How to Install a Hardwired Inverter in a Chevy Bolt (or other EV!) 

🍪🍪🍪🍪

As long as it works!

Thank you

Thanks 👍

Thanks!

Thanks. Ah. Close enough.

Thank you!

Thanks 👍

I thought about mounting it in the "sub-trunk," but the problem with leaving it there permanently is the lack of ventilation. Otherwise I would have just mounted it there.

@@jkfeatherranch getting the proper wire sizing all the way back there without too much voltage drop would be pretty extreme too.

I've heard there's a way to do it on a Tesla but you have to hook directly to the DC/DC converter and use a resistor or something to prevent a current spike from the inverter's capacitors when it turns on. I don't remember where I saw it, but I recall coming across it somewhere.

Haha thanks. But all I know how to do, I learned by watching RU-vid. So if you're watching this video, you can do it too! It's held up just fine, but both times we've used it camping have been in cooler weather. Our (not so) friendly local electric company has decided they need to turn off our power next Thursday so we'll get another use out of it then. It's not going to be 107 out though, like it was during this test 🥵

Sure. I'll put that together. Please see the video description (:

@@jkfeatherranch thanks a lot !

Thank you!

The car's onboard DC/DC converter can supply up to ~1.6 kw continuously, so as long as you do not exceed its output (which you can determine by monitoring battery voltage and making sure it doesn't drop below 13.something), then you are "pulling" from the DC/DC converter and the battery is basically just "there." If you exceed the output of the converter, then yes, you will start to draw down the 12v, which is "ok" as long as you don't do it for too long, and it will recharge when your usage drops below the limit.

I feel like it helps somewhat with water, bugs, dirt, etc. Not sure if it's completely necessary 🤷‍♂️

The toaster is 1500 watts, that's pretty much the upper limit for cooking appliances. I think it took ~20? minutes to make the cookies, since it had no problem hitting 300 degrees it shouldn't have been any more than using our home oven. The inverter does have a built in GFCI, but it can be reset from inside the car simply by turning it off and on again.

@@jkfeatherranch Thanks for the reply. That is what I was expecting. Thanks for the reassurance.

@@paulstough2995 you're welcome 👍

If you're not a hack, there should!

I think the 2000 inverter has a built in fuse

Still working great, used it on another camping trip we just for back from!

If you don't have a welder, there are certainly other options!

The problem with that is that the 12v plug only provides 10 or 15 amps, so 120 or 180 watts max. The hardwired inverter gives 2000, or enough to power our house during an outage if we're careful with what we use.

@@jkfeatherranch I've heard that since you're running off the 12v battery that the main battery is only able to keep the 12v battery charged up to 1000 watts of use. If you go over that then you will eventually drain the 12v battery. Have you considered this?

@@IndiaUploadsEngrav Once the inverter shuts off, You'd think that the main battery would eventually charge up the 12v battery. Although not sure what the repercussions are of doing this. ( as far as car settings / memory )

@@IndiaUploadsEngrav You are correct. The car can provide approximately 1,000 watts (seems like slightly more in practice) continuously to recharge the 12v battery, however it is perfectly fine to exceed this for short periods of time such as for ~30 minutes when baking cookies. It's even less than 30 minutes in practice, since the toaster oven was cycling the heating elements on and off to maintain temperature. If you're going to be doing this for long periods of time, however, a way of measuring the 12v voltage would be useful. I recommend an OBD2 dongle and Torque (or the equivalent iPhone app) to keep an eye on it from your phone. For what it's worth, after shooting this video, I was able to run a 1,500 watt space heater for an hour straight without killing the 12v, and when I turned it down to 1,000 watts, the voltage shot back up to 13+, indicating that the car was charging it while also supplying the full load of the inverter.

@breeeep It would at the very least severely shorten the life of the 12v battery. They don't like being ran completely dead :(

Thanks. Every EV has the equivalent of an alternator to take power from the big battery and charge the 12v. This is the easiest way to run an inverter.

Although this is probably technically doable with the car running, I don't know if the electronics would freak out from an unaccounted-for drain on the main battery, plus I haven't come across a readily-available inverter with 400v input.

I'm sure I did 🤷‍♂️ Oh well thank you lol

Because I had to justify buying a sheet metal brake and spot welder, of course!

Wouldn’t the inverter get wet?

Would have saved me a bunch of work!

If you already have the car, why not? *shrug*