The fan will work for several hours if the battery is good but I wouldn't chance it what if the battery is a little weak and the car ends up dead in traffic not good my friend. At 5 kW you'd drain a (really big) 100 Ah battery in 12 minutes. So you could mount these either inside your door, or perhaps behind the backseat. An optional cigar lighter connector is available for use on vehicles with a permanently live cigar lighter or auxiliary 12V socket. To run it from an electric motor, you would need to do kinetic at the engine, to electric at the alternator, then back to kinetic at the motor for the compressor. However, if you purchased a bunch, say 20 you could have a setup where you control how cool it gets by turning some off. @MasonWheeler, ok, yea, electric heat is the biggest power user, but in my mind I lump that in with the HVAC system. When the weather's not too hot, you can run the compressor intermittently without the passengers noticing anything, so they run the compressor when you're slowing down and switch it off when you're accelerating. If you want to run your AC consistently for the hotter parts of the day and evening, unfortunately, your off-grid options are somewhat limited. Choose between three speeds—low, medium and high—when you want to blow cold air to keep your pet … Car mechanics, my car battery is 650 CCA. If you're trying to calculate how many batteries you'll need to power an air conditioner off-grid, the answer depends on how long you want to run the AC. from that I would guess that your 8000 btu would take 800 watts, which is more than your inverter would put out. I need to sleep in the back with the car on. It is possible to run your air conditioner for extended periods of time while you free camp - purely from your 12v Battery. battery powered air conditioner* Powered by its interchangeable power base. As they're designed for it, I would bet that they have an electric compressor designed for this. Charging of inverter for air conditioners. Car air conditioner compressor clutch not engaging Published on October 22, 2015 October 22, 2015 • 85 Likes • 13 Comments This works out to about 3000 to 6000 watts! So using an electric motor on a conventional car might give you a few more HP briefly, but the alternator has to eventually make up the deficit, and a bit more for its own inefficiencies. In electricity, the smaller the gauge, the thicker the wire. You will then need a large array of heat sink fins and several 12v fan to cool the back side. For practical purposes, it takes 11 amps of DC power to successfully run a 1-amp AC powered device. Without the compressor you don't have any cooling. It is possible to run your air conditioner for extended periods of time while you free camp - purely from your 12v Battery. Install a second radiator under the hood and 12v pump and fan. By using the latest technologies, these battery powered air conditioners can ensure that you stay cool for hours. https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/questions/28741/can-a-car-ac-unit-be-run-on-just-the-car-battery/28793#28793. There are many reasons to get your air conditioning recharged besides the most obvious one being to keep you and your passengers cool on journeys in hot weather (though we might add that leaving a box of lollies in a non-air conditioned car for too long can be very upsetting for kids and grown-ups alike). 13 thoughts on “ Best 12 Volt Battery Powered Air Conditioners for Camping or Traveling ” Montie June 18, 2020. By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy, 2020 Stack Exchange, Inc. user contributions under cc by-sa. In a pickup it might actually make sense=- put it in the bed- since a cheap Chinese window A/C is almost free. I can't give you numbers or calculations without some work, but I can tell you than energy is never free. Truly hassle free from in-house wall plug. Other companies use similar strategies, BMW is just the first I could find that offered some explanation of why they switched to electric AC. 0. Most batteries' A.H. capacity is stated for the 20-hour rate of discharge. If my memory serves correctly.. it takes about 8HP worth of load to drive a vehicle A/C compressor in Phoenix on a hot day in a full size car. I will be using my cpap machine and will have the Air Conditioner at about 75. On the other hand, Teslas store a lot of energy. I have seen vehicles with multiple alternators, such as BASS competitions. Because Zero Breeze Z19-B Portable Air Conditioner is designed for campers, this model is also eminently portable. In the case of Tesla EVs, for example, the AC compressor is located at the front of the car and draws power from the Energy Storage System, or ESS, in the back. They are: Keep the car maintained and service on a regular basis. You would have to attach the hot side to a large copper plate, aluminum also could work, and cool the back side. Peltier elements are really inefficient. Now that being said the air conditioner will not work without the car running, the blower will blow air but it will not be cold, the compressor has to be turning to give you cold air, and to have it turning the engine has to be running. furthermore an inverter of that