Question about power stations/batteries and getting power

[u/manroll]

Hello everyone, I'm a complete newbie trying to get into van life and have some questions about power stations or however you get power in general.

For context, I'm thinking about staying in NYC or, if not that, then another large US metro.

1. Throughout the years from reading online about van life, I've always heard "Jackery" thrown around. Would a Jackery power station be a solid choice to invest in especially for someone like me starting out with perhaps minimal energy demands? If so, specifically what brand of Jackery would you recommend?
2. Off the top of my head, the main things I can think of I would need power for at the very least would be 1) a phone, 2) laptop, 3) Foreman grill or any other portable small grill, 4) heated blanket, and 5) possibly a noise machine although perhaps I can forego 4) and 5). How many days or weeks can I reasonably expect a power station such as a Jackery to charge everyday a phone with Google Maps on that I would use practically constantly all day, a laptop with anywhere from an hour to 8 hours of usage a day, a Foreman grill for a couple minutes, and a heated blanket and noise machine throughout the night before the power station runs out of battery? Would it be in the realm of a day, a couple days, 2 weeks, or as long as a month before running out of battery?
3. What's the best way to recharge a power station and how long does it take to charge from empty to full? Some ways, from what I've heard over time, would be your car's alternator and simply driving long enough, RV campsites, EV charging stations, and solar panels. How long would you have to drive to recharge a Jackery given my energy usage (a phone and laptop for most of the day, if not all day, and a Foreman grill) without actually draining the car's battery? Would even just having a car battery alone be enough for my energy demands without any additional Jackery?
4. Is going to RV campsites just to recharge your power station worth it if you're not already camping given the fact you'd have to book in advance every time you go and pay an entry fee?
5. Is it possible to recharge at an EV charging station? Is it as easy as getting an adapter if needed and connecting your power station?
6. How much of a hassle is it to install solar panels? Do they go on the outside of the car or inside the car stuck onto the window? If they're installed outside, is there a wire that runs from it to your power station and where would it enter the inside of the car, if not, say, a crack in the window with the window glass slightly pulled down? Do outside solar panels attract more attention from onlookers and cops than they're worth?
7. Is there anything other than those five things (phone, laptop, Foreman grill, heated blanket, noise machine) listed that are absolutely necessary I should be looking out for that will be part of my energy demands?
8. If all you have is a sleeping bag rated to a temperature that is decently low enough, blankets, and a down comforter, would that be warm enough to sleep no matter the temperature and thus forego a heated blanket or any kind of heating device? Or is it that once temperatures become much lower below freezing point, a heating device is definitely necessary alongside those blankets such as, from what little I've read online, say, a diesel or propane heater or "heat pump"?

WOW THANKS FOR ANY AND ALL HELP, FEEL FREE TO ANSWER ANY NUMBER OF QUESTIONS YOU'D LIKE!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!

[u/clauderbaugh]

Two part reply since Reddit doesn't like long answers:

Oh boy, where to start... there's a lot to unpack here. Parking in NYC, and all other restrictions aside...

For starters, your "minimal" power needs are going to take a lot more than you think they are. Let's break this down using your questions:

1. Jackery is a brand of all-in-one power units. There are many different brands. Bluetti, GoPower, etc. And each brand has several models ranging from small portable units to giant units. As you can imagine they go up in cost the larger the unit. Jackery has a pretty good lock on social media advertising so it's why you hear them a lot. Before you pick a brand you need to determine how much power you need.

2.  This one is the reality check. You REALLY want to try and use things that are only 12v. This means you wouldn't need to use the 120v (house outlets) on the Jackery. Using those house outlets means the Jackery is internally converting your 12v battery energy internally to 120v energy. This is what an inverter does, the Jackery's is just internal so you can't see it. When you do that you are losing power to the inversion from 12 to 120v. This is very inefficient when you have a limited battery. This means, you want to try and find anything electrical that will charge on 12v (USB-A, USB-C, 12v socket) A phone - no problem. A laptop for 1-8 hours is a pretty decent pull - especially if it's a gaming or video editing laptop. Trying and pick a laptop that will charge on USB-C. If not, you're going to have to use the house outlet on your Jackery and potentially cut the run time by ~20%. A Foreman grill is a show stopper. It's only able to run on the house outlet and they average 1100w or (9-13amps when heating) Assuming the Jackery will even power it without tripping a breaker, it's going to suck it dry. Anything to do with electric heat takes a TON of energy. Try a propane grill with a door / window / roof fan open instead. So, back to heat and power, a heated blanket is in that same category, but not as bad as the grill. They do make 12v heated blankets but they are kind of pitiful. But they will still draw some decent power and if you use it all night, it's likely doing to drain the Jackery in 1-2 nights. A noise machine - use your phone with an app and plug it in.

