Sleeping in MG4 [merged thread]

[Rolfe]

No. It might LOOK tidier, but this is super-easy to do.

 

[Tunemasterfunk]

Running a test based on my previous thread.

Car in 'on' state but key is in Faraday box in house.

V2L connected and run under bonnet for dryness.

Adapter attached so I can run my camping 10m extention

Extention drawing power for its built in light.

Front of car covered in an old black out blind to cover the lights.

Currently discharging for 20 plus minutes.

I will run it as long as possible and post an update.

 

[Tunemasterfunk]

1 hour and still going strong.

No car lock or alarm.

 

[Tunemasterfunk]

Second update, just been to the car and the interior screens have switched off.

I would have thought they would have stayed on but glad they have cut out.

Car still discharging though.

 

[Martinonline]

I did a trial the other day (without a V2L) with the car powered on but not put into the ready state and the key in a Faraday pouch. No change after 2 hours as I suspected.

 

[Tunemasterfunk]

I did a trial the other day (without a V2L) with the car powered on but not put into the ready state and the key in a Faraday pouch. No change after 2 hours as I suspected.

This trial is to ascertain the effectiveness of the V2L for camping purposes.

Sick of paying over the odds for EHU when I can stay on a site for £10 a night without it.

Can use my own electric at 9.5p per kwh rather than over inflated prices ?

 

[Rolfe]

Is the HVAC staying on though? If you look at Bjorn's video, the screens look as if they stayed on all the time he was in the back of the car.

 

[Tunemasterfunk]

Is the HVAC staying on though? If you look at Bjorn's video, the screens look as if they stayed on all the time he was in the back of the car.

Hi Rolfe,

I don't know about the HVAC. Not part of my current test as its irrelevant for what I will be using the vehicle for.

 

[Rolfe]

Relevant to a lot of us though, so if you happened to find that out during your experimentation, let us know.

 

[Tunemasterfunk]

Relevant to a lot of us though, so if you happened to find that out during your experimentation, let us know.

I would presume as the HV battery is constantly active doing what I am doing then the HVAC would also stay active.

Without sitting in the car for an extended period of time I do not know another way to test the HVAC staying on for extended periods.

 

[Rolfe]

I'm planning on doing that test soon. I think locking the car from the inside may be the crucial step.

 

[Tunemasterfunk]

Update.

6 1/2 hours and still V2L is active.

Went to check on the black out cover and no light spillage. Turns out the DRL's have turned off.

New test tomorrow, use V2L same as today but keep an eye on DRL's to see how long after starting discharge, the lights turn off.

Because the screens turned off within the first hour, I can only presume the DRL's also turn off at the same time.

Could be a game changer!

In the meantime, I'm leaving the car discharging overnight to see if it's still on in the morning.

If so, using the car as power source when camping seems like a go!

 

[Rolfe]

What are you planning to run off the VtL? Some details of the planned setup would be interesting.

 

[Tunemasterfunk]

Cooking and hot water all done on gas (double burner with grill on a 4.5kg butane)

Small oil filled heater overnight

Camping fridge

Chargers for phones x 2

LED lights in the tent x 4 strings

Pumps for air beds

And now I have a reliable power, maybe a Tassimo coffee maker.

I'm going to list the overall power consumption to see where I am at as 2kW I believe is the nominal output (3kW peak) although these items (minus the Tassimo) never trip the sites EHU which are normally between 6 and 10 amps so should be absolutely fine.

 

[Tunemasterfunk]

Possible final update.

Car discharged for 17 hours whilst unlocked.

I have just reset back to test defaults and started the discharge.

I thought I would try another test and locked the car whilst discharging.

V2L still works when car locked (didn't do this prior to software update) was on R33 now on R46. Once discharge status is set in car, I locked the car and the V2L is still active. All lights off.

When I have some time, I will check the car's discharge logs as well.

 

[Tunemasterfunk]

Update now I have used the full set-up out in the wild.

Took myself and my daughter for a 1 nighter in Hornsea to test out the V2L.

Drove from Thirsk to Hornsea and used 32% of battery from a full charge.

After setting up, we have a drive to the sea then got some supplies for tea and breakfast.

Locked up the car with the V2L active (no lights showing!) and connected the fridge, lights, chargers and pumped up the beds.

Car was using active V2L power for nearly 16 hours until we unplugged the next day and headed back home.

Car used 7% of battery whilst connected to the camping set-up so all in all I was quite impressed.

Car key was in a faraday pouch all the time the car was locked as well.

I hope this update assists anyone wanting to use their car as a power source whilst off-grid.

Any questions that I can answer, please let me know!

 

[Archev]

Update now I have used the full set-up out in the wild.

Took myself and my daughter for a 1 nighter in Hornsea to test out the V2L.

Drove from Thirsk to Hornsea and used 32% of battery from a full charge.

After setting up, we have a drive to the sea then got some supplies for tea and breakfast.

Locked up the car with the V2L active (no lights showing!) and connected the fridge, lights, chargers and pumped up the beds.

Car was using active V2L power for nearly 16 hours until we unplugged the next day and headed back home.

Car used 7% of battery whilst connected to the camping set-up so all in all I was quite impressed.

Car key was in a faraday pouch all the time the car was locked as well.

I hope this update assists anyone wanting to use their car as a power source whilst off-grid.

Any questions that I can answer, please let me know!

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Jealous of the V2L as my MG5 doesn’t have that. Your tent and furnishings make my camp trip a couple of weeks ago look like a poor bivvy ?
Looks like the camp manageress was happy with it all ?
Fascinating idea to run the camp off the car.

 

[Tunemasterfunk]

Jealous of the V2L as my MG5 doesn’t have that. Your tent and furnishings make my camp trip a couple of weeks ago look like a poor bivvy ?
Looks like the camp manageress was happy with it all ?
Fascinating idea to run the camp off the car.

Always have to look after the camp manageress! She had a ball as well. Great 1 night adventure. ?

 

[Archev]

Always have to look after the camp manageress! She had a ball as well. Great 1 night adventure. ?

All sounds fantastic.
I fancied a camping trip to the Borrego Dessert- all I need is here - truck, tent etc but the weather is shocking for camping - currently over 40°C and only dropping to 30 something overnight.

 

[Rolfe]

That's brilliant!