DC to DC charger question

[WaltP]

Well, of course it's not possible to lose 115% so what exactly do you mean?

Walt

[redbarron55]

The 120 VAC inverter would probably be no less efficient than the inverter for a DC to DC inverter and the IR losses would be less than with low voltage DC.
What counts is efficiency when in the power saving mode, which would be while camping and not while towing. Power can be readily available while towing and the current draw would be ~ 10% of the DC load at 12 volts.
If you had a pickup truck you could mount a Marinco covered outlet so that you had 120 VAC available for other uses as well when you are not towing and how handy would that be? (like the new ford truck?)
The efficiency of a good inverter would be well over 90% and that would probably less than the IR losses of the DC charging system.

[oldwave]

Has anyone with a f150 with onboard power gone down the road with the ac plugged into the 30 amp inlet on a trailer ? Outside of the wiring support, is there any downside ? Battery charger and fridge on ac would be the obvious.

[ThomasC]

Originally Posted by oldwave

Has anyone with a f150 with onboard power gone down the road with the ac plugged into the 30 amp inlet on a trailer ? Outside of the wiring support, is there any downside ? Battery charger and fridge on ac would be the obvious.

You got me to reading. I didn't realize the 2000-watt inverter was available in non-hybrid F-150s. Let me quote a piece from an article.

The standard 12-volt electrical architecture couldn't provide what they needed, so Sultana and her team designed a whole new 24-volt electrical system, using two conventional 12-volt batteries in addition to the standard battery.

In addition to those batteries, Pro Power-equipped non-hybrid F-150s get a second alternator.

https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-car...power-onboard/

It would be nice to hear from someone with one of these trucks. I don't see why it wouldn't do what you want while driving. I am at my daughter's house, and I am plugged into an outlet that has a 10-amp breaker. Everything works fine except the AC, and I have been using propane everywhere to tax it less.

This would be great to run your AC when you need to take the edge off of a hot trailer. Your truck is much quieter than even the quiet generators. I can't really hear my truck running from inside my BigFoot when I remote start it.

[redbarron55]

The 10 times higher voltage means 10 times less current along with 10 percent less voltage drop.
A well engineered 120 VAC supply from the tow vehicle would provide a ready supply of power for many uses as well as powering the trailer when towing or temporarily stopped and not fully set up. For that matter the 120 VAC system would allow for considerable faster charging of the house battery in those instances where you could not run a generator, but you could sneak a little engine run time.