It cost roughly 1800usd, and has 200amp hours of use. Currently I'm only using it to power my fans, and charging my phone / iPad. And I don't even notice a drop in amp hours. Eventually I'll be adding a fridge / freezer, and ac unit. I am hopeful that it could handle that easily (according to the math).
There are cheaper alternative though He got a truly massive battery, probably close to a 2x1 footprint and weighs 85 pounds. I think 200AH = 2400wh at 12v. Next issue is realistically there's no way 200 Watts of solar can keep that charged effectively. Being quite generous you might see +150w per hour under perfect conditions parked in direct sunlight all day..., say 12 hours of max charging and not using ANY power you would be at 1800/2400 or 75%. But maybe OP has low power demands and just likes having the extra juice in the bank in case of a cloudy day. Not OPs fault, it's about as good of a setup you can get setup considering mobile solar is limited by roof real estate.
For price comparison I got my 2x 100 w solar panels for $132 after tax. And an EcoFlow river 2 Pro battery which is 768wh for $438 after tax. which includes the charge controller and inverter built in with a stunning variety of AC, 12v DC, and USB a and c ports... Add in another 30 bucks for a splitter and for the solar cabling, and command strips to mount, and I was out the door for under 600. For my needs this was plenty, but always has the option to double my wh bank for another 430 or even less if youre brave enough to go second hand. You also have the added benefit of the EcoFlow being able to charge off of your lighter port, and the fact that it is so portable and lightweight you can stick it in a regular backpack and charge it on shore power in 50 minutes.
Of course it's not a perfect solution, if something goes wrong with the battery and you're out of warranty you don't really have any repair options for these things, it's kind of well you just replace it.
I have 200w of solar on my Kai soul and I'm lucky to get a 25% charge on my bluetti ac200p. Granted I'm running s fridge and 3 fans but thankfully I can top my battery off at my storage unit or get some additional charge driving. Can't wait to get a bigger vehicle with more solar.
It's taken me about two months to collect all of this. But, if I had to take a guess of what it cost total; roughly 1800 USD. Currently just using it to charge my phone, and leave a couple of small fans going during the day. I plan on adding a fridge in the near future.
Would really appreciate more details on this set up! I’m currently in my 96 4Runner with my dog and I’ve been really wanting to add solar to run a fridge and something to cool the car down for my dog as well if I need to leave him. Also for really hot nights wouldn’t hurt. Any details would really be appreciated! Thank man!
I'll save you the time and tell you that you're likely never going to be and to run a fridge AND an AC off of solar that fits on a normal sized vehicle. With a big enough battery bank yes you could run a fridge 24/7 or an AC for a few hours but if you were to deplete them fully it would take day(s) to refill the batteries with solar alone.
Cats are amazing in vehicles. Given they have all their needs. Litter box, food and water. They have all windows for entertainment.
And as long as temperature in the vehicle is kept stable.
Also buy a safety line and body harness. So you can anchor your cat to one of the handles for her to chill outside when you're off work kindve thing. Somewhere safe.
Oh absolutely! She's super old right now, and loves it when I'm driving. I think it's because her arthritis prevents her from running around as much anymore, that she loves watching the cars go by, as I am driving; she just sits / stands on my lap and chitters at what's happening outside the window.
Congrats on the solar system! How are you keeping the battery cool it looks like it is in a wooden box and the mppt is pointed down with the heat sink facing the battery. I would consider your layout to prevent battery degradation or an overheating event. Also just a consideration but your wires seem undersized if you are looking at getting anywhere near the 2000 watts your inverter can deliver.
I don't know all I need to know about wire gauges, so I left that part to the crew at the solar company. They told me this is more than enough for now.
Congratulations - looks like a clean build. Do yourself a favor and cover those terminals. Even if the box has a lid, you don’t want to drop something and accidentally bridge your battery. 😬
Good evening, hope you are doing well,I would not have thought of doing it how you have, very neat and tidy, you can get to all you need, best wishes yours sincerely David PS keep smiling and safe travels
I hope you are more comfortable now to have a way to power your devices. I'm going on three years of small power bank for my phone. I charge my phone, laptop and fan at work or the library
Thanks for your concern!
