There are some great prime day deals right now and I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on these 2 for overlanding / camping.
.
I drive around in a Subaru outback wilderness for about a weekish at a time. I only charge a few electronics + have a fridge, but I might add more things in the future such as an electric kettle or something similar.
.
I don’t think I’d ever have to worry about running low on the 200 v2, but I’m thinking it might be too big for my car. Plus the weight might be annoying to move it around if I need to. Whereas the 100v2 is almost perfect size wise but might not have the capacity to last more than a couple of days.
.
I did also just purchase the Charger 1 so I know that will help massively with charging but of course you have to be moving and sometimes I am at one place for a day or two.
.
So I guess I was just wondering if anyone else had any experience with the 200v2 in a smaller suv like mine obviously since the 100v2 isn’t out yet.
I’m off on a remote trip in less than 2 weeks. I will be testing the Elite 100 v2 both in my 4x4 and RV (Caravan).
Like you I do have the Charger 1.
Also, like you I am concerned about capacity. My loads can be provided by either of the Elite power stations, so it comes down to battery capacity.
My solution to give me the same capacity as the Elite 200v2, in fact 200+Wh more is;
I’ll probably take a spare 100Ah LFP deep cycle battery = 1,300Wh at 11kg.
This, with the Elite 100, totals 22kg, which is 2+kg lighter.
Finding space for 2 small items, is easier than finding space for 1 larger item.
I can then charge the Elite 100 v2 from that spare LFP battery using the charge1 at maximum output of 560W.
My trip is for 9 days. I know what I will likely need, so 2,300Wh total capacity, means I can do the trip without recharging. However, I also carry an 800W petrol generator in case of insufficient solar. If I look like running out of battery, I have the emergency charging of the “genny”.
It’s all about more than 1 option, if space and weight allow.
As the 800W genny is 1kg lighter than the 100Ah LFP, if I find weight or space is an issue, I would choose the genny over the LFP spare battery.
Previous trips tell me, both are probably ok.
The other, not mentioned criteria, is carrying unleaded petrol. I have a 5lt plastic jerry can.
Fortunately there is an external toolbox on the draw bar of the RV. So, it is not carried in the 4x4 or the RV.
My 4x4 is Diesel and I also carry 20lt in 2 x 10lt jerries in the same toolbox. This is used for the RV Diesel heater.
It’s winter here and will be used, lol.
Sounds like you have many contingencies haha. Would be interesting to know when your done your trip how the 100 v2 with the extra battery to recharge it works. That for sure is another option I am considering.
.
I might end up just getting the 200 v2 now since its on sale because hurricane season is approaching for me up here and the bigger unit would probably be easier to deal with in a longer power outage scenario. If it’s too big for camping, could always return it as well, but you do make some good points for the 100 v2 + a separate battery.
.
Decisions, decisions lol
The Charger 1 from my 100Ah LFP produces very close to the 560W max charge to the Solar input. For a total of over 2,400Wh.
Some Youtube reviews state the Charger 1 is not expandable. This is true in relation to Bluetti Expansion battery integration and connectivity, other than in power bank mode. However, with the Charger 1, any LFP deep cycle battery, will expand capacity. i.e. the B80 battery has a limit of 200W output in power bank mode. The 560W of the Charger 1 is over 250% higher charge for a quicker transfer of power. This is expansion capability.
In a blackout situation, there’s no limit if you use several LFPs to add extra capacity. i.e. 2 x 200Ah LFP’s would give over 6.2kWh of power capacity. LFP deep cycle batteries don’t have the added weight of inverters and other electronics, so Wh per kg is much higher.
Don’t get me wrong, expansion batteries are great for the power stations they are designed to integrate with.
The added bonus of the above; the weight of each item is around 10-12kg (25lb). This makes portability and storage much easier.
The only thing swaying my decision would be, do I need the extra 800W of inverter output or not.
I have a generator transfer switch on my home grid circuit. It gives me power to the power points (GPO) of the house, but not Air Cons, Electric Stove or lighting.
