240V Inverter in a Van or Truck


Philip

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Lake Havasu City, AZ
Nice to see this thread continuing!

I was researching whether to go the dual alternator + inverter route (cleaner looking install, quieter, etc) or just go with a large inverter gas generator and mount it to the truck, and it seems like the gas inverter generator route would be more versitile, cheaper, and be independent of the truck's engine system thus providing redundancy.
That's true. You can buy a Yamaha 6,300 Watt inverter generator, charge one bike on the 240V circuit and the other on the 120V circuit and ride all day with just short stops to let the rider cool off and drink water. Mount it semi-permanently outside of the van/truck and you have an extremely solid bike charging solution.

The disadvantages are having to deal with a bulky and heavy generator, and more noise from the generator compared to other options (a large lithium battery bank and/or vehicle alternator charging).

I thought about building a massive battery bank but i tend to do 3- 4 full recharges in a ride day and that would mean needing a massive 25-30kw battery which i dont think is realistc to install in a van (or maybe it is, you guys tell me?).
In my experience, two fully charged bikes and 14 kWh of our lithium batteries has been enough for me to ride all day long. You have 12 kWh in the bikes, plus 14 kWh in the batteries, and that's 26 kWh!

If you also run the van's alternator to charge the battery bank, or bring a small 2,000W generator, you can generate an additional 8 - 16 kWh in 8 hours. How about 34 - 42 kWh? Very-very few people can burn through that much battery energy in a day riding dirt bikes.

Right now we really only need a generator that outputs about 4000 running watts to support the 240V 16A draw from the Elcon 3.3kw uhf charger. However, i suspect using the new Elcon 6.6kw charger will be a possibility in the future. This means needing an inverter generator that can support 240V 30A, and i might as well try to future proof this build in case.
Victron Energy has inverters with a "Power Assist" feature. They can boost the output of a generator with power taken from the battery/alternator. You can have a small battery bank and run a small generator and combine their outputs. Or run a large generator and dual alternators in the van and charge yourself and all other electric bikes at the track.
 

Philip

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OMG! It is 116.5 decibels. My ears are already hurting just reading about it!

But at just 19.8 lb it would be nice if I could use it as a range extender on a commuter bike.
 

Redwolf

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Brinnon, Wa.
I did do some testing on a generator to charge two Altas at once. The Predator 9500 inverter was not quite powerful enough to pull it off, so I went with a Westinghouse non-inverter generator. But the generator weighs as much as an Alta.

If I were to do it again, I would have gone with two smaller generators that were small enough to lift. I wish Harbor Freight made a 240v inverter generator between the 3500 and the 9500.

I'm surprised that the predator 9500 cannot do 2 bikes simultaneously; when we do our 24hr race we use one Honda eu7000 and it can manage 2 bikes at once. And the eu7000 is only rated for 5500 W continuous.
 

EDR1

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San Francisco
I have been researching how to install a big 12V - 240V inverter in my van. Not long ago @WoodsWeapon mentioned a guy on VitalMX who had such a setup. I managed to get a hold of him, but he referred me to his more electrically skilled friend, who actually came up with this installation recipe. Here is the recipe:

RECIPE #1

1) Buy and install a dual alternator kit. Nations Starter & Alternator offers Multiple Alternator Kits The prices range from $650 for popular trucks with just one upgraded alternator to almost $2K for dual upgraded alternators and a regulator for more exotic Sprinter and ProMaster vans. You may want to consider a triple or a quad alternator kit too, hehe.

2) Buy and install a 400W 12V - 240V pure sine wave inverter. Those cost about $1K. This one is a good option: 4000 Watt Pure Sine Inverter Charger - 12 Vdc to 120/240 Vac , and so probably this one: Discount China 4000W Peak 12000W DC24V Pure Sine Wave Inverter With Charger 65AMP LCD Screen - www.sungoldpower.com . I recommend you check their Amazon ratings as well. I like the first one because, apparently, it can provide 110V and 240V simultaneously.

3) Install two deep-cycle marine batteries. Four batteries is recommended in order to charge a Redshift from zero. I am not sure about their required capacity, but I imagine the price can be around $1K or so.

4) A knowledgeable guy recommended a high idle kit for the van/truck. It keeps the RPM above the default 700-800 rpm. Apparently the regular low idle still discharges the deep cycle batteries before the Redshift is fully charged. The high idle kit can bump it up to about 1800-2000 rpm while charging.

That's it.
Comprehensive Post. We did a 4 x Segway x160 (4 KWH total) battery solution feeding a 48vdc to 240vac pure sine wave inverter. These 20lb batteries can be had for cheap since most owners upgrade them immediately.
 

bluefxstc

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Boise, ID, United States
However, i suspect using the new Elcon 6.6kw charger will be a possibility in the future. This means needing an inverter generator that can support 240V 30A, and i might as well try to future proof this build in case.
Not sure about the Stark, but without software changes to the Alta, I doubt you will be able to take advantage of the bigger Elcon charger. Part of the software communication between the bike and the charger is how much current to provide. If the bike doesn't ask for more current, the charger will not provide it. I believe this is one of the reasons that early Alta's can't take advantage of the rapid charger without a firmware update. The older bikes simply don't ask for the extra current that is available with the rapid charger. Then there is also the question of if the Alta's wiring can handle the extra current. Maybe one of the ex Alta employees can fill us in on how much current the bikes currently request and if they can take advantage of the Elcon 6.6kw charger.
 