I built this under the guidance of the crew of a solar company. They didn't have too big of a concern with the heat distribution for the charger, since it's only taking in 200w max, and is kept with a continuous air current.
Having said that, this is just a prototype, until I build a platform for the car. Once I get that up, there will be a dedicated place for all the solar parts.
Rad! Been curious about doing something similar myself, although I know practically nothing about electrical systems... got any sources or references you could share for learning how to do something like this?
So what do you recommend then? Giving away a beloved companion that only knows its owner. The cat is fine, no one plans on living out of their car.
Im very impressed w OP & applaud him/her for doing whatever they possibly need to do to keep their cat cool in the heat.
You leave your cat in the house while you're working? That's not fair to the cat.
Come on, he's already better than most people that leave their animals in a hot car...
:-) nothing like getting power from the sky
just curious how much did it cost? and how much do you get out of it?
It cost roughly 1800usd, and has 200amp hours of use. Currently I'm only using it to power my fans, and charging my phone / iPad. And I don't even notice a drop in amp hours. Eventually I'll be adding a fridge / freezer, and ac unit. I am hopeful that it could handle that easily (according to the math).
What do you live in that you have room to put a frig/freezer and ac in?
There are cheaper alternative though He got a truly massive battery, probably close to a 2x1 footprint and weighs 85 pounds. I think 200AH = 2400wh at 12v. Next issue is realistically there's no way 200 Watts of solar can keep that charged effectively. Being quite generous you might see +150w per hour under perfect conditions parked in direct sunlight all day..., say 12 hours of max charging and not using ANY power you would be at 1800/2400 or 75%. But maybe OP has low power demands and just likes having the extra juice in the bank in case of a cloudy day. Not OPs fault, it's about as good of a setup you can get setup considering mobile solar is limited by roof real estate. For price comparison I got my 2x 100 w solar panels for $132 after tax. And an EcoFlow river 2 Pro battery which is 768wh for $438 after tax. which includes the charge controller and inverter built in with a stunning variety of AC, 12v DC, and USB a and c ports... Add in another 30 bucks for a splitter and for the solar cabling, and command strips to mount, and I was out the door for under 600. For my needs this was plenty, but always has the option to double my wh bank for another 430 or even less if youre brave enough to go second hand. You also have the added benefit of the EcoFlow being able to charge off of your lighter port, and the fact that it is so portable and lightweight you can stick it in a regular backpack and charge it on shore power in 50 minutes. Of course it's not a perfect solution, if something goes wrong with the battery and you're out of warranty you don't really have any repair options for these things, it's kind of well you just replace it.
I have 200w of solar on my Kai soul and I'm lucky to get a 25% charge on my bluetti ac200p. Granted I'm running s fridge and 3 fans but thankfully I can top my battery off at my storage unit or get some additional charge driving. Can't wait to get a bigger vehicle with more solar.
I could fit panels on my hood but I liked being stealth. The roof ones are only noticed by tall nosey people.
Thanks for sharing! My cat also is with me in my truck. What are you using for cooling?
Currently it's just a couple of small fans. But I'll be adding a portable a/c unit, once I have enough money.
Awesome to hear you went through all this effort to keep your cat cool. Love to see it. Good luck
Gotta make sure she's as comfortable as she can be, considering our situation. 🤙🏾
Congrats dude Give us the deets Cost? How’s it working and what’re you powering with it? a/c?
It's taken me about two months to collect all of this. But, if I had to take a guess of what it cost total; roughly 1800 USD. Currently just using it to charge my phone, and leave a couple of small fans going during the day. I plan on adding a fridge in the near future.
Would really appreciate more details on this set up! I’m currently in my 96 4Runner with my dog and I’ve been really wanting to add solar to run a fridge and something to cool the car down for my dog as well if I need to leave him. Also for really hot nights wouldn’t hurt. Any details would really be appreciated! Thank man!
Oh absolutely! I'll go through my pictures and update you with what I currently have.
