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Emergency generator

Rknb2000

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Si.LE.R1S

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docwhiz

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Its crossed my mind, but bringing a battery large enough to hold that kind of charge isn't very practical, and though I can wait about half a day for a slow charge, not sure about several days. 2.0kW/hr vs 0.104kW/hr(2.5kW/day) is quite the difference.
I'm not trying to burn fossil fuels every time I go camp, just in that emergency if/when I have to.
I understand but you still have to consider that you will be dragging around a heavy generator and fuel "just for emergencies" when you could have the advantage of a continuous supply of electricity to enhance your backcountry experience with induction cooking, etc.
I just randomly searched Amazon and as an example you can get the Jackery Explorer 3000 Pro, Solar Generator with 3024Wh for about $2500. 600 W of solar panels will recharge this completely in 3.5 hours. If you look on this as a part of your boondocking camping equipment and use it daily to keep your camp running as well as keep your EV charged (rather than just for emergency OMG I didn't plan on my EV battery being so low) it could be a compelling purchase.
I'd much rather deal with this than drag around a generator and fuel "just in case".
https://www.amazon.com/Jackery-Gene...Z8DZ3HR/ref=psdc_348967011_t1_B09SXMK8DS?th=1
 

avigneault

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Rather than a fossil generator, you might consider a solar generator.
Lots of these with different capacities available at reasonable prices.
For your hypothetical "20 miles of extra range to get out of the boonies", you would need 10 kWh electricity. Larger solar generators have batteries this large or you could choose a smaller battery combined with solar panels. For instance, 500 W of solar panels can generate 2.5 kWh/day (with free electricity deliveries every day).
This way you don't need to deal with NG or gasoline and the solar battery can run your electric kitchen (induction stove, etc.)
Solar generators weigh multiple orders of magnitude more than a gas generator for a tiny fraction of the power capacity, are very expensive, and represent a huge static weight penalty. An empty battery weighs the same as a full battery, while an empty gas/propane tank, well, doesn't. 500w of solar would realistically only output 1.8 kWh per day on average, maybe less with efficiency losses that accumulate converting DC/AC/DC while charging the truck. That's 10+ days in the high desert for 20 miles of range. You would need a minimum of 800w to get that down under a week. Two 400w panels are quite large, heavy, difficult to position, expensive and still require an *extremely* expensive 50-60lbs battery/charge controller/inverter.

Pound for pound, dollar for dollar, gasoline or propane is really the only viable option. 10lbs of propane could probably get you those same 20 miles overnight with a 3kW generator, cost less than half a solar generator would, and consume much less energy to haul around because it weighs less.
 
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Thedude

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You guys are way, way overestimating the output of solar panels. With 450 watts of solar in ideal sun conditions I typically max out at 1.7kwh daily and usually less. That’s enough panels to cover the bed and half the roof of the truck and will get you a max of 4 miles per day.
 

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You guys are way, way overestimating the output of solar panels. With 450 watts of solar in ideal sun conditions I typically max out at 1.7kwh daily and usually less. That’s enough panels to cover the bed and half the roof of the truck and will get you a max of 4 miles per day.
1.7kWh charge in the truck battery? Because it sounds like your system has issues if you aren't getting more than 3.5 hours of full sun worth of energy otherwise. Unless you are talking about days where there is 80-100% cloud cover.
 

Thedude

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1.7kWh charge in the truck battery? Because it sounds like your system has issues if you aren't getting more than 3.5 hours of full sun worth of energy otherwise. Unless you are talking about days where there is 80-100% cloud cover.
1.7kwh into my trailer lithium batteries. Calculated maximum summer output with a MPPT controller in my area is 1.85ish kWh with 14 hours of sunlight. Solar panels advertised ratings are a theoretical maximum and are never achieved in normal conditions.
 

Thedude

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These are the results of the two generators I ran full tank tests with.

Pulsar 2300: 3hr21min run time, 1.1gal of gas, 12amps, 3.3kwh into the battery.

Generac GP3500: 3hr14min run time, 2.3gal of gas, 24amps, 7.5kwh into the battery. This one fits under a closed tonneau cover.

I’ve tested a few other generators as well but didn’t run a full tank test with them.
 
 








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