Pursine inverter battery tap (+) and (-) for my Rav4EV

[GeneralStevous]

https://photos.app.goo.gl/3WuAM1SKtyVFvZgQ8
Directly to 12V battery, 1200W (2400W peak) inverter with load meter - works great on 12A lawn mower (showing 440W). There's 2 zones beyond extension cord length so I use the RAV4EV instead of gas tractor!
Currently mounted on top of plastic, hood partly or fully open. Only used when stationary so install/remove as needed. How important is it to have a ground to earth from inverter if tools (lawn mower has ground plug, chainsaw does not) are double insulated?
Is there a good place to tap into the 12V DC so inverter is mounted inside?

The car need to be powered on in order for the 12 volt battery to be receiving a charge from the traction battery, right? Are there any downsides to doing this? I have a 1500w power inverter that's intended to be hooked up to the battery of a gas car. I'd like to use it initially as an emergency generator (to power a few refrigerators and lights.

 

[davewill]

The car need to be powered on in order for the 12 volt battery to be receiving a charge from the traction battery, right? Are there any downsides to doing this? I have a 1500w power inverter that's intended to be hooked up to the battery of a gas car. I'd like to use it initially as an emergency generator (to power a few refrigerators and lights.

Only the obvious. Since, the car is on, someone could jump in and drive it away. You can help mitigate that by using the manual key to lock the doors. Also, systems in the car itself will be drawing power, not just the inverter you've connected.

 

[miimura]

The car need to be powered on in order for the 12 volt battery to be receiving a charge from the traction battery, right? Are there any downsides to doing this? I have a 1500w power inverter that's intended to be hooked up to the battery of a gas car. I'd like to use it initially as an emergency generator (to power a few refrigerators and lights.

I have done exactly what you propose and it works great. Be sure to install circuit protection between the battery and inverter. I also installed a shunt meter, so I could monitor the DC power usage.

The one thing that you need to be aware of is the 12 volt charging voltage when the car is in READY mode. When the car is in READY mode, it will keep the 12V battery at 14.4VDC. This is fine for a traditional maintenance free 12V battery. However, while an AGM battery can be bulk charged at 14.4V, it should be float charged at no more than 13.8VDC. I have personally overheated my AGM battery while camping to the point that it vented. This damages the battery. Fortunately, I had already used the AGM battery for 5 years and soon replaced it with a traditional battery.

If you don't have JdeMO and you don't leave the car on for extended periods, the AGM battery is a good choice. The car does use a float charge voltage of 13.8VDC when the car is charging on J1772.

 

[miimura]

I just re-read this thread from the beginning and saw someone asked about the tray that I mounted the breaker and shunt to. I designed and 3D printed it myself. I still have the STL file if anyone is interested.

 

[GeneralStevous]

I have done exactly what you propose and it works great. Be sure to install circuit protection between the battery and inverter. I also installed a shunt meter, so I could monitor the DC power usage.

The one thing that you need to be aware of is the 12 volt charging voltage when the car is in READY mode. When the car is in READY mode, it will keep the 12V battery at 14.4VDC. This is fine for a traditional maintenance free 12V battery. However, while an AGM battery can be bulk charged at 14.4V, it should be float charged at no more than 13.8VDC. I have personally overheated my AGM battery while camping to the point that it vented. This damages the battery. Fortunately, I had already used the AGM battery for 5 years and soon replaced it with a traditional battery.

If you don't have JdeMO and you don't leave the car on for extended periods, the AGM battery is a good choice. The car does use a float charge voltage of 13.8VDC when the car is charging on J1772.

Fantastic information! Thank you so much!