size would run down a normal car battery in just a few minutes unless the car was running. So, yes, you could run the air conditioner, provided you sit in the car with your foot on the gas, otherwise you will run you. A typical 12 volt lithium battery, delivering 100 AH, weighs about 30 pounds. Find out how long should an air conditioner run and find out what to do if your system seems to be running more than you would like. If you bolted an electric compressor onto the car you would have to find a way to switch between the mechanical and the electric compressor, and that no one makes. https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/questions/28741/can-a-car-ac-unit-be-run-on-just-the-car-battery/32534#32534, https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/questions/28741/can-a-car-ac-unit-be-run-on-just-the-car-battery/42926#42926, Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Stack Exchange. No free lunch. I have a stock 2006 Ford focus sedan. Among the drawbacks of cars that run on battery power is the energy required to heat their cabins. 2 105 amp alternators, big high amp inverter, custom capacitor setup for the surges? 17 Aug 2005. What could be wrong? An electric car does things differently because there is no engine, and so delivering power to the AC and just about everything else is determined by the amount of stored battery energy. Testing out my battery bank by running an 8000 btu ac. I would like to travel in my car but because of health issues I would need to be able to sleep in my car also, or at least rest for long periods. That might allow you to use a smaller engine for the same performance (passing especially) with a simple software change. Either that or a water cooling loop. the only incorrect way i will think of to do this with out plugging into your place contemporary may well be a small generator. So although I don’t see how the air conditioner could drain the battery, other electrical accessories can, in specific circumstances. The LifeSmart cooler is a great option for you if you think you might be near electric hookup for some of your camping trip. Ever tried running a 500 kW generator? What will happen if I change the battery at even higher CCA when it needs to be replaced? At idle, it would provide less than 50 amps. I have gone out to my car on my 45-min lunch break several other times and used the radio and the AC blower fans to move the air in the car and have not had any issues with a dead/weak battery. A modern car can deal with idling all day all night long. eddo March 20, 2019, 4:43pm #14. … Extrapolate: a car needs 5 kW of aircon to cool it down, Peltier is 1/100 as efficient as AC, you need hundreds of KW of Peltier elements to keep your car cool. Even with a spare battery, this would not work. Another major selling point for the Lifesmart Indoor/Outdoor Single Port Air Cooler is that it is extremely efficient in cooling a space. I'm pretty sure you can't run the air conditioner all night without someone in the car. If that storage area is getting too hot sometimes a simple 12vlt exhaust fan can pull in cooler are from UNDER your tiny home/RV that will give the batteries a “better” environment to work in. You will need to change them on a regular basis. Electric AC has another advantage. In a normal car, there is no way to run the A/C without running the car. An electric AC is unnoticable. Running the compressor while the engine is off is another matter. If the car is not running, the battery will go dead if you run the air conditioning since now the battery is running the vents without being recharged by the alternator. 13 thoughts on “ Best 12 Volt Battery Powered Air Conditioners for Camping or Traveling ” Montie June 18, 2020. The primary design is for those that have to leave their cars in the hot sun while away. It's not exactly frugal. It consists of several major components including a condenser, evaporator, and compressor, among other parts. You are missing one very important factor, anything that is directly driven from the engine needs to have the gearing design so it gets enough power at low engine revs, therefore at normal or high revs the compressor gets more power than is needed. Normally people won't melt if they have to do without it for the 20 seconds it takes to pass someone on the highway. Now I wonder if I had shut off the car (to save gas), how long would the battery last if I used the AC. So although I don’t see how the air conditioner could drain the battery, other electrical accessories can, in specific circumstances. Still have questions? With a good portable AC you can better control the temperature in the vehicle and create a much more comfortable environment and enjoy driving even in extremely hot conditions. You will need to recharge those batteries and it takes a while to recharge a big battery bank. I did not witness it, so I am unsure if anything else may have been disconnected. Cars have an A/C compressor that is mechanically driven by the engine because this is the easiest way to get the job done in a typical consumer car. the blower motor takes about 20 amps to run. You will need to judge your oil changes differently though. You could