Solar power station test

[Jerrytball]

Just getting ready for stormy season, so for heck of it charged up new station, which takes less than 2 hrs ac outlet, 1.5 if use ford L2, and decided to see how far it would charge the Mach e. Without running all the way down, added 6 miles, about 4%, so nothing crazy or special I would say it’s more expected? But if I went on a trip and I had that thing in the back and something happened to go wrong in a pinch least it wouldn’t leave you on the side of the road, you could get to a hotel somewhere or whatever.
If I’m using it for what I bought it for it’ll keep my refrigerator going for 2 to 3 days. It’ll work the portable air conditioner the TV, charge the cell phones run some portable LED lights in the house pretty powerful. Plus I have another generator that can run lights television charge phones. The big one charges really fast with the solar panel that came with it. The smaller ones have solar panels take a little bit longer. I couldn’t be the package deal. The big generator came with the 400 W solar panel also came with a transfer box to install in the house for free that was like a $500 option came with the grounding plugs because I did not know a solar generator needed to be grounded when it’s charging something, not plugged into the wall. With the adapter so you can plug your car charger handle into the adapter and you plug that into the generator so you can charge your generator with the level two charger. Plus it came with stands for the solar panels like everything $3000 so pretty good buy from Eco flow.

Sponsored

 

[AtomicInternet]

Too bad there isn't a way you could connect the DC terminals from the battery pack direct to the DCFC terminals on the car. Probably wasting a lot of energy converting DC->AC at your battery pack, then back from AC->DC in the on-board vehicle charger.

If only we had the same two-way charge the F-150 supports you wouldn't even need this.

 

[Jerrytball]

Too bad there isn't a way you could connect the DC terminals from the battery pack direct to the DCFC terminals on the car. Probably wasting a lot of energy converting DC->AC at your battery pack, then back from AC->DC in the on-board vehicle charger.

If only we had the same two-way charge the F-150 supports you wouldn't even need this.

Not having any electrical knowledge and still learning all this stuff I’m not quite sure what you’re indicating here. I’m sorry I’m real ignorant when it comes electricity. I probably shouldn’t even own the electric car lol or the generator lol

 

[AtomicInternet]

Haha, so Level 1 and 2 are both AC (alternating current) power sources. The battery in your car is based on DC (direct current). You actually have an on-board charger that takes the incoming AC source and converts it to DC to get to the battery. So in your setup you have to have the power pack convert the DC power to AC, send it to the car, then the on-board charger converts it back to DC to get to the battery. Both of those conversions lose power in the process.

Level 3 (or DC Fast Charging) uses the two connectors below your AC plug (filp out the plastic cover) to send DC current directly to the battery. This is why it can charge so fast because there's a refrigerator sized converter you can't possibly fit in your car converting huge amounts of AC into DC to send direct to your battery (not to mention residential power is limited to two phase 240v)

It would be cool if you could bypass the AC/DC conversions and connect your battery pack directly to these DC connectors. WARNING DO NOT TRY TO DO THIS THE CAR WOULD HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IS GOING ON AND LIKELY FREAK OUT. ALSO ELECTROCUTION AND DEATH.

I then remembered the F-150 does support 2-way charging, so it can send 240v A/C back into your house for an outage and thus become the power pack you just purchased for that purpose.

Here watch this, then you can shake your fist at Ford like me. I don't know why they didn't offer this same feature for the MachE but I'm guessing it has to do with available space or just a simple marketing differentiator.

F-150 Lightning: Ford Intelligent Backup Power | F-150 | Ford (youtube.com)

 

[Jerrytball]

Haha, so Level 1 and 2 are both AC (alternating current) power sources. The battery in your car is based on DC (direct current). You actually have an on-board charger that takes the incoming AC source and converts it to DC to get to the battery. So in your setup you have to have the power pack convert the DC power to AC, send it to the car, then the on-board charger converts it back to DC to get to the battery. Both of those conversions lose power in the process.

Level 3 (or DC Fast Charging) uses the two connectors below your AC plug (filp out the plastic cover) to send DC current directly to the battery. This is why it can charge so fast because there's a refrigerator sized converter you can't possibly fit in your car converting huge amounts of AC into DC to send direct to your battery.

It would be cool if you could bypass the AC/DC conversions and connect your battery pack directly to these DC connectors. WARNING DO NOT TRY TO DO THIS THE CAR WOULD HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IS GOING ON AND LIKELY FREAK OUT. ALSO ELECTROCUTION AND DEATH.