TCMB371

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Charlotte, NC
Not sure about the Stark, but without software changes to the Alta, I doubt you will be able to take advantage of the bigger Elcon charger. Part of the software communication between the bike and the charger is how much current to provide. If the bike doesn't ask for more current, the charger will not provide it. I believe this is one of the reasons that early Alta's can't take advantage of the rapid charger without a firmware update. The older bikes simply don't ask for the extra current that is available with the rapid charger. Then there is also the question of if the Alta's wiring can handle the extra current. Maybe one of the ex Alta employees can fill us in on how much current the bikes currently request and if they can take advantage of the Elcon 6.6kw charger.
Yeah i know. But, as a software dev myself, maybe i can figure out a solution for that 🤔

The Alta requests 385v (if i recall corrently) and 10A from the charger on 240v.
 

SubSonic

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46
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AZ
I have 2 Tesla model S battery bricks 10.4 Kwh total at 24 volt
use 750 watts flexible solar panels to charge battery bricks -
tesla battery are 55 pounds each - wired in parallel

use to Charge my Sur ron LT Bee battery 1.7Kwh at 62 volt
1200watt Victron PS inverter to surron charger - charger draw is 650 watts at 120 volt -

solar is 6 Mia Solar brand 125watt flexible panels -
on a OK solar day I get 3.6Kwh of solar output -
highest output 4.2kwh on a perfect day -

Mia Solar panels Roll up for storage /transport -
I use bottom of plastic 55 gallon barrel cut to 22 inches tall
all 6 panels roll up and store in barrel -
center of panel roll there is enough space for boots and helmet -

panels have been used everyday for 4 years -
panels have been rolled /un rolled Many times
Very Rugged - have been stepped on by cows - blown around by wind and soaked in rain -

have used this system to charge surron Lt Bee has 2000 all solar powered miles -

I travel and live in small RV for 5 years - everything is solar powered -

RV has 2 solar systems -
roof panels 360 watts to 200ah LFP batteries power fridge computers lights fans -

ground deployed 750 watt panels to tesla batteries - charges surron - powers starlink and electric cooking

a lot has changed since I built system 5 yrs ago -
now would use likely would use some LFP batteries available -
they are cheap - have built in bms -

there is new solar glass panel design called - Half Cell or Split cell -
has higher voltage and less prone to shading problems -

2 months ago I installed a REC brand 400 watt split cell panel on friends RV and
several times this panel has output 420 watts - Wow

Soon im getting bigger bike and will be riding more so will
upgrade roof solar on RV to split cell glass panels -
 

Philip

Administrator
Staff member
Likes
4,214
Location
Lake Havasu City, AZ
I have 2 Tesla model S battery bricks 10.4 Kwh total at 24 volt
use 750 watts flexible solar panels to charge battery bricks -
tesla battery are 55 pounds each - wired in parallel

use to Charge my Sur ron LT Bee battery 1.7Kwh at 62 volt
1200watt Victron PS inverter to surron charger - charger draw is 650 watts at 120 volt -

solar is 6 Mia Solar brand 125watt flexible panels -
on a OK solar day I get 3.6Kwh of solar output -
highest output 4.2kwh on a perfect day -

Mia Solar panels Roll up for storage /transport -
I use bottom of plastic 55 gallon barrel cut to 22 inches tall
all 6 panels roll up and store in barrel -
center of panel roll there is enough space for boots and helmet -

panels have been used everyday for 4 years -
panels have been rolled /un rolled Many times
Very Rugged - have been stepped on by cows - blown around by wind and soaked in rain -

have used this system to charge surron Lt Bee has 2000 all solar powered miles -

I travel and live in small RV for 5 years - everything is solar powered -

RV has 2 solar systems -
roof panels 360 watts to 200ah LFP batteries power fridge computers lights fans -

ground deployed 750 watt panels to tesla batteries - charges surron - powers starlink and electric cooking

a lot has changed since I built system 5 yrs ago -
now would use likely would use some LFP batteries available -
they are cheap - have built in bms -

there is new solar glass panel design called - Half Cell or Split cell -
has higher voltage and less prone to shading problems -

2 months ago I installed a REC brand 400 watt split cell panel on friends RV and
several times this panel has output 420 watts - Wow

Soon im getting bigger bike and will be riding more so will
upgrade roof solar on RV to split cell glass panels -
That was my idea of a perfect life. I would keep all my prized possessions with me, not be tied to any one location, and be free to park next to any motocross track. But then I met a girl sitting next to me on a plane. I asked if she would live with me in my motovan. She smiled and said: "Felipe, you need to have a house!". So I have to keep a house, mostly for her and for all the stuff that doesn't fit in the motovan.
 
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