An AC outlet in the car = value & utility added

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etrans

Member
Joined
Mar 28, 2012
Messages
19
A 15A/120VAC outlet in the trunk would add utility and value for many prospective purchasers and help offset the high cost of the L2 charger (up to 10% of the cost of the car).

Not for running your whole house but the same function as a 1KW generator running during a power outage. Enough to power a few lights, TV, computer, microwave during an emergency. If you have a 22KWHR battery sitting in the garage why not use it? Much safer than a a gas generator (how many dozen people are killed by carbon monoxide each year running generators in basements and garages?), plus very handy for camping, tailgate parties, using a string trimmer or chain saw out on the driveway and so on.

Cost to include would be low, perceived added value would be high.
 
Mitsubishi seems to be offering device to provide similar functionality in their vehicles in Japan. http://www.plugincars.com/mitsubishi-unveils-blackout-inspired-i-miev-power-box-114873.html Not so sure, if the device would work with a Leaf. Either way, it seems a bit expensive to me and not so practical for use when you consider the potential loss in vehicle range in order to use it. Though the range lost would be less of a concern if DC fast chargers actually start to show up around here.
 
So, help me out here... If the power was out for an extended time, could you shut of the house's main breaker, turn on the Leaf (to keep the 12V system "connected" to the main pack), plug in a common 12V inverter, and the other end to a 120V outlet on the wall (with a male-male adapter), and run items in your house on the same 120V wiring leg? (up to the rating of the inverter & 12V plug in the car)
 
Electric4Me said:
So, help me out here... If the power was out for an extended time, could you shut of the house's main breaker, turn on the Leaf (to keep the 12V system "connected" to the main pack), plug in a common 12V inverter, and the other end to a 120V outlet on the wall (with a male-male adapter), and run items in your house on the same 120V wiring leg? (up to the rating of the inverter & 12V plug in the car)

No.
And it would be dangerous too.

The cigarette lighter has an max amp (10A?, 120W) max load. No way can you run a fridge.

IF the car was equipped with built in 110V, then it can provide a 15A out (1500~1650 Watt) that can run a fridge for emergency needs.

After the massive quake in Japan, I think all EV now offer this for emergency.
 
HoustonFlier said:
No.
And it would be dangerous too.

The cigarette lighter has an max amp (10A?, 120W) max load. No way can you run a fridge.

IF the car was equipped with built in 110V, then it can provide a 15A out (1500~1650 Watt) that can run a fridge for emergency needs.

After the massive quake in Japan, I think all EV now offer this for emergency.
OK, I understand that the load & inverter capability have to be matched, it was the concept I was trying to confirm. I see that higher wattage inverters are designed to be connected directly to the battery posts.
 
Electric4Me said:
So, help me out here... If the power was out for an extended time, could you shut of the house's main breaker, turn on the Leaf (to keep the 12V system "connected" to the main pack), plug in a common 12V inverter, and the other end to a 120V outlet on the wall (with a male-male adapter), and run items in your house on the same 120V wiring leg? (up to the rating of the inverter & 12V plug in the car)

In theory, you could do this. In practice, not very advisable. Also the main bottleneck would probably be the DC-DC converter inside the car that generates the 12V for the cars electrical system.

GM and Chrysler have dabbled in this for some of their hybrid trucks. I think it is a great idea and I'm really surprised more hybrid and electric vehicles don't offer this sort of functionality. I know there are aftermarket kits for Prius that can tap into the car's high voltage system and generate quite a bit of power. If you think about it a hybrid can generate a lot more electricity even at idle than a regular gasoline car using a standard alternator. If you've ever looked at the cost of large portable generators, it seems like a hybrid vehicle could be a mobile generating station for emergencies. Granted the gas tank is smaller than a lot of large generators but you could carry a few cans of gas with you.

I would hope more manufacturers would start offering that feature as some sort of option on hybrid vehicles. Just think about folks who work on construction sites and what not. Great application for mobile power. My guess is that they don't like it since it racks up wear and tear on the car even though the odometer isn't actually moving.