in fact attach a window mounted air conditioner like @Spehro Pefhany suggests. Click here to upload your image In fact you will need many car batteries to keep this array powered for any length of time. There would have to be enough power to run a small 5kbtu rv ac unit through your sunroof (with a custom painted fiberglass roof scoop to cover the whole unit ofcourse, allowing adequate air … An Air Conditioner Should Run for 15-20 Minutes at a Time In a perfect situation, an air conditioner should run for 15-20 minutes at a time in mild temperatures. And they only have the electrical compressor, not both. So, to remove the load of your AC from the engine, either direct or indirect, needs a separate power source - you could consider a bank of batteries that you charge at home and give sufficient power for your trip, but the weight will not improve the fuel consumption and you need to have the space available. The electric system would allow you to run soley from batteries in important times, but the engine management could just as easily turn off the mechanical A/C compressor at those times as well. Also, Toyota hybrids have an electric AC and I suspect it runs on the high-voltage 1-2 kWh battery and not on the low-voltage 12V system. Standard (without smart battery) Plus (including smart battery) You do not have to leave your car running for IcyBreeze to operate. The possibility of a second battery with a split charge system still requires the energy to come from the alternator and engine. 13 Best Battery Chargers for Cars. My van has a/c and can be turned on with engine running, but when stationary the a/c hose gets so hot that the ends melt. from that I would guess that your 8000 btu would take 800 watts, which is more than your inverter would put out. it's fine as long as you aren't driving a clunker. Your car’s A/C is a system that cools the air and regulates humidity inside the cabin. The high voltage part of that makes a lot of sense. Electric heat can use 100A all by itself - more than everything else combined. If you don't mind an inferno in your trunk, behind the back seat. However, all electrical appliances have a starting surge that gets the motor running. If you are using a 15,000 BTU producing air conditioner that requires about 1500 watts to run it, then the two lithium batteries can keep the air conditioner running for 90 minutes before needing recharging. You could always do it with a window air conditioner and a huge inverter, but the efficiency would be pretty bad I bet. As @JPhi1618 noted, the compressor is mechanically driven. There are many reasons to get your air conditioning recharged besides the most obvious one being to keep you and your passengers cool on journeys in hot weather (though we might add that leaving a box of lollies in a non-air conditioned car for too long can be very upsetting for kids and grown-ups alike). An compress driven by an electric motor only takes the power it needs. (max 2 MiB). Then the heat would get exhausted that way. The compressor draws several kW. Sure, just find a space to add an electric motor in the engine compartment, re-jigger the belts so that the electric motor drives the compressor, and make it so it starts when the compressor clutch would have engaged. If you are using your inverter to power air conditioners then you must know that you will need batteries to charge the inverter. If you’re not experienced with the functioning of your air conditioning system, then you might not be aware that an air conditioner’s run time is measured in cycles. I also hope to sleep with the heat on when the weather is cold. It made the battery so weak that the starter motor would turn but not enough to crank the engine. I asked on another forum and was told to expect only 15% battery use. A faulty automotive air conditioner can be one of the more difficult issues to diagnose and repair. https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/questions/28741/can-a-car-ac-unit-be-run-on-just-the-car-battery/28758#28758. This creates a heat flow where one side is incredible hot and the conversely the other side is cold. If you wanted to use battery power, you would need very large batteries and a more powerful charging system. This Enerdrive 12v Lithium Battery Setup will allow you to run your air conditioner and other heavy amp drawing 240v appliances without the need for a generator or mains power - making caravanning a lot more comfortable. What you shouldn’t expect is a fan blowing cold air. Can a car AC unit be run on just the car battery? I have read about the extra battery to power computer, etc. I asked on another forum and was told to expect only 15% battery use. Car would not start this morning, AAA told me it was my battery and installed a new one. If you have a 5-amp window air conditioner, you will need 55 amps of DC power to run the unit continuously. share | improve this question | follow | edited Oct 11 '16 at 17:05. anonymous2. This means the alternator would have to work harder to make up for those losses and take more power from the engine. Either way you would need to transfer the resulting heat outside of the cabin. 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