best uses of Sparky in a power outage?

[Homer]

So with predictions of another snowpocalypse and warnings to expect power outages, I figure someone cleverer than I has figured what to do with the large battery parked in my garage in the event of a power outage (assuming I don't plan to drive anywhere, but don't want to drain the battery entirely).

At a minimum I would think I could recharge phones-- does the car need to be on for that?

I would think we could also get 2-3 (?) hours of heat if we really needed to for some reason.

Any suggestions?

 

[bicycleguy]

Move to Southern California

Just out of curiosity, I have played around with a xantrex 400w inverter plugged into the cigarette lighter port between the seats. It will not run unless the car is on. I have run 100w light bulbs and small hand tools with it. Unlike regular inverters like for a USB charger that will continue to run for 10? minutes after the car is turned off, the xantrex indicates that the input voltage of around 14.5 drops to around 10.4 and it shuts off. Kind of a big drop in the wiring ect.

Clamped directly to the battery terminals you can get the full 400w+ out of the inverter but the 12v battery will not be charged unless the car is on. Note that when turning the car on in cold conditions it will use a bunch of energy 'conditioning', i.e. heating the battery.

The typical modern forced air gas heater requires about 200w @ 110vac to run. I imagine the Sparky might be able to manage that for 4-5 days since the heater is intermittently on.

good luck

 

[NORTON]

...The typical modern forced air gas heater requires about 200w @ 110vac to run. I imagine the Sparky might be able to manage that for 4-5 days since the heater is intermittently on....

This is a good answer. Read the data tag on your furnace. Hopefully it has a household socket and plug.
The car's 'battery conditioning' might not be that big of a load if you had your car plugged in before using it for power. Even if it wasn't the battery will 'self warm' somewhat with the current you'd be drawing.
A 600-1000 watt 'pure sine wave' inverter would let you have minimal lights and the entertainment systems on.
Clamp it on to the 12V battery and have the car powered on with everything turned off in the car.

This would be a good way to use that really big battery to keep you house from dying. (Frozen pipes, you Cali people don't know...)
And it won't hurt the car. The car will just shut off when the HV battery gets low enough.
If your town is still alive and there is a DCFC you could go to town and bring home some fresh electrons when you need to.

 

[nikwax]

you can keep your phones charged with a $100 UPS, you don't need a car for that.


and for $3500, you could have a Tesla Powerwall

 

[nevetsyad]

My plan was to turn the heat way down in the car, in the insulated garage, and use it as a life raft for the family. Could go almost 24 hours with the heat set to the low 60s. I like your plan better, more efficient to just power the fan and let gas do the heating. I need a larger inverter and extension cord however. Very smart.

 

[NORTON]

.... for $3500, you could have a Tesla Powerwall

But those don't have 21kWh on tap. From Tesla: Each Powerwall has a 7 kWh energy storage capacity,...
And when they're empty they just sit there.

With the Spark EV you can drive it somewhere and bring home more electrons,,, hopefully.
There are snowpocalypse that can shut down whole regions, but sometimes it's just unlucky neighborhoods.

 

[Homer]

Thanks for the suggestions. I will have to poke around for my inverter but I think it's a pretty cheap one. Might be worth upgrading (for the next storm of course).

 

[StevesWeb]

We have a koi pond right next to our carport and Sparky. If the water pump does not run for a long enough time the fish will die from lack of oxygen.

I've considered getting an inverter for power outages, but the pump motor is large and of course an inductive load. Once the pump is running I think it needs about 800 watts. I'm wondering if a 2KW inverter could kick this motor and get it started?

 

[NORTON]

We have a koi pond right next to our carport and Sparky. If the water pump does not run for a long enough time the fish will die from lack of oxygen.

I've considered getting an inverter for power outages, but the pump motor is large and of course an inductive load. Once the pump is running I think it needs about 800 watts. I'm wondering if a 2KW inverter could kick this motor and get it started?

Wow, I've seen koi in ponds without the requirement of electricity...

Anyway, 800 watts is close to a 1 HP motor. You should clarify that with the motor maker or the data tag on the motor.

