Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/10/25/get-ac-power-from-your-car-wit.html
…
I get my power inverters at Tosche Station. They work alright.
5 Likes
Don’t most cars come with an AC outlet now?
My 2016 has one.
1 Like
Interesting, what kind of car? I had a Ford Expedition that had one, one Ford pickup that did and a newer Ford pickup that didn’t. Several newer (smaller) Fords after that that also didn’t.
I can’t say it is really part of my car purchase criteria (the only thing I ever plugged in was a laptop power supply, and my laptops will now accept USB-C power so I expect to be able to find a USB-C cigarette lighter power thingie that would do the trick…or in a pinch I have this “huge” 160Wh (3lbs) battery I can charge via the car and it’ll supply USB-C power (and USB-A, and some other DC formats, and an AC power outlet limited to something like 60W)… where was I, oh yeah, which it won’t make or break a car purchase, it is the kind of random trivia my mind wants to know!
Gross, it’s a modified sine wave inverter. They work until they don’t, and it’s always a question if a power brick is going to constantly reset itself when plugged in. IMHO it’s worth it to spend the extra money on a pure sine inverter and never have to worry about this nonsense.
For example: https://www.amazon.com/300Watt-Inverter-120volt-Converter-Smartphones/dp/B07SLPWBK3
4 Likes
If you have an EV and plug this into your lighter socket and then you plug your car into the inverter will you get infinite energy?
#shittyscience
4 Likes
Most cars on the road are much older.
1 Like
No, to do that you have to plug in a light and shine it on the solar panels charging the car.
6 Likes
Reminder, US standard power is 120V, not 110V. If this thing is doing the former, it’s technically within tolerance, but weird.
Not that I know of, though it’s indubitably a nice convenience to include. I haven’t made a comprehensive survey but I rent cars somewhat frequently (from the major chains so almost by definition, late-model) and I can’t think of the last time I got one with an AC outlet.
2 Likes
I’ve never seen a product comparison where the company portrays each color variant as being a different model of their product. There are actually only 2 products being compared here:
Very odd.
1 Like
Oh good, finally a way to charge my phone while in the car. It’s just so inconvenient when one doesn’t have a wall outlet to plug in the thingy.
1 Like
The “cigarette lighter” outlets in my beefy Jeep have 20-amp fuses. If you draw more than 20(amps)x12(volts)=240(watts), the fuse will blow. Dunno how this gadget can supply 300 watts in any rig, much less 700 watts instantaneous.
1 Like
This also assumes the 20A circuit isn’t shared with anything else, and that the inverter is running at peak efficiency. (I think the short answer is it doesn’t.)
This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.