I then remembered the F-150 does support 2-way charging, so it can send 240v A/C back into your house for an outage and thus become the power pack you just purchased for that purpose.

Here watch this, then you can shake your fist at Ford like me lol.

F-150 Lightning: Ford Intelligent Backup Power | F-150 | Ford (youtube.com)

Got to run to son’s house. I’ll read this when I get over there. Thank you.

 

[RickMachE]

3600Wh - 15% loss = 3.06kW, which is at best 9 or so miles.

Bringing this on a trip for "what if I run out" is likely to cost more in lost space, and weight added, then you'll ever gain. As you drive the car more and more you'll realize that only an idiot runs out of juice.

Speaking of idiots running out of juice...

- In first few months took a trip to Massachusetts unexpectedly. Found out that when you get really, really low it warns you, almost to the point of "Yo! Idiot! Plug in now you moron!". Also learned that there is a point on the Mass Turnpike that is the highest point on I-90 east of South Dakota. To go down you have to go up...

- Also learned on a trip that despite the best calculations, a 25mph headwind means that going 70mph is really doing 95mph, and made the hotel with 4 miles to spare.

 

[ctenidae]

WARNING DO NOT TRY TO DO THIS THE CAR WOULD HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IS GOING ON AND LIKELY FREAK OUT. ALSO ELECTROCUTION AND DEATH.

This made me laugh, but it's sage advice. Seems like an AvE warning sticker.

Also, nice explanation. You could add another loss-indusing conversion as the generator converts incoming AC to DC first.

 

[Jerrytball]

Haha, so Level 1 and 2 are both AC (alternating current) power sources. The battery in your car is based on DC (direct current). You actually have an on-board charger that takes the incoming AC source and converts it to DC to get to the battery. So in your setup you have to have the power pack convert the DC power to AC, send it to the car, then the on-board charger converts it back to DC to get to the battery. Both of those conversions lose power in the process.

Level 3 (or DC Fast Charging) uses the two connectors below your AC plug (filp out the plastic cover) to send DC current directly to the battery. This is why it can charge so fast because there's a refrigerator sized converter you can't possibly fit in your car converting huge amounts of AC into DC to send direct to your battery (not to mention residential power is limited to two phase 240v)

It would be cool if you could bypass the AC/DC conversions and connect your battery pack directly to these DC connectors. WARNING DO NOT TRY TO DO THIS THE CAR WOULD HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IS GOING ON AND LIKELY FREAK OUT. ALSO ELECTROCUTION AND DEATH.

I then remembered the F-150 does support 2-way charging, so it can send 240v A/C back into your house for an outage and thus become the power pack you just purchased for that purpose.

Here watch this, then you can shake your fist at Ford like me. I don't know why they didn't offer this same feature for the MachE but I'm guessing it has to do with available space or just a simple marketing differentiator.

F-150 Lightning: Ford Intelligent Backup Power | F-150 | Ford (youtube.com)

Arrived at destination safely thank you for the ride up. I’ll look at the video next.

 

[Jerrytball]

3600Wh - 15% loss = 3.06kW, which is at best 9 or so miles.

Bringing this on a trip for "what if I run out" is likely to cost more in lost space, and weight added, then you'll ever gain. As you drive the car more and more you'll realize that only an idiot runs out of juice.

Speaking of idiots running out of juice...

- In first few months took a trip to Massachusetts unexpectedly. Found out that when you get really, really low it warns you, almost to the point of "Yo! Idiot! Plug in now you moron!". Also learned that there is a point on the Mass Turnpike that is the highest point on I-90 east of South Dakota. To go down you have to go up...

- Also learned on a trip that despite the best calculations, a 25mph headwind means that going 70mph is really doing 95mph, and made the hotel with 4 miles to spare.

Well, the fact that I’m never gonna probably travel like I said, I just wanted to see how it worked charging the car just to run it down to zero and charge it back up. I’m just testing it limitations right now. It’s mostly gonna be used around the house I’m never gonna probably use it on the car, but it was a good little experiment.

 

[Jerrytball]

This made me laugh, but it's sage advice. Seems like an AvE warning sticker.

Also, nice explanation. You could add another loss-indusing conversion as the generator converts incoming AC to DC first.

