Portable Power Stations and Question

[SmkyMike]

New to the forum and I’m hoping this thread generates some good discussion on portable power stations. I’m going to be living out of my cargo van full time traveling for work for at least a few years and want to travel cheap so that I’m pocketing most of the per diem. In my recent past I lived in a small RV full time for years so I am experienced at living simply and boon docking. If I’m not working I’ll be doing outdoor activities like hiking or trail running, so besides sleeping I’ll be in the van as little as possible and I’ll be boon docking the vast majority of the time. What is your opinion on what portable power station and solar panels I should get based on my planned usage and budget as follows: I’ll have a 12V fridge and other simple recharging needs like cell phone, laptop, electric shaver, etc. If it’s warm when I’m in the van I’d want a low wattage fan running and may also install a fantastic fan. When it’s cold I’d likely use a low wattage electric blanket and/or some other low wattage heat solution. I’ll never be running a microwave, AC, hair dryer, electric power tools, or any other devices that use high wattage. I’d mainly recharge the station via solar and during my commute to and from work, I wouldn’t be plugged in to AC that often to recharge. Since I’m not electrically inclined at all and my power needs based on research would be considered somewhat simple I think I’ll go with a portable power station. My budget for the portable power station plus some solar hooked up to it is $2,000 give or take a little. Based on research so far it appears that capacity is most important to me and considering my budget I’m leaning toward the Bluetti EB240 or Bluetti AC200P . Any input on these two units or other portable power stations factoring in my power needs and budget is appreciated!

 

[bullfrog]

Can you plug it in at work and let it charge during the day? What will keep keep the refrigerator in the vehicle cold on cloudy rainy days? You really probably need 200 watts of solar and 100ah of lithium battery to run your list on a sunny day unless you drive 6 or 8 hours a day on the interstate cloudy days you won't be happy. A small cheap generator would solve your charging problem with a few hours of run time each day as well.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

I have similar loads as you and get along fine with 200W solar and 100AH usable battery.  The only thing I don't have on your list is heat.  100AH gives me a day margin (I can go 2 days without much sun before I have to recharge).  
I have a small 1000W inverter/generator and 35A battery charger when needed.  Less than 2 hours run time in the AM and let solar fill the rest, even on overcast days.

 

[SmkyMike]

Thanks for the tips. No, I won't be able to plug it in and charge during the day while at work and the commute won't ever be too long. I need to research amp hours more, so far I'm looking mostly at watts. I guess I should stress more that I'm trying not to do some of the electrical jobs I see on many vans that to me look confusing and like a possible fire hazard, plus the setups I've seen take up valuable space and I assume require the battery to be ventilated to the outside somehow. You both mentioned a small generator to solve some of my issues and would help during cloudy weather, any brand recommendations on that option is appreciated too. Thanks again.

 

[justanothermaroon]

I have an AC200 hooked to a 350W panel. My electric needs are greater. I love the unit but it may be overkill for you. personally, I'd rather have too much power than not enough.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

The logical way to size things is to start with your usage:
 - Amp hours or watt hours you will use per day.
 - Decide how many days of bad weather before you must charge.
 - Size your batteries to accommodate your usage.
 - Size your charging systems to fit your charging needs.

I have 200AH of golf cart batteries.  That gets me 2 days of use without charging (3 days if I want to go below 50%).

Li-ion and AGM batteries do not need to be vented.  Venting of FLA batteries is a matter of choice.  My GC2s only outgas when I force them to (equalizing).

Honda 1000W inverter/generator is best - if you can afford it.
I have 3 years on a Sportsman 1000W i/g that I paid $139 for.

Battery charger needs to be purchased for the battery chemistry you choose.  I have a PowerMax PM-35LK

 

[PeterPiper]

I’d mainly recharge the station via solar and during my commute to and from work

Do you have a REALLY REALLY long commute ?

I'm thinking you might not be aware of the relationship between solar panel power output and battery charge times.

"Generally speaking"......( just a ballpark summary)

If you have 100Ah of battery storage and 200watts of solar panels you'd need about 10 hours under perfect conditions to recharge your depleted 100Ah battery.
You're not going to get 10 hours of sunlight on ANY day.   Maybe 5 - 8 in very sunny southern latitudes.

