that, that alert shouldn't happen unless the car detects a sudden drop in voltage on the 12V battery. If it is a Lithium battery with an internal BMS, that could be a safety cutoff engaging (would look like a disconnected battery because that is what happens inside the battery). Doing this procedure and charging the battery at the same time would be a proper way to do it!
So what’s the purpose of that 12v battery on a Tesla? Is it for the wireless chargers, speakers?
All of the 12V powered computers in the vehicle (there are many, cellular module, stereo/infotainment, power struts, windows, etc, probably more than 100 devices in the vehicle are powered directly by 12V)
Very well instructed. Step by step.
Thank you so much for this video!
Does this apply to Model Y?
But... what is this classic 12V battery needed for in the electric car? :-0
Is there a Canadian distributor?
Hi. I followed your steps. Replaced the battery. But now I can't start the car！
Really great video!
Would live to get these for my Model 3 Racecar and my new Model Y
I changed the 12v battery just as you had shown. The car now works. However, the warning message to replace the battery soon did not go away. I rebooted the car twice. Now what?
Here's a quick update. The replace battery soon message never went away. I brought car back to tesla. Apparently, there is a reset button underneath the back seat on the passenger side. It took the service tech 2 minutes. Now it's back to normal.
Roger Chan thank you for sharing that!
@@RogerClubv Hi Roger, did the T Tech tell you how to do this reset by yourself?
@@richphillips3194 That's the gray low voltage connector that you see them disconnecting under the back seat. I think I'd power off the car (in the service menu), then disconnect that connect, wait a bit, then re-connect to clear the 12V battery warnings. It's possible you'd also need to disconnect the 12V battery, but that I'm not sure of. Since the tech cleared it in 2 min, they probably didn't. Perhaps someone else knows?
If you need to disconnect things in the penthouse, should you update/delete the other video from last year that just shows a soft shutdown and nothing about the penthouse?
I'd love to get one but I imagine shipping to Ireland is pricey? Or do you have a European dealer?
Agreed, we will delete that video when this one picks up steam, at this point any exposure is still good for us and that video is getting more views. Ireland is $139, we do flat-rate for all international shipping. Use the code “taketwenty” to get another $20 off for your order!
How often do you need to swap the 12 v battery?
Sadly more often then should be the case, every couple years typically, depending on the climate/region the car is in.
It looks much easier and easy on your back if you stay in front while lifting and replacing the battery.
I see only model Y battery is available at the time and model 3 is out of stock. is there any difference? can the model y battery work for the 3 and vise versa?
Physically there is no difference between the two. We have 3 “out of stock” due to a software hiccough in the 3, we are developing a new revision of this battery and it will be ready to ship again in 4-5 weeks!
@@OhmmuEnergy Hi when you say that you are developing a new version of this battery do you mean that it will be even lighter ???????Hopefully does it mean your new battery will be 8.5LBS instead of 11lbs ??????
It doesn't make any difference on the Model 3 for High Bass, because everything in the M3 is mostly run off of the dc dc converter which supplies up to 2000W, but if you draw too much amps from any circuit the e-fuse will shut down the dc dc, regardless if the 12v battery could have supplied it.
What battery do you recommend?
How do I find someone to install this battery?
Very informative. Thank you.
My Owners Manual says my 12v battery is lithium ion (2023). Is this a lie?
It's probably true if you are in a Tesla.
Hi,🤣 dieses Wort bedeutet in der deutschen Sprache soviel wie Ende, Meditationskuh oder Meditations...😊.
Meine Frage wäre ob und wo ich so ein TShirt kaufen kann.
M.f.G. Petra Berger vormals Platzer und vormals Nittel
We could get you an Ohmmu shirt if you would like to pay for shipping, contact us via support.ohmmu.com
Why we need windows down?
So the glass doesn't catch the trim if/when you wish to open a door while the car is without power. If anything goes wrong with the car, you'll be happy to have at least one window down.
Is there any coding needed or is it really this easy?
Hi, no coding needed! Yeah it’s this easy!
Nice video. How about the cost of these Litium batteries compared to the AGM? Is it still worth it? I mean the weight saving has gone lost in the last months at home in this corona time.🤣
about 2.5x the cost. But if they last 4-5 times longer you save money in the long run. I'm doing research for when I get my Tesla. I just want to know how these do in cold-weather? Lithiums operate like garbage at freezing or below.
seems that your paddle is installed upside down
I need this. My 12V battery literally died...had to have it towed to the dealership and....a week later? I still do not have my Tesla 3 back as they had to ORDER the 12V battery. How can they NOT HAVE 12V batteries in stock for my Tesla?!?1????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tesla's latest software update, 2020.28.6 is a disaster for 12V alert system and has been making many Model 3 flag as replace 12V now, even if the battery is fine. They are trying to over-correct from their previous version which didn't flag batteries soon enough and was leaving owners stranded in their driveways.
@@OhmmuEnergy Looks like the Ohmmu lithium battery is also being flagged. My Model 3 screen showed the "12V battery must be replaced soon" message about 2 weeks after installing the Ohmmu battery and on 2020.28.6.
Just got the same message tonight. Getting my model 3 towed to Tesla
@@davidmontenegro725 It took 7 days to get the 12V battery!! Why they do not have a stock of 12V batteries IN THE INVENTORY was beyond me. I got NO warning before the car just "died" so after a week? New 12V battery and all is good, but I was mad as hell about this situation. it took too long to fix a simple issue.
jwbjpb1 Well i actually got my car the next day by lunch! They were super fast and apparently had the battery in stock. I do wish there was a warning. I mean you would think a check engine light of some sort would come on
That intake definitely needs a filter
What is the point or benefit of swapping to a lithium 12V battery?
9:53
the Lithium is half the weight , will last 3 times longer or more, has more capacity and best of all is non toxic. Why drive electric if gas is so good! The same logic for driving a clean electric car is getting rid of LEAD. We took it out of paint , gas and even buck shot. It is a terrible pollution. I have the lithum 12v in my S and model 3.
@@solarstacks Using this logic, seems Tesla would offer lithium as standard equipment.
@@bilwiggins LiFePO4 cannot work at low temp
@@bilwiggins FYI All the new Model S and X will have Lithium 12v. This was recently stated by Tesla.
Did you need to reinstall the vent tube for the battery or did this battery not come with one?
no need of vent tube, since this battery dont makes fumes.