If you're going camping and looking for peace and quiet, a power inverter beats a generator every time! A portable generator, even a small one, must stay outside. But you must fill it with gas and run a motor, which can be noisy. Your vehicle will recharge its battery after a while.Ī portable generator creates its own electricity. Most have an alarm that warns you when the battery is getting low or an automatic sensor that detects low power and shuts things down. Left unattended, some power inverters can drain the battery. You keep the power inverter right in the vehicle with you. It takes the battery's DC output and changes it to AC. There is a limit to the power they can provide.Ī power inverter doesn't generate electricity. portable generatorĪlthough larger inverters do exist, this article focuses on 12-volt power inverters that work off of 12-volt batteries. But in general, if the device is light enough to carry around, then you can run it from your vehicle with a power inverter. Yes, there are limits on the amount of power an inverter can provide. Buy one small box that plugs into your cigarette lighter socket or attaches directly to your battery, and you can plug in all those devices and charge your smartphone, run power tools, or set up lights at your campsite.
That’s where the power inverter comes in.Ī power inverter has one job: to convert DC to AC. But the vehicle battery is direct current (DC), and all those devices run off of alternating current (AC). That’s because each of these vehicles has a battery (usually 12 volts) that is useful for running a laptop, DVD player, or even a refrigerator. Who needs a power inverter?Īnyone on the move – in a car, truck, RV, or motorboat – can take advantage of a power inverter. Only when you plug in the inverter does it change to AC power. Your cigarette lighter port is also a DC port.