[llninja]

I'm currently living in a 5th wheel during the week for work. I'm 25 miles from any ice of any significance. I have been trying the ice cooler method, but by the time I get enough ice in there to keep the 130-degree car temperatures at bay, there isn't much room left for all the produce I need to transport back home 180 miles away (and soggy produce is less than ideal as well). I even tried dry ice once, but even with a towel between it and the food, some of my veggies and fruit got frosty. So my options are to either drive back to my 5th wheel after a 10-hr work day, adding another 30 minutes of driving, and then drive 3 1/2 hours home, or to figure out how to power my Engel cooler while at work. I have also considered the solar panel option. A panel in my front windshield area may be possible. Too much dark tint everywhere else and leaving the panel outside the car isn't an option. I think I'll look into the solar panel idea a bit further.

Instead of tapping into the car's power, how about adding some GoalZero accessories

http://www.goalzero.com

They have solar panels and lithium Ion battery power packs that are flexible and interoperate. So while driving you can charge the batteries with the car. While parked, you can setup an array of solar panels in your windshield and rear hatch (hopefully you have a VoltShelf), and then run the cooler off of the power pack and solar panels. I'm not sure whether there's enough power to last all day, but it seems like anything is better than nothing. These do get pricey as you go bigger and bigger. It's really designed for phones, tablets, laptops, etc.

 

[llninja]

It would be .3kWh plus whatever power the car used to keep all the systems up and running, battery cooling, etc. I would guess it would be closer to 7kWh in this desert heat. I'll give it a try this weekend and see how much power the car uses without anything plugged it.

Edit: Missed a decimal point there...

It make me wonder, is it more efficient to run the cooler in a hot car, or turn on the AC, burn some fuel if needed, and cool the car so the cooler doesn't have to work so hard to maintain temps?

Also, is it possible to get the entire car under shade to reduce that 130 degree in-the-sun temps? Maybe consider getting a car cover.