# Charging while on the road



## 1spd1way (Jun 30, 2006)

I haven't seen this discussed yet.
We are shopping for ebikes now. We take three trips a year with our camper. We stay in commercial campsites but occasionally camp off-grid.
How are people charging while on multiday trips?


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## 915654 (Jul 27, 2021)

Deleted


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## _CJ (May 1, 2014)

1spd1way said:


> I haven't seen this discussed yet.
> We are shopping for ebikes now. We take three trips a year with our camper. We stay in commercial campsites but occasionally camp off-grid.
> How are people charging while on multiday trips?


If your vehicle has a 400w 120v plug, you can run your charger off that while the vehicle is running. Otherwise, you'll need a power inverter, which are cheap enough from Harbor Freight or wherever. Another option is a portable electric generator. The bigger ones can probably charge an ebike battery a couple of time before needing to be recharged themselves.

Worst case....gas powered generator.


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## Sparticus (Dec 28, 1999)

My GF & I don’t do campgrounds.
Rather, we do dispersed camping.
We hate generators.
But we bought one anyway.
We carry the generator on a cargo carrier between our van’s back doors and the tray hitch rack that carries the ebikes.
We’ll run the generator to charge the ebikes while we drive.
If we’re staying in one place for multiple days, we’ll charge the ebikes in camp, which is away from other people.
As I mentioned, we’re dispersed campers. Our generator only annoys ourselves.
We carry a 100’ extension cord so we can employ shore power while the generator is running 100’ from camp.
The generator is a Honda which is one of the quietest.
We still hate generators.
=sParty

EDIT: Here’s a photo of the cargo carrier that holds the generator:


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## DrDon (Sep 25, 2004)

Generator. Can get a cheap one and use ear plugs. I also disperse camp and hate generators. I have a powerful solar array but even then one has to be judicious, more so when my daughter is traveling with me. Unless you’re camping off grid a lot it’s hard to justify the cost of a good solar setup especially since lithium batteries are so much better than wet cells. Honda generators are awesome but also spendy. Theft when dispersed camping in an rural environment not close to a town is pretty safe as you know, but if I’m a meth head I’m eyeing that generator. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro


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## Sparticus (Dec 28, 1999)

I also carry 6' and 12' sections of this security chain, sheathed in bicycle tubes to keep bikes, generators & whatnot from being scratched:








...plus these locks:








Don't want meth heads getting off with our expensive stuff.
=sParty


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## _CJ (May 1, 2014)

Solar powered generator









Amazon.com : Geneverse Solar Generator For Homes: Portable Power Station Backup Battery & Solar Panel Power Generator. 1000W-2000W at 110V. Up To 7 Days of Emergency Power Supply. (1x2 (For 1-2 People Family)) : Patio, Lawn & Garden


Amazon.com : Geneverse Solar Generator For Homes: Portable Power Station Backup Battery & Solar Panel Power Generator. 1000W-2000W at 110V. Up To 7 Days of Emergency Power Supply. (1x2 (For 1-2 People Family)) : Patio, Lawn & Garden



www.amazon.com


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## russinthecascades (Jun 1, 2013)

We charge from a 400W solar, 4 100AH batteries and Victron inverter system installed in 170 extended Sprinter. Bikes stored inside, recharge in 3-5 hours depending on how much sun we're getting. We only do dispersion camping and are completely self contained.


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## Cary (Dec 29, 2003)

Sparticus said:


> My GF & I don’t do campgrounds.
> Rather, we do dispersed camping.
> We hate generators.
> But we bought one anyway.
> ...


Borrowed a friend’s Honda Eu2200i a couple of years ago during the rolling blackouts. Have to say, amazing how quiet that thing is. A far cry from the 6kw one I have now in case of blackouts, which would piss everyone off within a mile in the backcountry.


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## MSU Alum (Aug 8, 2009)

russinthecascades said:


> We charge from a 400W solar, 4 100AH batteries and Victron inverter system installed in 170 extended Sprinter. Bikes stored inside, recharge in 3-5 hours depending on how much sun we're getting. We only do dispersion camping and are completely self contained.


Does the charge flow from the solar to the storage batteries and then the inverter to the bikes?


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## Sparticus (Dec 28, 1999)

Cary said:


> Borrowed a friend’s Honda Eu2200i …


That’s the one we’ve got. Seems a keeper. 
=sParty


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## russinthecascades (Jun 1, 2013)

MSU Alum said:


> Does the charge flow from the solar to the storage batteries and then the inverter to the bikes?


Exactly. Installed both 12V and 120V outlets. Bike chargers plug into the 120V. Only compromise is that we can't use the Keurig while the bikes are charging. ;-)


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## dave54 (Jul 1, 2003)

Solar on our RV keeps the batteries charged. Also have a pair of Honda 2000i. Parallel them together for a 4k power source, run the microwave, AC, ebike etc. A cell phone booster with a MiFi card lets us stream movies while boondocking. 
Looking at converting the gennies to propane. Easier to carry a couple extra 20# propane bottles than 5 gal gas cans.