Running my home fridge, TVs, Laptops, other device charging and Internet uses less than 600W. I do, however, have gas instant hot water and cooktop.
Reason for the lighting not on Transfer switch - If I leave a light switched on during a blackout it is not powered. When the grid comes back up, the light goes on and I know to switch all back to the grid. There are numerous low current LED desk and stand lights used from the power sockets to provide lighting.
In saying this, you need to calculate what your needs are, then chose a power station to provide that.
Both the E100 and E200 support 12-60V/20A (1000W) for PV input so the solar charging potential is the same. Depending on the quart size of your 12V fridge and how you use it (fridge/freezer/both) you will consume between 300Wh to up to 800Wh in a 24 hour period. They are power hungry. Right now I’m part time living out of my Radica Moonlander and I dedicated an entire AC180 (Elite 100 equivalent) plus a 350 watt solar panel to just topping off it alone! Even then, I need a contingency plan (i.e. gas generator) from time to time if I go multiple days without much solar input. For that I have 2 10lb propane tanks mounted on the back of mine which I utilize an LP genny to power the Bluetti @ 800W. I’ll top off around 60-65% of my AC180 battery for every 1lb of propane burned.
With that said I built a spreadsheet a while ago for my AC180 that tells me what my estimated recharge time would be to refill the battery at a certain state of charge (assuming 90% charging efficiency in formula) at a certain constant solar input. So to give you an example if you have 25% battery left, but its overcast and your panel is getting you only 50 watts, it will take 17 hours to top off the battery (simply not enough solar potential).
Let’s say you get two panels and run them in parallel to double your output to 100 watts. It would still take over 8.5 hours to top it off. Assume you get 12.5% output when its dense low cloud cover, 25% output when its thick clouds and 50% when its overcast but not as dense. Well if you have two 350 watt panels in parallel, 12.5% of 700 watts is 87 watts, 25% is 175 watts, while 50% is 350 watts.
Let’s do a thought experiment. Assume worst case scenario for 3 straight days we get 12.5% output.I consume 950Wh per day from my usage. At 12.5% output and running two 350 watt panels, I would generate 696Wh per solar day. A net loss of 254Wh per day. If I had an Elite 100, with a 90% depth of discharge I have 921Wh available. 921/254 = 3.64 days before battery would run out from a net negative charge rate. This assumes I average 87 watts over the course of 8 hours of available Sun. With the Elite 200 V2 it would be 1865/254 or 7.34 days. Granted its not as cut and dry and just leaving out your solar panels all day, because for example the Bluetti foldable panels are not IP68 waterproof. You may lose some time due to rain, but this just gives you a general idea of what you could manage in terms of solar potential vs system sizing (aka your real world usage per day).
Here’s a solar update on my home solar. As mentioned, in summer it produces near 50kWh/day. We’ve had several rainy days, yesterday was rain most of the day, with heavy cloud cover, the output was just over 6kWh.
That’s around 12% of summer output. Keep in mind, it’s running at a much higher voltage than a portable array.
As an aside, I have an Engel 40lt 12VDC fridge in my 4by. It is a combi 2 compartment fridge and or freezer.
My old 39lt fridge only used 25Ah or roughly 300 Wh from an AGM in winter time in a 24hr run. In summer it cylced more often drawing around 60Ah or near 700W. The new fridge draws a similar current, but now operates at a higher LFP voltage, so the Wh is slightly lower.
The real hit is when it runs as a freezer, in summer it cycles much of the time and uses more. I run it from a 75Ah slimline LFP, charged via DC-DC inbuilt to the battery (20A) from the alternator, in winter with no issue and it has roughly the same capacity as the Elite 100 and less than the AC180.
It works well in winter, as I prospect and drive most days. However, I also carry a 25A Victron LFP 240VAC charger just in case, that runs from the generator as a back up.
I think @sealy1986 would also agree, you need to cover all bases, with multiple options. There’s nothing worse than being in the boonies and running out of power. No power means no lights, no fridge = no food in the dark.
