It's probably fine. Though less efficient than using an actual automotive power adaptor made for your laptop. Saves heating up an inverter making 120vac and then immediately heating up laptop power adaptor to get it back down to low-voltage DC again.

 

You will still have the only 10 min of power after turning off the car- problem if using any of the power ports in in the Volt.

Larger power draw devices ie bigger inverters or say 12 Volt DC ham radio equipment it is better to direct connect to the 12 volt battery

that way you can fuse each wire with your own fuse and not overload or blow a volt fuse.

AND think about a 12volt auto cut off circuit ( built into some converters ) so you don't drain the 12 volt battery if the volt is not running.

 

I plan on using it with the Volt running.
In terms of not blowing a fuse: Is this a likely concern?

 

If you really want to be cautious, you can connect to the battery and mount the inverter in the driver side access hole in the truck. Back in the day, there were special 1500W inverters sold just for the Volt and that's where they connected. Looks like you can still purchase them: EV Extend - Inverter Kit for 2011-2015 Chevrolet Volt

 

If you really want to be cautious, you can connect to the battery and mount the inverter in the driver side access hole in the truck. Back in the day, there were special 1500W inverters sold just for the Volt and that's where they connected. Looks like you can still purchase them: EV Extend - Inverter Kit for 2011-2015 Chevrolet Volt

I use an inverter in my 2014 for my laptop and have no issues at when plugged into the rear seat 12V accessory plug thing...

 

I had a 800 watt, 1600w peak inverter I'd use all the time in my 17 volt, using the cig outlet between the rear seats.

No issues. Never blew a fuse.

It would only blow a fuse if you run beyond the wattage / amperage for an extended time. Peak operation usually won't trip the fuse as it is a semi-gradual ramp up.

My work laptop (old and new company both) won't run on a 300w power inverter, as they have occasional peak power demands for a few seconds at a time, which a 300w inverter couldn't handle.

During power outages, I'd use the same inverter to power items in the house with the car - but fridge drew more than the inverter could handle, so it was mainly wifi, TV, streaming devices, lights, phones, etc.

The only time you have to worry is if you have a 1200watt or higher inverter, and are drawing tons of power ... then you'll drain the 12v battery faster than the car can charge it. But that would need a direct battery connection.

 

Will it be safe to use a power inverter? I am thinking of purchasing this 300 W power inverter to power my laptop computer. Just checking to see if this would be safe to do in the vehicle. Obviously while it’s parked with power on.BESTEK 300W Power Inverter DC 12V to 110V AC Car Inverter with 4.2A Dual USB Car Adapter Amazon.com: BESTEK 300W Power Inverter DC 12V to 110V AC Car Inverter with 4.2A Dual USB Car Adapter: Electronics

I can't see having any trouble charging a laptop no matter what size inverter just so it's enough to supply the laptop's needs.

I have a plug wired to my 12V battery that I use with a 1500W sine wave inverter to run my fridge and lights when the power goes away. Works great.

 

I've melted the connector on the back of the fuse box before, once. Was on a 1996 Saturn SL. Turns out the capacity of that circuit was well below that which was required to charge a modern smart phone. The plastic melted when the fuse box connector got hot enough, and the fuel pump stopped working.. Oh yes that was some fun times. 8)

For the Gen 2 Volt, this post says 200W or 15A for all interior outlets combined. Very reasonable IMHO. If you need more, the mounted inverter in the back is a great solution. Run a blender, watch TV, run your home fridge if the power goes out. I've heard some folks just cut one end of a set of jumper cables and mount to a pure sine inverter and use that whenever needed, like in a blackout 8) I wouldn't go driving around with jumper cables though, the above posted link or something similar would work fine (reference thread).

 

Read the label on the laptop charger. What does the input requirement actually state? The size of the inverter means nothing as long as it can supply at least that, but larger inverters require a larger overhead (more power is needed for the inverter itself, before sending power downline). A laptop charger should be rated at no more than 200 watts at peak, typically much less than that, and they rarely charge at full rating. Keep the laptop battery at 50%+ and it will charge at a lesser rate. They aren't all the same, so read the label (on the charger, NOT the laptop: A * V = W). The inverter should be rated at 1.5 times the requirement (run rating, NOT peak), or heat can be an issue when running at full rated output.

Depending on how long you need the remote power, also consider an independent power source. Many of the "jump starters" now have USB outlets built in (and having a portable Li-Ion jump starter handy has other uses, like jump starting). As well, many portable power tool mfg's have USB adapters for their batteries. For example, I have a USB adapter that connects to my Makita batteries, which allows usage of the 18V, 5.0 AH battery capacity in USB form, and I have several batteries on hand. Also available are battery "generators", which are simply a battery supply with a built-in inverter, and are priced to size. You can also buy 10K mAH portable USB chargers for less than 20 bucks apiece. Do the simple math and figure out just how much power you need, and size the equipment accordingly. How much power do you need, and for how long?