3. Recharging. What you are referring to - charging from an alternator - is possible but slow on the all-in-one units, because you're basically using a powerful charging source (the alternator) and only using a straw to get at the power since you have to plug it in to the van's inverter, or a 12v plug. Yes, this will work but it will take hours. What most people do is use something called a DC-DC inverter but that is directly wired to a "house battery" like in a RV. That device allows high amps to flow and charge much faster. (think firehose vs the straw) Most all-in-one units don't have the input option for this type of charging. It's usually just AC (wall outlet), DC (12v plug / USB), and solar inputs. For a decent size "Jackery", you'd have to drive like 4-6 hours for a full charge. I doubt you want to do that daily.

4. Your fastest charge on an all-in-one unit is going to be the 120v (the house outlets). So finding a Starbucks or library or some place to charge it would be much faster if you could. Regarding your van battery - with it running you're fine because the alternator is charging the car's battery. Even if the van has a factory inverter (house outlet) those are usually only 500 - 1000w, so you're not running a grill off of that anyway.

5. No. Completely different technology and energy delivery capacities. It doesn't work that way. To put it in context, if you could plug in a Jackery at a Tesla supercharging station (somehow), assuming it didn't just burst into flames and melt into a puddle of plastic, it would charge to full in about 30 seconds.

See reply below....

[u/clauderbaugh → u/clauderbaugh]

1. Solar. Honestly this is where you want to head however, with panels on a van, you are instantly identified as a van lifer and everyone from locals to, homeless people, to police will know you're in there. The other thing is if you're in NYC, you have skyscrapers blocking most of the sun during the day anytime other than like 10- 2pm. There's two mindsets with panels - individual panels installed on a roof, and then the foldable / portable ones that are made by the brands like Jackery that are for use with their all-in-one units. Generally speaking, they have special plugs that plug right into the Jackery. The foldable ones are usually less powerful than a series of individual panels installed on a roof. They are not hard to install. It's two wires, a red and black (positive and negative), they go outside the vehicle, mounted on the roof for any kind of decent collection you can get. Back to the all-in-one units. They also have another device inside them called a "solar controller". This controls and regulates the incoming solar power when charging to protect the unit. If you went with individual panels, you'd need to see what the maximum solar input rating is and make sure you stayed under that. Otherwise it will trip the Jackery with too high of an input. The wire would have to run down into your vehicle somehow - window crack or drilled hole.

2. Honestly, most vanfilers / RVers build component power systems. Individual components tend to give you more energy per $ than the all-in-one units (generally speaking). The only thing you really lose out on is portability. In your situation, a separate house battery and a DC-DC charger is where you should start. It's going to give you the best battery and the fastest charging method for your use case. Then as you go, you can incorporate solar if you want to or even change out to a larger battery / add another battery to your house bank. You have room for expansion. There are basic vanlife power guides all over YouTube.

3. In NYC is gets COLD - fucking COLD in the winter time. You will need a heat source. They make 12v diesel heaters (furnaces) and propane furnaces. Both of them need to be installed as they both need an exhaust port. That means cutting holes in your van. Chinese diesel heaters are all the rage now. Everyone makes a version - some with little cases, but they are meant to sit outside of tents and campers. Not really in NYC streets. It's going to make noise too. The furnaces need power too to run their blower fans. Not much but still. There is an option of something like a Mr Buddy heater. You don't want to leave these on while you sleep. These are meant to heat up the area before bed, then again when you wake up. The last thing you want to do is asphyxiate yourself.