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## Calsun (May 12, 2021)

We have 500 Watts of solar on our roof and a diesel generator. The solar panels are ideal as they require no fuel to operate and their output is more in sync with how much current a bike battery charger can accept with its 2-4 Ah transformer brick. 

That said I decided to sell our two trail e-bikes and use two standard mountain bikes instead for our RV travels. There is no effective way to avoid the bikes from being stolen and with less expensive mountain bikes there is less incentive for a thief to take them. 

The only safe way to take bicycles is to have them in the back of a camper with a fiberglass cap and blacked out windows and a car alarm and to tow a travel trailer. Otherwise the bikes are up for grabs. I have used the back of a pickup with a cap to transport bicycles for more than 50 years and never lost a bike with this approach.


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## Mudguard (Apr 14, 2009)

From an outsider looking in this seems a bit crazy.
Off the grid camping, but requiring generators to charge the e-bikes. I realise bringing a moto isn't quite as straight forward, you need to tow, or heavy duty racks. But how far off being practical is something like a CRF125? Yes I know it's not an e-bike, but if you're driving an RV into the wilderness then surely petrol power isn't off limits?

Either way you'll have noise. The generator charging the e-bikes, or the moto while you're riding it. 
On another note, I'd love some kind of RV to park up and ride my bikes. It would be quite nice not having to fret about a motel room while riding at new spots.


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## _CJ (May 1, 2014)

Mudguard said:


> From an outsider looking in this seems a bit crazy.
> Off the grid camping, but requiring generators to charge the e-bikes. I realise bringing a moto isn't quite as straight forward, you need to tow, or heavy duty racks. But how far off being practical is something like a CRF125? Yes I know it's not an e-bike, but if you're driving an RV into the wilderness then surely petrol power isn't off limits?
> 
> Either way you'll have noise. The generator charging the e-bikes, or the moto while you're riding it.
> On another note, I'd love some kind of RV to park up and ride my bikes. It would be quite nice not having to fret about a motel room while riding at new spots.


Apples and oranges. 200+ pound moto, gas cans, oil, and all the gear you need to wear while riding it vs. a 50 pound bicycle and very little specialized gear to ride it other than a helmet.

Personally, I'd either go with a solar generator like the one above, or just use an inverter, which is about the size of a book, and run the car/truck engine to charge the bike if I were boondocked and had no other options.


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## Sparticus (Dec 28, 1999)

Mudguard said:


> From an outsider looking in this seems a bit crazy.
> Off the grid camping, but requiring generators to charge the e-bikes. I realise bringing a moto isn't quite as straight forward, you need to tow, or heavy duty racks. But how far off being practical is something like a CRF125? Yes I know it's not an e-bike, but if you're driving an RV into the wilderness then surely petrol power isn't off limits?
> 
> Either way you'll have noise. The generator charging the e-bikes, or the moto while you're riding it.
> On another note, I'd love some kind of RV to park up and ride my bikes. It would be quite nice not having to fret about a motel room while riding at new spots.


Yeah, I've got a Honda XR400 off-road motorcycle, too. Plus a hydraulic-lift hitch rack to transport it.
The dirt bike fun in its own right.
As for the generator & ebikes, I can charge both of these on 1 gallon of gas with the relatively quiet generator; my GF & I can each go 40+ miles on a full charge so that's about 80+ miles per gallon (2 bikes).
And enjoy a much quieter ride than aboard the moto, which gets 50-100 MPG depending on how I twist the throttle.
Of course the ebikes only put out a little power (someone said 1 HP max) while my dirt bike puts out about 30 HP, so they're entirely different kinds of fun.
The bottom line for me isn't which is more fuel efficient or noisy or convenient or any of that, it's what kind of experience I want.
Most often I choose my human powered mountain bike. I love it the best no doubt and by far.
But the ebike is a different experience, a different kind of fun. Same for the dirt bike.
I choose my 2-wheeled vehicle fun based on what I want to do.
Tomorrow I'll use my ebike to tow my BOB trailer carrying my chainsaw-certified friend's saw to a remote site where she'll cut a 16" tree that fell across a trail.
She'll ride my GF's ebike -- we'll be in and out in no time and with ease.
So far trailwork is my personal favorite way to employ my ebike insofar as I find my mountain bike the most fun to "just ride."
My second favorite way to use my ebike is to explore new-to-me potential riding areas, remote doubletracks, etc.
This is what my GF & I do most whenever we take the ebikes dispersed camping -- we go exploring, most often on doubletracks.
Places we probably wouldn't choose to go on our human powered mountain bikes.
=sParty


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## Dirtrider127 (Sep 17, 2010)

I charge my eBike twice per day off my solar generator in my Chevy Express van conversion. I have 4 100W panels connected to a EcoFlow Delta 1800 power generator. The panel put out a max of around 385 watts in good conditions. Between the eBike charger (172 watts) plus my 12 V cooler/frig (30-35 watts) it uses around 210 for a little over 2 hrs to fully charger the bike. The cooler cycles on and off as needed and depending of temp setting.
Plenty of juice every day including lights, water pump and even a TV monitor at night.
Trust me, a 400 watts inverter doesn't work, it HAS to be pure sine wave, and the charger will get very hot and it will discharge your coach battery quickly. Do it right or not at all.

