Question on using a 120V inverter

[CTZ]

I'm taking possession of a 2022 Mach-E next week and I'm beyond excited. It seems like a fantastic car. I have a question on using a 120V inverter connected to the cigarette lighter plug. It appears that they are 20 amp and would therefore push out maybe ~200 watts through a 120V inverter. This could be useful during a power outage since I understand that there's no V2L on the MME.

I've seen conflicting information on whether the high-voltage battery keeps the 12V battery charged. If so, you could draw 200 watts for days for charging laptops, batteries, small TVs. Is this possible?

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[mkazen]

In short, no. The car only charges the 12v battery when it's actively charging the high voltage battery or when actually running. You could have the car running when using the inverter but don't do it with the car off.

 

[Mach-Lee]

You would have to leave the car on to use it. You're better off buying a separate battery bank meant for charging e-devices.

 

[mkhuffman]

In short, no. The car only charges the 12v battery when it's actively charging the high voltage battery or when actually running. You could have the car running when using the inverter but don't do it with the car off.

The car will keep the LVB charged when off. When the SoC hits 40%, it recharges it from the HVB. That said, the 12V outlet turns off when the car has been off for a short period of time (I think 5 minutes).

Many have connected a inverter to the 12V connection points in the frunk area but definitely you want the car running when drawing power that way also, especially for higher powered inverters.

Personally I vote for Lee's solution or a portable generator.

 

[CTZ]

Thanks for the replies. I didn't realize that the 12v outlet was not always on. It wouldn't be worth it, for sure. Too bad, considering the massive battery that could be utilized during a power outage. Seems like they just want you to drive it and not use all the potential utility.

 

[kodiakng]

with all of the above caveats noted, there are a couple of DIY guides for this if you really want to explore it:

@dtbaker61 : https://www.macheforum.com/site/thr...120vac-power-from-lvb-connection-points.7317/

and even more extreme:

@i8iridium : https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/export-power-via-solar-inverter-diy.31014/

 

[mkhuffman]

Thanks for the replies. I didn't realize that the 12v outlet was not always on. It wouldn't be worth it, for sure. Too bad, considering the massive battery that could be utilized during a power outage. Seems like they just want you to drive it and not use all the potential utility.

The massive HV battery requires systems to maintain the health and performance of the battery when it is being used, which is a lot of overhead. Meaning if you are trying to use just 200 Watts, the HVB will loose a lot more than that just running the necessary HV battery systems.

It's why Tesla, Rivian and Lucid have struggled with "vampire drain" - the HVB loses 2-8% per day doing nothing but sitting there. That's what happens when you try to use the HVB to run low power electronics. And it's why all BEVs have a LVB, including the Cybertruck. (Although I think the CT's LVB is 48V.) The LVB has much less capacity, but consequently is much more efficient running low power devices.

 

[ChehRob]

It would be nice if Ford came up with a factory hardware/software update for a 110 outlet in the trunk, drawing from the HVB. I suspect many of us would pay a few hundred dollars to have it installed.

 

[CTZ]

with all of the above caveats noted, there are a couple of DIY guides for this if you really want to explore it:

@dtbaker61 : https://www.macheforum.com/site/thr...120vac-power-from-lvb-connection-points.7317/

and even more extreme:

@i8iridium : https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/export-power-via-solar-inverter-diy.31014/

I read through a good portion of the 1st solution and it sounds like I could run a low-powered inverter through the cigarette lighter if I didn't want to cut into the frunk as long as I left the car on. Not sure how much draw leaving the car on takes but I might experiment with this before going the high-power/frunk route. Thanks for the great info!

 

[AliRafiee]

It would be nice if Ford came up with a factory hardware/software update for a 110 outlet in the trunk, drawing from the HVB. I suspect many of us would pay a few hundred dollars to have it installed.

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