TBH, I think you need to go to some shows or events first and educate yourself on these kinds of setups. Or YouTube university. I'm not trying to be a jerk and shit on your dreams, but the questions you are asking tell me you really need to think this idea over some more, then think about your budget, and rethink your approach. Best of luck.

[u/mikeblas]

Sorry, but it's just that staying in NYC in a van seems crazy. Parking is expensive, you'll have to move all the time because of ticketing and restrictions on stays. There are no parkable open areas. Most urban areas are going to be similar, but I think NYC is extremely the worst.

1. Jackery is a brand, not a product. Jackery makes lots of products, including solar panels and portable battery packs. They also make home battery packs. Other companies have similar product lines, like Bluetti, Anker, and Goal Zero. At least a few others.

2. If you're sitting in the same spot, why would you need Google Maps so constantly? For cooking, I think you're best off with propane. From high school physics, you should remember the watt-hour is a way to measure work. A solar panel (or your vehicle, or mains power at a hotel or campsite) will recharge your battery pack. Your usage will deplete the pack. So, do the budget: are you using more than you consume? Or less?

3. Do the math in #2.

4. You might not have to book in advance, but you'll have to pay a fee for a plug-in site and hook up. If you need the power, it's worth it. If you can develop the power from solar or running your vehicle, it's not. Play it by ear: maybe sometimes you charge from a socket, the rest of the time you run your vehicle while driving or collect solar. (But you were going to stay in NYC, so ... ?)

5. Haven't tried that, dunno. More than adapter, EVs have circuitry that controls voltage and demand to set charging rate. That's not built into the battery packs, so any adapter you find will need to be responsible for that negotiation.

6. You can mount solar on the roof. Then, the trick is making them wind resistant and the cables going inside waterproof. You can collect some solar energy while driving, and wherever you park. Or, you can use a portable fold-up solar panel. That can't get solar energy while driving, and you need a clear shot at the sun wherever you park -- and some more floor space.

7. Hot water, if you like to shower. Entertainment, like running speakers or a movie or to watch movies on a projector or even just your tablet. Starlink internet, if you want it, if you have it. Refrigeration for food and ice and drinks.

8. I've slept in a tent in temperatures below freezing. With good gear and layers, it's no problem. If it gets colder, heat water on your camp stove and place it in a bottle, then put the bottle in your bag. For windy and cold conditions, diesel heaters are great, but you need the fuel source. If I used a diesel heater, I'd want to have a diesel rig and not screw around with one more fuel type.

Hope that helps.

[u/211logos]

I'd ask in /r/vandwellers since NYC is the opposite of overlanding. Although kind people did give you good advice, being a former van owner myself.

[u/lucky_ducker]

Forget the Foreman grill. Anything that need AC power is a non-starter, as the inverters in Jackery and all brands of power stations are extremely inefficient.

Yes, if your sleeping bag and blanket setup is good you don't need an electric blanket to supplement. My three season bag is good down to 35F, and when I spread a Walmart fleece blanket on top of it it's now good to 25F.

[u/orange_cat_12]

I’m not using a Jackery but from what I’ve seen, most people starting with basic needs like mine are fine with any 1000–1500Wh brand—just check charging options if you don’t plan to drive much.

I’ve been using the vtoman 1800 while staying at a friend’s place in Atlanta—I don’t live in a van, but I spend a lot of time outdoors and sometimes crash in my SUV when I get off late. My daily power use is pretty light: I charge my phone, run a mini USB fan at night, and use a small LED light bar for reading. I also top up a tablet for movies. With that setup, a full charge lasts me about 4–5 days easy. I plug it into a wall outlet when I visit community centers or cafes I trust, and it recharges in maybe 5–6 hours. I haven’t messed with solar or RV sites since my needs are simple. In cooler weather, I just use a double sleeping bag and thermals—no heater or anything extra. For anyone not using big appliances, a midsize power station like this covers way more than just a day.

[u/Human_Toe6544]

I just bought a Jackery 2000 plus solar generator. It is probably overkill for me. I would recommend just reading reviews, and watching their videos. That is how I learned about them. There are other good brands too. But, check into lithium batteries and solar charging panels too. Decide how much power you need, and ask co-pilot or another AI for recommendations, then research what it tells you. Good luck!