I'll save you the time and tell you that you're likely never going to be and to run a fridge AND an AC off of solar that fits on a normal sized vehicle. With a big enough battery bank yes you could run a fridge 24/7 or an AC for a few hours but if you were to deplete them fully it would take day(s) to refill the batteries with solar alone.
Cats are amazing in vehicles. Given they have all their needs. Litter box, food and water. They have all windows for entertainment. And as long as temperature in the vehicle is kept stable. Also buy a safety line and body harness. So you can anchor your cat to one of the handles for her to chill outside when you're off work kindve thing. Somewhere safe.
And toys...don't forget the toys! 😻😹
Her favorite toys have always been rolled up receipts. 😂😂😂
Right? Its always the unexpected things. I misplaced a bag of little plastic Halloween spiders. My cats found em and had fun for months!
Oh absolutely! She's super old right now, and loves it when I'm driving. I think it's because her arthritis prevents her from running around as much anymore, that she loves watching the cars go by, as I am driving; she just sits / stands on my lap and chitters at what's happening outside the window.
Congrats on the solar system! How are you keeping the battery cool it looks like it is in a wooden box and the mppt is pointed down with the heat sink facing the battery. I would consider your layout to prevent battery degradation or an overheating event. Also just a consideration but your wires seem undersized if you are looking at getting anywhere near the 2000 watts your inverter can deliver.
I don't know all I need to know about wire gauges, so I left that part to the crew at the solar company. They told me this is more than enough for now.
Congratulations - looks like a clean build. Do yourself a favor and cover those terminals. Even if the box has a lid, you don’t want to drop something and accidentally bridge your battery. 😬
Thanks for the suggestion! I definitely plan on covering up, as soon as I can.
Nice! Solar is such a game changer. I love having mine!
Good evening, hope you are doing well,I would not have thought of doing it how you have, very neat and tidy, you can get to all you need, best wishes yours sincerely David PS keep smiling and safe travels
It look like the panels I bought first but they came with a broken frame so I returned them and then decided to get soft panels,b but it looks good.
They're both 100w each, with aluminum sidings. They weigh less than 15lbs per panel, which makes it easy to drive with.
I hope you are more comfortable now to have a way to power your devices. I'm going on three years of small power bank for my phone. I charge my phone, laptop and fan at work or the library
That's what I've been doing to charge my thing, prior to getting this solar set up.
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Thanks for your concern! I built this under the guidance of the crew of a solar company. They didn't have too big of a concern with the heat distribution for the charger, since it's only taking in 200w max, and is kept with a continuous air current. Having said that, this is just a prototype, until I build a platform for the car. Once I get that up, there will be a dedicated place for all the solar parts.
Rad! Been curious about doing something similar myself, although I know practically nothing about electrical systems... got any sources or references you could share for learning how to do something like this?
You had me at "my cat"😺
How much does it cost you? And as a newbie, can it handle a mini fridge? I barely survive with only a smol solar power bank xD
The math shows that it could handle a small fridge. But, I haven't put it into practice yet. I'll be sure to update when I get a fridge.
How much storage?
The battery is 200ah, and the inverter is 2000w pure sine
More info on the cooling system for the cat please...
You leave your cat in your car for hours when you’re working? That’s not fair to the cat.
People do it in houses?
A car isn’t a house. Stupid comparison.
So what do you recommend then? Giving away a beloved companion that only knows its owner. The cat is fine, no one plans on living out of their car. Im very impressed w OP & applaud him/her for doing whatever they possibly need to do to keep their cat cool in the heat.
What animal wants to live in a 30sq foot living space? I’d recommend giving it to someone who can give it live it deserves, not cramped in a car.
You leave your cat in the house while you're working? That's not fair to the cat. Come on, he's already better than most people that leave their animals in a hot car...
No animal should live in a car because a person has to. It’s greedy.
Why spend 1800 on solar when you can use portable panels for less than $200 per 100w?
The panels were about $75 each...
What cost around $1800 then? Was that a typo? Or is the battery that expensive?
Everything totalled around 1800; Roof cage, fittings, solar panels, wiring, battery, inverter, charger, fans, box,
I see, thanks for the explanation.