After the 128GB USB stick – to store Dashcam & Sentry footage – broke down, I started using a Samsung Portable SSD T5 with 500GB of storage space for this task. The disadvantage is that in our Tesla Model 3, this SSD is lying loose in the storage space near the USB ports (the new Model 3s now has the luxury of a USB port in the glove compartment). Now I could make a hole in the lining of this storage space to lead the USB cable to the glove compartment so that the SSD can be placed there, but that takes some drilling / cutting as well as some disassembly time. The advantage of this solution is that it provides some extra security, together with the recently introduced PIN code on the glove compartment. But if you’re looking for an elegant solution without drilling / cutting and disassembling, then the Taptes USB Hub might be a solution for you.
The Taptes USB Hub is a kind of plastic box with 3x USB A connections on the front (1x USB-A for a data connection + 2x USB-A that can only be used for charging) and 1x USB-C connection, on the rear 2 male USB-A connections that will go into both USB ports of your Tesla Model 3, and a “secret” compartment with a USB-A connection to connect and store for example your SSD drive or USB stick. The lid to this secret compartment is kept in place by little magnets. To keep your hard drive neatly in place, a 3M magnetic pad is included that you can glue to the back of your SSD, as well as a short USB-A to USB-C cable. With my Samsung SSD mounted, this looks as follows:
You can order the Taptes USB Hub at a very affordably price through AliExpress. If you search you should be able to find it for something over € 16.00 including shipping. With my order, this Hub costed € 16.20 incl. VAT and shipping, and it was delivered within 14 days (ordered January 10, 2021 and delivered January 23, 2021). The looks are good, especially for an accessory in this price range! And we are satisfied with the Taptes quality as the Taptes wireless smartphone charger we installed in our Tesla Model 3 in May 2019 is still working perfectly.
To install you only have to slide the Taptes USB Hub into the compartment and push it into the 2 USB-A connections. It’s a tight fit so it really fits neatly in the room, but you have to fiddle a little to find the right way to slide it into place (see YouTube installation video at the bottom of this blog post). It fits exactly on a little plateau in the storage room underneath the phone chargers, and the Hub integrates nicely into that space… as if it were a standard part of your Tesla. In my specific installation I connected an SSD to the USB-A connection in the “secret” storage space, both USB-A Power connections are used for the Taptes wireless smartphone charger, and I can use the left USB-A data connection for my XBOX One controller.
Tesla and Model 3 good to know & experiences 