[Gene]

I have a Bolt 2017 and love it. I have a 1500 watt pure sine wave inverter that fits pretty nicely under the infotainment system in that pocket on the floor. I would like to run some 2 gauge wire to the 12V battery. This way when we take the Bolt camping or on road trips we can have access to 110V AC. Is there a easy or best way to run the cables through to connect to the battery?

 

[GJETSON]

I have a Bolt 2017 and love it. I have a 1500 watt pure sine wave inverter that fits pretty nicely under the infotainment system in that pocket on the floor. I would like to run some 2 gauge wire to the 12V battery. This way when we take the Bolt camping or on road trips we can have access to 110V AC. Is there a easy or best way to run the cables through to connect to the battery?

Several folks have run stuff from the 12 volt into the cabin. There are some rubber grommets up by the driver's side footwell, that they used, as I recall.

 

[jefro]

You might consider a different path maybe. Get one of those power stations. Few are 1500W pure either but maybe you live with 1000 or 500. Then you can plug into cigarette lighter outlet. Pretty sure it is both fused and has an ability to be cut off if battery gets too low.
Unless you up the battery and charger you won't get very far. A similar discussion is on one of the F150 EV sites.

 

[AJ-ptmdy]

You might consider a different path maybe. Get one of those power stations. Few are 1500W pure either but maybe you live with 1000 or 500. Then you can plug into cigarette lighter outlet. Pretty sure it is both fused and has an ability to be cut off if battery gets too low.
Unless you up the battery and charger you won't get very far. A similar discussion is on one of the F150 EV sites.

The 12 V receptacle and its wiring is protected by a 15 A fuse, so only a very small load, say 120 W (?) would be acceptable. Some automobile electric-familiar folk may comment, but my guess is that the design is only enough for a continuous load about 10 A, maybe 12 A, so that would be 120 - 144 Watts.
My recent interest in Bolt-fuse ratings was due to a purchase of a tire air pump that is rated 15 A and 12 Volts. Ooops.

 

[Gene]

The charger for the Bolt battery if I recall was 2k watts. So I figure 1.5k watt inverter most of the time running lower would be ok. You really only need the higher watt ratings for motors when they start up. Then their power requirements drop off quite a bit.

 

[jefro]

2000 W divided by 12 V is 166 amps. Seems kinda high. Truck alternators are half that aren't they?

 

[phuber]

I wired mine though the big rubber grommet and also connected a remote power meter where the inverter wire connected to the battery so I can monitor the battery voltage as well as the amount of power being pulled by the inverter. In addition, the inverter I use includes an app for monitoring usage and voltage duplicating and eliminating the need for the power meter. In addition, I can turn the inverter on and off remotely through the app. Amazon.com: kinverch 2000W Continuous/ 4000W Peak Power Inverter 3 AC Outlets 12V to 110V Car Converter with USB Port : Clothing, Shoes & Jewelry

I hope this helps you.

 

[6speedblazer]

2000 W divided by 12 V is 166 amps. Seems kinda high. Truck alternators are half that aren't they?

Depends on the truck and options but most new Silverado's are 150-170 amp alternators.

 

[jefro]

The Bolt only has something like a 35ah battery, Why would they over spec it's charger?

 

[GJETSON]

The Bolt only has something like a 35ah battery, Why would they over spec it's charger?

50 Ah, 520 CCA

 

[GregBrew]

The Bolt only has something like a 35ah battery, Why would they over spec it's charger?

IIRC, from other threads on the topic, the DC-DC feeding the 12V PbA Auxiliary battery is rated for 1600W. I hooked up a 1500W pure sine-wave inverter at the battery and firewall ground post*, and tried various loads on the inverter's AC output. Anything above ~1kW AC off the inverter output, and the DC-DC couldn't keep up (the PbA battery voltage started to drop). This will vary, based on the efficiency of the inverter.

* You don't want to hook up the ground lead for the inverter at the battery terminal. There's a current sensor at the battery ground, and it will read the excess current draw as a fault, and throw a code. Pick up the ground connection elsewhere. I used the firewall grounding point. Others have used the tall ground post on the middle-top of the motor/electronics block.

 

[jefro]

I must have had a very old truck at 80amp I guess? 170 does look standard.

 

[Gene]

Thanks for the feedback! I'll use the footwell grommets.

 

[jmcbrew]

2000 W divided by 12 V is 166 amps. Seems kinda high. Truck alternators are half that aren't they?

Back in the old days, maybe… I know my VW Golf had a 140 amp alternator.

 

[Hien Pham]

I wonder ì i should find a way to íntall my inverter near the battery and run a 120V wire into the cabin.

 

[jefro]

You could. Be careful to put a grommet or other cable holding device in firewall.

Some of the portable power units that have a battery and inverter can be charged via cigarette lighter.

 

[Hien Pham]

You could. Be careful to put a grommet or other cable holding device in firewall.

Some of the portable power units that have a battery and inverter can be charged via cigarette lighter.

I think the cigarette lighter is rated for only 10Amp

 

[jefro]

Yes, the notion of charging up a power station like that would be if the load varied. Basically a buffer.

However I have not a fan of using the Bolt as an AC power source. Kind of a shame that we can't (currently) access the high voltage battery in some greater amount. A few modern EV's have a mini option. The trucks are being provided with a pretty good output.

I'd have to see what fuse is on that,

 

[ClarDold]

2000 W divided by 12 V is 166 amps. Seems kinda high. Truck alternators are half that aren't they?

My Cadillac has a 150 amp alternator.
My Chevy Bolt has a 130 amp DC-DC converter.
My Nissan LEAF has a 150 amp DC-DC converter. Newer LEAFs have 180 amp DC-DC converter.