12Kw generator

[jasonthepro]

I'm sure I'll need to get my flame suit on for this but there are parts of the state that has 0 electricity or civilization. I like to do backcountry sports a LOT lol but it also means I have to charge the truck at night (I sleep at the trailhead the night before). Solution? 12Kw generator with a true sine wave, called in and they said as long as it's properly grounded and no errors, it's fine to use a generator. Ok so yes it's ICE but I don't have a choice unless they put charging stations on top of remote mountain ranges in the middle if nowhere.

Sponsored

 

[Thedude]

You’ll most likely need a neutral bonding plug for it to work. Simple and cheap to make or a little more money to buy.

Consider also if you need a generator that large or can get by with something a whole lot smaller but with a longer run time to charge. For about 1/4 the size, weight and cost you can charge off a 120v/30amp generator at 2.8kwh.

 

[mikehmb]

No flaming here. Think of it as a range extender on off-grid adventures. Been considering doing the same for some deep-backcountry expeditions.

 

[MountainBikeDude]

To be fair, I considered a 6kW one that would fit under my tonneau in the off chance my wife would be so kind to allow me to road trip from Vancouver BC to Northern Yukon/Alaska potentially late fall? Charging would likely be bunk the entire way, so a backup option would be nice even if it's supplying roughly 20kWh to the climate/battery temps, and a further 40kWh to the battery over a 10 hour period?

The one time I did sleep in my Rivian with the climate at 22c, heated seat on in outside temps of 2c in Banff, I used about 10% (13 kWh) battery over 10 hours but Northern Canada, Alaska would be -20 or more depending on the time of the year.

Partially inspired by this guy


Makes me curious what kind of custom wooden monstrosity I could mount on a Rivian ?

 

[jasonthepro]

You’ll most likely need a neutral bonding plug for it to work. Simple and cheap to make or a little more money to buy.

Consider also if you need a generator that large or can get by with something a whole lot smaller but with a longer run time to charge. For about 1/4 the size, weight and cost you can charge off a 120v/30amp generator at 2.8kwh.

That's a good point, I could get a 5.6Kw generator that's 1/4 the weight and can fit under the frunk. It'd take 2 days of charging vs 12hrs but still doable for a partial charge to get enough range to get to a rapid charger.

 

[jasonthepro]

To be fair, I considered a 6kW one that would fit under my tonneau in the off chance my wife would be so kind to allow me to road trip from Vancouver BC to Northern Yukon/Alaska potentially late fall? Charging would likely be bunk the entire way, so a backup option would be nice even if it's supplying roughly 20kWh to the climate/battery temps, and a further 40kWh to the battery over a 10 hour period?

The one time I did sleep in my Rivian with the climate at 22c, heated seat on in outside temps of 2c in Banff, I used about 10% (13 kWh) battery over 10 hours but Northern Canada, Alaska would be -20 or more depending on the time of the year.

Partially inspired by this guy


Makes me curious what kind of custom wooden monstrosity I could mount on a Rivian ?

The 12Kw would definitely be in the bed of the truck but 4x the cost. I found a 5.6Kw generator that can fit under the frunk. May not be a bad idea considering it's only 54lbs vs 210lbs of the 12Kw generator.

 

[Thedude]

That's a good point, I could get a 5.6Kw generator that's 1/4 the weight and can fit under the frunk. It'd take 2 days of charging vs 12hrs but still doable for a partial charge to get enough range to get to a rapid charger.

Most generators under about 7-8kw don’t have a 240v outlet so make sure you check carefully. A 5.6kw generator won’t charge any faster than a smaller 3kw generator when you’re limited to a 120v/30amp plug at 24amp continuous.

 

[jasonthepro]

I realized when I did the math, 3.8Kw at best with a TT-30 outlet.

Instead I went directly to the WEN website and was able to verify if the wheel and handle kit isn't installed, it'll fit under the frunk for the 11k dual fuel 240v generator at 8.3Kw continuous. That's roughly 34amps, charger pulls 32 amps on the NEMA 14-50. It was considerably cheaper than amazon or harbor freights.

 

[jasonthepro]

With a 240v from the generator, do I connect a 100Kohm resistor from the neutral to the ground?

 

[CrazyOne]

Depends on your use case, but I would be more worried about the noise than charging speed above 6 KW. I have been considering a Honda Eu7000 for home backup and possibly charging EVs. It is one of the quieter ones and very efficient because of fuel injection. Also, minimal maintenance, because it runs clean.

Solar isn't an option in PNW.

 

[tjrivian]

It's too bad you can't drive while something is connected to the charge port.

 

[Electrified Outdoors]

No flames here. Generator is fine and there is a lot of good advice here. Keep in mind of course that unless you need to go far simply maintaining a safe state of charge is probably acceptable in this situation so like was said maximum charging speed probably not necessary.

Be sure to come back and share some photos of your adventure ?

 

[DeafPug]

With a 240v from the generator, does it matter which hot blade is bonded to neutral?

Do not bond/connect a hot leg to the neutral leg unless you “want to release the magic smoke” that electronics work on!!! That would create a dead short.

You’ll most likely need a neutral bonding plug for it to work. Simple and cheap to make or a little more money to buy.

This comment was referring to Bonding the neutral and ground together. This is done at the main breaker panel in your house, but is generally not done on a generator. This leaves the ground “floating”. Some EVs or EVSEs test this before charging and throw an error if the ground is floating. To get those to work, you bond the two legs together to keep the neutral and ground at the same voltage.

Assuming the generator is wired correctly, https://www.amazon.com/Dreyoo-Generator-Grounding-Protector-Motorhome/dp/B0CP3QTW89/ would work on a regular 120V generator For doing this.

 

[jasonthepro]

Depends on your use case, but I would be more worried about the noise than charging speed above 6 KW. I have been considering a Honda Eu7000 for home backup and possibly charging EVs. It is one of the quieter ones and very efficient because of fuel injection. Also, minimal maintenance, because it runs clean.

Solar isn't an option in PNW.

The noise will be annoying but couldn't beat a deal from WEN for a 11Kwh generator for 790.

 

[jasonthepro]

Do not bond/connect a hot leg to the neutral leg unless you “want to release the magic smoke” that electronics work on!!! That would create a dead short.



This comment was referring to Bonding the neutral and ground together. This is done at the main breaker panel in your house, but is generally not done on a generator. This leaves the ground “floating”. Some EVs or EVSEs test this before charging and throw an error if the ground is floating. To get those to work, you bond the two legs together to keep the neutral and ground at the same voltage.

Assuming the generator is wired correctly, https://www.amazon.com/Dreyoo-Generator-Grounding-Protector-Motorhome/dp/B0CP3QTW89/ would work on a regular 120V generator For doing this.

Oops I meant bonding the neutral to ground ?. I checked the WEN specs and they recommended a bonding dummy plug and grounding out the frame to earth.

Sponsored