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Power Station 600w output and storage
I went a bought a second power station, it was a bargain so couldn't resist.
Any at this one sits secured in the boot of the car and charges up through a 120w inverter connected to the DC 12v connection in the boot.
So far I haven't noticed any loss of fuel economy by charging this up but am I forgetting this like extra strain on the car battery/ other things that mean this is ultimately a bad idea rather than charging it via home 3 pin 240v socket.
Any at this one sits secured in the boot of the car and charges up through a 120w inverter connected to the DC 12v connection in the boot.
So far I haven't noticed any loss of fuel economy by charging this up but am I forgetting this like extra strain on the car battery/ other things that mean this is ultimately a bad idea rather than charging it via home 3 pin 240v socket.
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Comments
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Of course there's a loss of fuel economy - it's not free energy.
As long as the wiring loom is sufficient to support that current from that socket, and you don't mind having a battery in the boot if your car, it shouldn't be much of a problem.
Does it still trickle charge when the ignition is off? That could drain the car battery over time, like if you park up and go on holiday or something.0 -
1kWh of energy is likely to take you about three or four miles in an electric car, a bit less in a petrol car.Unless your power station is high capacity you probably won't notice much effect on fuel economy. It might drop from 400 miles on a full tank to 397.All back of envelope stuff, but it's likely to be cheaper to charge from the mains.
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Given that a number of modern cars have built in 12VDC battery drain protection, leaving something plugged in should not cause an issue.1
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Mstty said:So far I haven't noticed any loss of fuel economy by charging this up but am I forgetting this like extra strain on the car battery/ other things that mean this is ultimately a bad idea rather than charging it via home 3 pin 240v socket.A little while ago I did a back-of-an-envelope calculation that suggested generating 1kWh of electricity from a running car or van engine would take an additional litre of fuel.Around here, a litre of fuel is about £1.50 - which is getting on for 5x the price of a kWh from the mains.@JKenH has a (bigger) portable power bank that he charges from solar:N. Hampshire, he/him. Octopus Intelligent Go elec & Tracker gas / Vodafone BB / iD mobile. Ripple Kirk Hill member.
2.72kWp PV facing SSW installed Jan 2012. 11 x 247w panels, 3.6kw inverter. 33MWh generated, long-term average 2.6 Os.Not exactly back from my break, but dipping in and out of the forum.Ofgem cap table, Ofgem cap explainer. Economy 7 cap explainer. Gas vs E7 vs peak elec heating costs, Best kettle!1 -
This is a terrible idea for efficiency. It'll cost you more then charging from the mains.
A car engine and alternator are much less efficient than a power station, and you're paying higher taxes through petrol duty for the fuel.0 -
QrizB said:Mstty said:So far I haven't noticed any loss of fuel economy by charging this up but am I forgetting this like extra strain on the car battery/ other things that mean this is ultimately a bad idea rather than charging it via home 3 pin 240v socket.A little while ago I did a back-of-an-envelope calculation that suggested generating 1kWh of electricity from a running car or van engine would take an additional litre of fuel.Around here, a litre of fuel is about £1.50 - which is getting on for 5x the price of a kWh from the mains.@JKenH has a (bigger) portable power bank that he charges from solar:
100w portable solar should arrive today..went with a system that has its own usb and various other sockets on the back as well so not just for the power station.
Quite excited1 -
Mstty said:QrizB said:Mstty said:So far I haven't noticed any loss of fuel economy by charging this up but am I forgetting this like extra strain on the car battery/ other things that mean this is ultimately a bad idea rather than charging it via home 3 pin 240v socket.A little while ago I did a back-of-an-envelope calculation that suggested generating 1kWh of electricity from a running car or van engine would take an additional litre of fuel.Around here, a litre of fuel is about £1.50 - which is getting on for 5x the price of a kWh from the mains.@JKenH has a (bigger) portable power bank that he charges from solar:The laws of thermodynamics so not bendMstty said:100w portable.solar should.arrive today..went with a system that has its own usb and various other sockets on the back as well so not just for the power station.
Quite excitedWith current technology the minimum size of a 100 watt panel is about half a square metre.A genuine 100 watt panel is this sort of size:... which, at 67 X 85cm, is 0.57 square metres.However, something like this:... claims to be a 100 watt panel but is only 40 X 27cm, 0.11 square metres, large enough to be perhaps 20 watts.Neither of the above links are recommendations, so please don't buy them based on this post!
N. Hampshire, he/him. Octopus Intelligent Go elec & Tracker gas / Vodafone BB / iD mobile. Ripple Kirk Hill member.
2.72kWp PV facing SSW installed Jan 2012. 11 x 247w panels, 3.6kw inverter. 33MWh generated, long-term average 2.6 Os.Not exactly back from my break, but dipping in and out of the forum.Ofgem cap table, Ofgem cap explainer. Economy 7 cap explainer. Gas vs E7 vs peak elec heating costs, Best kettle!1 -
Just an update the rules of thermodynamics do not change but I did do my 6 hour regular weekly journey.
The power station charged to 80% and by driving like Miss/Mr Daisy I managed to match the previous week's mpg as well has having the air con on full.
I do understand I could drive like this without the power station charging and achieve better mpg but in true money saving fashion I changed my style of driving to get a positive result for me.1 -
Mstty said:Just an update the rules of thermodynamics do not change but I did do my 6 hour regular weekly journey.
The power station charged to 80% and by driving like Miss/Mr Daisy I managed to match the previous week's mpg as well has having the air con on full.
I do understand I could drive like this without the power station charging and achieve better mpg but in true money saving fashion I changed my style of driving to get a positive result for me.1 -
Moneysavingchap said:Mstty said:Just an update the rules of thermodynamics do not change but I did do my 6 hour regular weekly journey.
The power station charged to 80% and by driving like Miss/Mr Daisy I managed to match the previous week's mpg as well has having the air con on full.
I do understand I could drive like this without the power station charging and achieve better mpg but in true money saving fashion I changed my style of driving to get a positive result for me.
Plus a good economy run in the car sometimes does you the world of good.
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