In other words, you really need at least 300watts of solar power and  about 5 hours of strong sun to recharge a depleted 100Ah battery.

What you "should" do is setup your alternator to feed the battery as much amps as you can (up to the safe limit) during the commute.

You can probably get 30 Amps to use for that from your alternator.  In 1 hour you'd put back about 1/3 of the batteries capacity if your commute is 1 hour.

Lot's to learn and think about.   But the journey can be as fun as the destination.

 

[izifaddag]

I need to research amp hours more, so far I'm looking mostly at watts.  I guess I should stress more that I'm trying not to do some of the electrical jobs I see on many vans that to me look confusing and like a possible fire hazard, plus the setups I've seen take up valuable space and I assume require the battery to be ventilated to the outside somehow.  You both mentioned a small generator to solve some of my issues and would help during cloudy weather, any brand recommendations on that option is appreciated too.  Thanks again.

Yes AH is typically how these things are measured. Although understanding the interaction in watts is very helpful. More with the inverter though. 
A lithium ferro phosphate battery does not need ventilating. Even a good quality AGM is not going to need any venting. A cheap liquid acid lead will though.
A small suitcase style inverter generator is an excellent idea. I built my solar system myself. I started with 2 x 100 watt panels @ 12v and a Renogy controller. I have expanded considerably. I still need power though when the sky is cloudy or I am working on the system.
I have a Champion 2000 (the black one) that I got at Tractor Supply for $449 + tax. Reliable, light and very economical. Oh and super quiet. 
An 'all in the box' type like a Jackery or Bluetti are really nice but incredibly expensive for what they are. You are paying a lot of money purely for convenience. 
A single 12v 100ah LifPo with one 200 watt panel would do the trick. For a controller so as to save money start with a pwm - I have seen them as cheap as $8. You could have a lot of change out of your $2,000. You will start to learn too. Unfortunately us road dwellers have to learn a lot of different stuff even when we don't want to. From replacing a rotor and pads on a brake system to figuring out electrical stuff. Painful but worth the trouble.

 

[Scott3569]

My 2 cents,

I am a novice on this subject as many of you know.. But $2000 budget seems to be pretty steep..

Wiring honestly is not that bad, take your time and do things right.

If you don't know ask

I am putting together a system that will cost about 1/3 of what your budget is..

I will have the capability of adding more solar in the future, and more battery if I need it..

I have looked into those portable generators also.. and I was leaning on one to start out with.

But, I simply do not like the all in one... Sort of like your all in one home audio systems back in the day.. the quality of the components were not as good as if you bought them separately

 

[AuricTech]

SmkyMike, what are you looking at for your solar panel array, in terms of both budget and expected output? Also, what's the expected power consumption for your 12V fridge?

 

[SmkyMike]

Thanks for the question. I've been doing a lot more research since I made this original post based on some of the previous answers. I now understand a few things. One is that a solar / battery / inverter, etc. electrical system for someone like me with modest planned amps/watts usage doesn't appear to be as complicated to install as I feared. Every person I've researched with similar usage as I plan on seems to have a pretty basic system. Reminder that I will never use a microwave, hair dryer, air conditioner, electric power tools, or any other similar devices. I would buy the most energy efficient fridge I can find for $500 or less and insulate it. I'm not working a business out of my van with high laptop, drone, Go Pro, etc. recharging needs either. I'd do a few other things to save power usage like getting a couple solar powered lights for example. One other thing I would have is a fantastic to run as needed.

I'm still open to the power station option but am now strongly considering doing my own. I'm by no means rich, but I'm not opposed to paying more for convenience as I value my time. For example, if I do my own system for say $700-$1000 how much time am I going to spend researching how to do it and what to order online, how many trips to Home Depot am I going to make, and how much time will the install take for me being a total amateur - two full days or more of aggravation on the weekend when I could be hiking? The power station idea appealed to me for several reasons - I'm not electrically inclined at all, I value my time, my electrical needs based on research appear to be considered at the most average, and I'd also then have the power station for things like power outages when I'm at home.

Sorry, I'm probably not making any sense and talking in circles, but this is just really confusing. A few have commented about how they would do the electrical setup using batteries which has helped me research that option more. I guess I was probably hoping more people similar to my situation that have done a portable power station would chime in. Thanks again to all that have commented, I'm still researching things.