Answer = go home, lol.
Forgot to mention, carrying the AC180 & or the Elite 100, means the Engel could be powered by both power stations to extend power capacity.
I also have a 110lt RV fridge running from the 2 x 100Ah house batteries.
Again, options. I can always turn one of the fridges off and consolidate power to one device = options.
I don’t like “no food” & especially no “cold beer”, lmao.
Wow, this is really great info.
.
Being in a Subaru Outback though, I don’t really want to deal with solar. Tried it on one trip and they were just too cumbersome to pack in the car with the million other things I have. I put a bed platform and simple sliding drawer in the back so there isn’t much room for the panels. Thats why I’m hoping the Charger 1 works well for me.
.
I currently use 2 EB3A’s and in cooler areas I can sometimes stretch one of those a little over a day with the fridge. I do usually pack it with a few frozen water bottles to help. It’s obviously the hotter days that run through the battery much quicker because its running more.
.
I did end up just getting the 200 v2 though. Had some Amazon gift cards so ended up getting it for like $650 after tax which is a steal I think. I do a lot of camping in winter so I figure I could get some fancier things like a heated blanket and not have to worry at all about the battery running out. Plus it also seems a bit better if a hurricane cuts power to my house for a week or so. But this is some great info for other maybe looking into more solar charging.
Thanks! Yes, Excel can be a very useful tool if you learn how to use it. Part of what got me my original promotion when I was in IT was my knowledge of functions like VLOOKUP, INDEX+MATCH, etc. For one job I worked we had to manually audit Active Directory accounts and Lotus Notes to ensure proper privileged roles were granted for user compliance. HR would send us a list of employees and their status along with approved roles/groups and then I had to compare that against the spreadsheet given to me by Dev which ran the Lotus side and sys admin who gave me AD side and which groups they were in. The whole purpose was to make sure someone who needed access to a new role had it, or if they changed from a role that had higher privileges to a lower one that they were revoked. We had an in house system that would automate some user provisioning tasks, but Lotus was all manual. It was a mess. We eventually wised up and got rid of LN and went to Sailpoint for full user automation. It was just a matter of plugging in the data. No longer work for the company and IT was the cause of all my stress and anxiety I have today, so as I result I got burned out and quit. It was the whole reason why I decided to pursue a nomadic lifestyle, which peaked my curiosity into solar and I dug in deeper to learn about it which is why I have a strong vested interest in it.
Understand the space constraint. If solar anything, roof mounted. I have seen some creative solutions in a small compact SUV/car. I recently saw this cool solution on social media which is a roof mounted solar panel that had blankets that expand out across your entire car for up to 1200W of charging. Problem is it requires a larger power station and its only designed to charge EVs but would be a sick solution if they offered it in a smaller increment and it supported just traditional MC4 connectors. There was another guy a long time ago (can’t find video) but he hitch mounted a bunch of panels together and it just folded up nicely and packed away when he drove it. Essentially take advantage of otherwise wasted exterior space. Roof is the logical choice. It occupies zero room inside because its well,…outside lol
About the Charger 1, be advised that if you use it when idling only, you will stress the alternator. Mechanical energy is required to provide a proper power distribution (i.e. you need to drive it so the RPMs kick up so it can work efficiently) otherwise it will always run at 80-90% so don’t expect to drive to a campsite and just let your car idle all day. Depending on the load you exert on battery, along with its idle, you may slowly kill the battery charge over time and not realize it. Highly recommend you invest in a jump starter like a NOCO GB70 so you aren’t stranded by Charger 1 killing your battery if you idled it too long.
Yeah, I read a bunch of stuff about not using it while idling. I’m usually in National Parks so I figure the driving around to hikes and such will help keep the battery topped off. It’s another reason I got the 200v2, bigger battery for my uses will mean I shouldn’t need to recharge it much on a trip. And those jump starters are very handy. Already learned that lesson when I was at a dispersed campsite in the middle of nowhere and my battery died randomly. Was not fun, so I immediately bought one of those when I got home haha.