BTW- generators suck off grid and are the last thing you want to listen to for a couple of hours.


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## Sparticus (Dec 28, 1999)

Dirtrider127 said:


> BTW- generators suck off grid and are the last thing you want to listen to for a couple of hours.


I'll drink to that.

And believe me, I DO drink to that.
=sParty


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## Mudguard (Apr 14, 2009)

_CJ said:


> Apples and oranges. 200+ pound moto, gas cans, oil, and all the gear you need to wear while riding it vs. a 50 pound bicycle and very little specialized gear to ride it other than a helmet.
> 
> Personally, I'd either go with a solar generator like the one above, or just use an inverter, which is about the size of a book, and run the car/truck engine to charge the bike if I were boondocked and had no other options.


I like the idea of solar charging. Again not always practical I guess. But I think it's a legit discussion, not quite apples and oranges. Presumably a generator weighs something, needs fuel etc. Not sure about your bike riding but I wind up wearing quite a bit of bike specific riding gear. As I said, I'm not anti e-bike, but having to use a generator seems a lot of work.
It's a bit like the hydrogen argument, where I live we could be in a fairly unique position to produce hydrogen cleanly (surplus hydro), however by the time you make the hydrogen, ship it around, put it in cars etc, you'd have been better off just having an electric car to begin with and using the surplus hydro to charge it. NB obviously not everything can go electric IE construction etc.


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## Sparticus (Dec 28, 1999)

Solar is undependable here in the PNW. Too many cloudy days in the winter and then when it's sunny in the summer, I don't want to park my van in the sun -- too hot.
That battery and those little panels that CJ proposed are laughable -- that system won't charge an ebike. Not in 24 hours, anyway.
The generator is a minor pain but I'm glad I have it for charging the ebikes on the road as well as whenever power goes out at home due to ice storm or other emergency.
=sParty


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## dave54 (Jul 1, 2003)

Or plug it into a currant bush.


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## Cary (Dec 29, 2003)

dave54 said:


> Or plug it into a currant bush.


A double win, a plant that charges your battery and provides food.


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## levity (Oct 31, 2011)

Goal Zero makes several charging stations that can be used to recharge Ebikes and themselves be charged at home or on the road by driving or by solar. I described the Yeti 1400Wh system we use in this 2018 post:









E-biking “off-grid” in the SoCal desert


Don't see many ride reports in this forum, but since I'm trapped indoors waiting for the rain to end I thought I'd throw something together. This year Mrs levity and I gave each other Specialized Levos as Christmas presents - not exactly O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi" stuff but no less an...




www.mtbr.com





We’re happy with it after 3 years of use although it’s now only able to deliver about 900Wh. Inverter and charger inefficiency and-general Li-ion battery decay take a toll. Our Sprinter van puts out about 800W so a short drive is usually sufficient to recharge it if the sun isn’t cooperating.


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## RickBullottaPA (Mar 4, 2015)

Trade the Chevy in for an F-150 with ProPower. We got an F-150 Powerboost that has outlets in the beds that can charge stuff en route and can also fully power our Airstream.


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## Sparticus (Dec 28, 1999)

RickBullottaPA said:


> Trade the Chevy in for an F-150 with ProPower. We got an F-150 Powerboost that has outlets in the beds that can charge stuff en route and can also fully power our Airstream.


Unless you employ MTBR's "Reply" feature, no one knows who you're addressing... we're left to wonder or assume.
=sParty


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## RickBullottaPA (Mar 4, 2015)

Sparticus said:


> Unless you employ MTBR's "Reply" feature, no one knows who you're addressing... we're left to wonder or assume.
> =sParty


Ha ha. True. You had posted a picture of a Chevy...thus the intended target.

Happy Turkey Day.


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## matt4x4 (Dec 21, 2013)

1spd1way said:


> I haven't seen this discussed yet.
> We are shopping for ebikes now. We take three trips a year with our camper. We stay in commercial campsites but occasionally camp off-grid.
> How are people charging while on multiday trips?


I charge from any outlet, bringing along my chargers.
Just have a battery that can sustain a max charge out of a wall, but you never know what the outlet can handle, 125V 20A, I get 1500wh out of two chargers and two batteries, sorry I do not know the amp draw from outlet into charger is on them, I did measure it but have never had a breaker stop me. Max into battery maxes out at 19 or 20A, which means charger dc charge output.

I have looked into maximizing my charge amps, ideal is a mw charger from their list 1 is optimanl and I forget the model, rsp perhaps. Satiator is good and durable.


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## Roaming50 (Apr 30, 2009)

I'm hoping to be able to get my first e-bike, in this case a gravel bike, if they come back into stock next week as promised by the manufacturer. I was looking for 12v charging options so I would not need to run my 2000w inverter in my Winnebago Revel. I came across this video 






which was an interesting solution but it is beyond my capability. Perhaps it might help others here.


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