Yes, I definitely enjoyed the warning sticker. The other thing I did learn watching this guy with the same outfit on YouTube blue is generator up and lightning bolt flew off his damn hand because he didn’t use that grounding adapter which like I said, I never realized you had to ground these things, but when I plugged in my tester, it just turned on with nothing plugged into it, I connected that AC cord that normally plugs in the wall to charge the generator and plug it back into the generator and then plug the other box and the cable back into the network port on the generator the ground went away, so glad I did that before trying to charge But my adapter should be in the mail today where I can actually charge the generator with the car charger, which is gonna be the fastest way

 

[VaporTrails]

I think ABRP and an OBD adapter is a better investment for maximizing range than over 100 more pounds of battery. Until they address the charging deserts, there will just be places that are annoyingly hard to reach.

I do like those power stations though. If I could run one AC unit overnight and the fridge, it would be awesome for most of my use-cases. My gas generator is not very good, and the Ford Mobile charger hates it. I’m really looking at something like this as a part of a bigger solar play that others have done. Oddly enough, a lot of these use the same CATL LFP battery technology used in the standard MME.

on the subject of DCFC for home use…I think the market is too small for a home product just yet. I could see a potential future use-case where an MPPT for a solar array could support a DCFC interaction. At some point you end up just creating another inverter external to the car.

 

[Jerrytball]

I think ABRP and an OBD adapter is a better investment for maximizing range than over 100 more pounds of battery. Until they address the charging deserts, there will just be places that are annoyingly hard to reach.

I do like those power stations though. If I could run one AC unit overnight and the fridge, it would be awesome for most of my use-cases. My gas generator is not very good, and the Ford Mobile charger hates it. I’m really looking at something like this as a part of a bigger solar play that others have done. Oddly enough, a lot of these use the same CATL LFP battery technology used in the standard MME.

on the subject of DCFC for home use…I think the market is too small for a home product just yet. I could see a potential future use-case where an MPPT for a solar array could support a DCFC interaction. At some point you end up just creating another inverter external to the car.

With what this handles and the little 1000 Jackery pro that I have which handles 110 V, I bought a portable 8000 BTU air conditioner and the eco-flow will definitely be able to keep us comfortable for a few days because I would never run the refrigerator 24 seven I would like on the first day of power outage would let everything fall out, but I’d let it get close and then I would plug it in for an overnight. And just kind of see how it does. maybe in between put the 400 W solar panel outside and charge the generator because that charges it pretty fast according to Eco flow is a fast charging solar reading all about this very quick charging system like I said it’s definitely not for the car. It’s for the home, but I am having fun while I have good weather to mess around with it. I think I’m going to charge it up today and plug the refrigerator into it and leave it on see how long it will hold the refrigerator. That’ll give me some good ideas so when they’re actually is an outage, I know. The little thousand Pro Jackery that’ll be for charging cell phones running on LED light that’s made specifically for those kind of power stations and even a small 24 inch TV and a floor fan.

 

[Homestead]

Bringing this on a trip for "what if I run out" is likely to cost more in lost space, and weight added, then you'll ever gain. As you drive the car more and more you'll realize that only an idiot runs out of juice.

+1

On the other hand, I have 3.5k inverter generator for my RV that would probably fit in the frunk.
That could charge for hours turning my ev into gas powered, No not going to do it.

 

[Jerrytball]

+1

On the other hand, I have 3.5k inverter generator for my RV that would probably fit in the frunk.
That could charge for hours turning my ev into gas powered, No not going to do it.

Let me ask you guys a question here that are so much more intelligent than me with electricity so this thing super fast when you recharging it, I’ve got it plugged into a regular outlet and when you see this on the screen is that the normal amount of wattage that’s charging or coming out of that circuit or is there something in the system of that generator that’s doubling that and is that why it charges so fast just curious I don’t know what the normal Wattage coming out of a wall socket thank you ?

 

[Homestead]

Let me ask you guys a question here that are so much more intelligent than me with electricity so this thing super fast when you recharging it, I’ve got it plugged into a regular outlet and when you see this on the screen is that the normal amount of wattage that’s charging or coming out of that circuit or is there something in the system of that generator that’s doubling that and is that why it charges so fast just curious I don’t know what the normal Wattage coming out of a wall socket thank you ?

No doubling. Level 1 is 120V going into the cars charger which connects to the high voltage batteries to charge them. Voltage times the current is the power in watts that is going into the charger. Charger has some losses so the wattage to the batteries will be a little less.

Sponsored