Ottocast 12V Car Cup Cooler & Warmer promised to heat cups and bottles. It was to cool your canned drinks to frosty satisfaction in 15 minutes, or warm a tasty beverage in a little over 8. But, did it? Can a Peltier device beat the real thing. Read on to find out.
The unit arrived in a generic box and was possibly pre-production, and makes the excitement even more piquant.
The internet is awash with similar products, but we have experimented with heated/cooled cup holders before. Even those which come installed in some cars from factory were gadgets that will only disappoint. The Peltier chips used in those are about as useful as chocolate teapots.
Above: Ottocast 12V Car Cup Cooler & Warmer REVIEW
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ABOVE: 12V Car Cup Cooler & Warmer
The new fangled Chinese cars with oven/freezers are a different bottle of champers. Sadly, the cup holders simply don’t work as advertised, and this portable one is in the same boat. In this case, the semiconductor is the marketing term for a Peltier chip, and while they do indeed get very hot and very cold, transferring that into a beverage takes very specific conditions. The Peltier plate is at the bottom so a can of soft drink won’t heat or cool because of its large dimple in the base.
It is simple thermodynamics. We didn’t have flat-bottomed cups or bottles to test, certainly none with lids. 60°C coffee without a lid is asking for a bad day.
At nearly $100, a gadget needs to take itself a little more seriously, but we are not saying it doesn’t work at all. We are saying you need to have special containers with flat bottoms, and are made of very conductive material. They can’t have handles, vertical sides work best, they can’t be insulated, or paper/cardboard, or indeed anything you’re likely to have in your car.
Of the 4 gadgets we tested, this one least met its claimed performance, and its fan was very noisy.
If you want to cool things, for only a little more money you can have a proper car fridge. If you want to heat things there are heated insulated cups.
The Peltier effect has been documented for 200 years, and no doubt it has its uses, but if you’re going to use this one, you must get the vessels that fit properly or you’ll notice no change. Our can of cola at room temperature stayed at room temperature for 45 minutes. Heating was untested beyond feeling the bottom plate, and yes, it was extremely hot.
Ottocast 12V Car Cup Cooler & Warmer
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Price | $98 on the Ottocast site |
| Power | 36W, DC 12V from the accessory socket |
| Material | ABS and aluminium, aluminium inner liner |
| Size | 13.4 x 9.4 x 17.6cm |
| Weight | 450g |
| Claimed cooling | Down to 5°C |
| Claimed heating | Up to 60°C |
| Claimed temperature range | Up to 68°C difference |
| Claimed cold drink | 15 minutes |
| Claimed warm drink | 8 minutes |
| Cup holder needed | Over 6.7cm across, under 9cm deep |
| Controls | One button, LED temperature display |
| What we got | Cola stayed at room temperature for 45 minutes |
How to Use It
- Make sure it is using the 12V adaptor provided.
- Cycle the button through cool, heat, keep warm and off, with a long press.
- Top tip, make sure the vessels are conductive, glass, metal or ceramic, and have a flat bottom.
- We also advise a lid lest much melee will come.
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Above: Ottobox MCM11 Flex Vacuum Magnetic Phone Mount
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Alan Zurvas is the founder and editor of Gay Car Boys, Australia's leading LGBTQI+ automotive publication. Before launching GCB in 2008, Alan's automotive writing was published in SameSame.com.au and the Star Observer. With over 16 years of hands-on car reviewing experience, Alan brings an honest, irreverent voice to every review — championing value and innovation over brand loyalty.
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