I'm not a huge fan of using an EV for this purpose. I mean, if the power is out I have no way to charge my car. So the last thing I'm going to want to do is drain the battery in my EV and leave my powerless and stranded too. At least with a hybrid you could power your house and when you run low on gas you could hop in the car, drive to a gas station somewhere that has power, fill up, then come up and power your home some more.
 
The DC/DC can supply at least 100 amps at 12V but this is an inefficient way to go when you have pack voltage. Much better to go from the pack to 120V but this converter is costly. My Tacoma truck has an AC outlet in the rear bed, no big deal. It does not make sense to run the entire car to have the DC/DC going converting the pack to 12V then converting it again to 120V, this is really poor efficiency. In addition forget connecting it to the house, it would be for small items in the car. The application using Pack voltage via the L3 port makes much more sense and is costly to implement in the car as it requires pack voltage live to the unit or some means to switch the contractor without the entire car on and still monitor draw, etc. Costly. If the outboard unit were sold in mass units as it was designed it would make quite a bit of sense for many reasons and I bet it takes off some day in some form.
 
When our grandkids were young we took our RV to a city park for a birthday one year, and used its generator to power one of those inflated bounce houses the kids all love. It would be very cool to power that from the LEAF, and quite feasible with a 120v 15A outlet built into the car.

[Yeah, I wasn't nearly so eco-aware back in the '90s.]

Ray
 
planet4ever said:
When our grandkids were young we took our RV to a city park for a birthday one year, and used its generator to power one of those inflated bounce houses the kids all love. It would be very cool to power that from the LEAF, and quite feasible with a 120v 15A outlet built into the car.
Uh oh, Don't let the general public get wind of this idea. I can hear it now. "cool! You could plug the car into itself so it can charge itself!"
 
adric22 said:
planet4ever said:
When our grandkids were young we took our RV to a city park for a birthday one year, and used its generator to power one of those inflated bounce houses the kids all love. It would be very cool to power that from the LEAF, and quite feasible with a 120v 15A outlet built into the car.
Uh oh, Don't let the general public get wind of this idea. I can hear it now. "cool! You could plug the car into itself so it can charge itself!"

Great idea!

I just applied a patent! Leaf self-Recharge cord (tm)! ;) :lol:
 
Ingineer has reported the DC-DC converter can supply well over 1000W to the battery, and he posted a picture to prove it..

I would use a good quality sine wave 700W inverter and attach it directly to the 12V battery in the Leaf, with heavy gage cables... and please dont use that male-male plug to hotwire it directly to your house.. that is very unsafe... run a fridge, some lights, fans etc.

Dont run a fridge on a modified sine wave inverter.
 
Is there anyone who didn't buy a Leaf because this feature is not there? If the Leaf had this feature would it result in enough additional sales or command a higher selling price to offset the costs in the product itself, additional warranty costs, and additional liability of some kid sticking a paper clip in the outlet? (Remember these are the same people who brought you touch OK to accept ad nauseum)

If the answer to those questions are no why would they include such a feature?
 
LTLFTcomposite said:
Is there anyone who didn't buy a Leaf because this feature is not there?

Possibly.
My wife is said she would seriously consider Leaf if it did have this feature.
We have power reliability issues here.
(Hurricane) Ike cut power for 10 days.
 
adric22 said:
drive to a gas station somewhere that has power, fill up, then come up and power your home some more.

You won't be filling up if there is no power to run the fuel pumps. And every Tom, Dick and Harry will be trying to get those last ounces of gasoline. No thanks to that.
 
This is a brilliant idea! I realize I am years late to this post, but....my power was out tonight. And as I sat there thinking about the food in my fridge that was going bad, and realized my half charged Leaf had enough juice to power my fridge for a day or more, I thought having a 120V outlet in the trunk would be great! Started searching MNL forum and of course you had already thought of this long ago. Great suggestion, here's hoping Nissan adds this in the future. Btw I drive a 2015 S with QC.
 
Way to dig up some ancient history :lol:

The e-nv200 is the van version of the leaf that is maddeningly not available in the US yet. They have onboard AC outlets included. Not sure if they run off the HV battery or the 12v battery with an inverter, but they advertise them as useful for the "worksite" so I suspect they are hearty enough for extended use.
 
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