The rest is just math.

 

[bicycleguy]

StevesWeb,

Since I sort of started this inverter talk I feel obligated to point out, I've only tried 400w and then only for a few minutes. I've only left the Spark on in park continuously for about 45 minutes and during that time I was manipulating various controls. I wouldn't be surprised if it shuts down on its own if left on in park for to long without some indication someones around (door opening, remote movement, pedal movement, switch movement ect.)

Although I think the Spark might handle a 2000w inverter, I wouldn't be surprised if it's brains think something is amiss with such a large current draw and it turns off the HVDC-12VDC converter and or ignition. Note that a 2kw inverter draws 2000/12v=166 Amps. Messing around with cables big enough for that isn't fun or safe.

I wouldn't buy an expensive 2kw inverter before checking all this out. Also a fish tank aerator (aerator only) can be had for less than 40w.

 

[NORTON]

>... I've only left the Spark on in park continuously for about 45 minutes and during that time I was manipulating various controls. I wouldn't be surprised if it shuts down on its own if left on in park for to long without some indication someones around (door opening, remote movement, pedal movement, switch movement ect.)
>>.... I wouldn't be surprised if it's brains think something is amiss with such a large current draw and it turns off the HVDC-12VDC converter and or ignition.
>>>Note that a 2kw inverter draws 2000/12v=166 Amps. ...

> Good point! Further testing is required boys!!
>>Good point! Further testing is required boys!!
>> Very true. The APM - Auxiliary Power Module, or whatever it's called in the Spark EV, the DC to DC converter is only rated to 100, or maybe 120 Amps. This was discussed in the Volt forum.
And components like this should not be operated at rated power for a long time. 80% is typically the safe max for continuous duty.
A 2000 watt inverter is out of the question. Even a 1000 watt inverter would be working the APM hard.

 

[colordosparkev]

you can get a power kit for Volts that run 1kw continuous and 2 kW peak: http://www.evextend.com/Emergency-Power-Kit.php.

 

[NORTON]

The above kit is pricey,,
If this is for emergency power only why not just clamp whatever size inverter you determine will serve your needs (CPAP and a few led lights, or to power your home's gas furnace).
And just clamp it on to the battery posts directly.
Then it is up to you to power up the Spark EV occasionally to charge the 12V battery back up.
You can do the math on how often that is needed, or connect a meter to the battery and don't let it get too low.

 

[StevesWeb]

StevesWeb,

Since I sort of started this inverter talk I feel obligated to point out, I've only tried 400w and then only for a few minutes.

Fair enough, thanks. I have had occasion to use Sparky to charge a 12V battery in a solar powered spot where we have a webcam. We had some dark, rainy days in December and the battery had run down. I found that I could leave Sparky in park with jumper cables connected to the car battery for about an hour and it stayed powered up without complaining.

I bet you're right about high current draw off the 12V likely throwing a code, or worse. Maybe we'll focus on a fuel burning generator, we do have one.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[Nashco]

I bet you're right about high current draw off the 12V likely throwing a code, or worse.

That seems extremely speculative. I wouldn't believe that would happen at all until somebody has actually tried it and confirmed.

The service manual states that the DC converter (referred to as Accessory Power Module, 14V Power Module, and Accessory DC Power Module) is capable of supplying 165 amps at 12.6V (or greater). That's over 2 kW! The service manual prescribes a functional test by applying a carbon pile tester to the 12V battery (with the car turned on) and increased the load until the ECM is reporting out 160 amps on the scan tool. If the 14V power module is not able to maintain 160 amps at 12.6-15.5V, then the 14V Power Module should be replaced. The fuse for this circuit is rated at 200A. I don't see any diagnostic code regarding exceeding the DC converter's rating at first glance, only low voltage errors that might occur if you did exceed the converter's rating for an extended period of time and eat into the 12V battery reserve.

That service manual procedure sure sounds like GM expects the vehicle to be able to support 2 kW, and I trust that published performance requirement a lot more than speculation on a forum.

Bryce