i8iridium
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Pat
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2021
- Threads
- 12
- Messages
- 489
- Reaction score
- 765
- Location
- Fort Washington, MD
- Vehicles
- 2022 Mustang Mach E GT
- Occupation
- U.S. Air Force (ret.)
- Thread starter
- #1
I'm going to put this up front. This is a bit extreme and slightly dangerous. Hopefully I covered for most circumstances. I'm open for suggestions, but not UN-constructive criticism.
This is really just a photo session showing what I used to export power from the Heater connection of the mach E. I went through an iteration of using the AC power connection and a DC/DC power supply, but the power supply wasn't up to the task. I did some research and it seemed like the most cost effective way to convert ~380vDC to 240vAC was a solar inverter.
The solar inverter is a Growatt SPF 5000 ES. It puts out 240vAC. No split phase 120v like you need for my panel. We'll get to that in a second. The growatt can handle a max PV input of 450vDC @ 18A. It can also charge a 48vDC battery system. I can't find any PV inverter that I can afford that can handle 380vDC on the battery side. That's why I went for the PV input instead. This is one of the few inverters that can run off PV alone without any battery supplement.
On the AC Side it goes to a L14-30 twist lock into my generator inlet. From the generator inlet, it goes to a Victron 30 amp auto transformer. This turns the 240vAC into split phase 240/120vAC while balancing each 120v leg. From that point it goes into a interlocked breaker to feed the entire panel. I've used this autotransformer for both my other battery system (Ecoflow Delta Pro) and my Inverter Generator and it performs like a champ.
I sourced the vehicle connector and pins from Mouser, which was a big pain in the a$$. Ford doesn't have a part number for any of the connectors, so it was a lot of guesswork. I crimped the pins to the double insulated solar wire, and attached MC4 solar connectors. I figure those are built for some high voltage DC, so they should be up to the task.
I decided to hook to the heater power instead of the AC power because of ease of access. I only have to pull one panel to get to the heater connector vs pulling the whole frunk. Those circuits are protected in the HVBJB by a 50A fuse if i remember correctly. So i made sure I fused my solar connectors at 20A. The inverter should never draw more than 13A on the HV side, so i was able to keep the wire gauge smaller. I don't have a lot of data yet on usage/battery drain. That will be a future thing. I can run the AC unit for the house with no issue. The surge wattage on this inverter is great.
The basic hook up is: Car off, disconnect heater connector. Connect my cable. Turn car on and disable auto-off and turn off accessories. Hook up cable to generator inlet. Flip interlock breaker. On to the pictures.
This is really just a photo session showing what I used to export power from the Heater connection of the mach E. I went through an iteration of using the AC power connection and a DC/DC power supply, but the power supply wasn't up to the task. I did some research and it seemed like the most cost effective way to convert ~380vDC to 240vAC was a solar inverter.
The solar inverter is a Growatt SPF 5000 ES. It puts out 240vAC. No split phase 120v like you need for my panel. We'll get to that in a second. The growatt can handle a max PV input of 450vDC @ 18A. It can also charge a 48vDC battery system. I can't find any PV inverter that I can afford that can handle 380vDC on the battery side. That's why I went for the PV input instead. This is one of the few inverters that can run off PV alone without any battery supplement.
On the AC Side it goes to a L14-30 twist lock into my generator inlet. From the generator inlet, it goes to a Victron 30 amp auto transformer. This turns the 240vAC into split phase 240/120vAC while balancing each 120v leg. From that point it goes into a interlocked breaker to feed the entire panel. I've used this autotransformer for both my other battery system (Ecoflow Delta Pro) and my Inverter Generator and it performs like a champ.
I sourced the vehicle connector and pins from Mouser, which was a big pain in the a$$. Ford doesn't have a part number for any of the connectors, so it was a lot of guesswork. I crimped the pins to the double insulated solar wire, and attached MC4 solar connectors. I figure those are built for some high voltage DC, so they should be up to the task.
I decided to hook to the heater power instead of the AC power because of ease of access. I only have to pull one panel to get to the heater connector vs pulling the whole frunk. Those circuits are protected in the HVBJB by a 50A fuse if i remember correctly. So i made sure I fused my solar connectors at 20A. The inverter should never draw more than 13A on the HV side, so i was able to keep the wire gauge smaller. I don't have a lot of data yet on usage/battery drain. That will be a future thing. I can run the AC unit for the house with no issue. The surge wattage on this inverter is great.
The basic hook up is: Car off, disconnect heater connector. Connect my cable. Turn car on and disable auto-off and turn off accessories. Hook up cable to generator inlet. Flip interlock breaker. On to the pictures.
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