Use small oven in the car. Inverter / charger combo

[Gulfsailor]

Hi experts,

I am trying to figure out what is the best, safest and most cost effective way to be able to use a small oven in a car.

I would like to have freshly baked croissants and bread rolls while on the go!

Looked at 12 volt ovens but these are very small and won't get over 160-180 degrees as they only draw up to 10amps, meaning only 120 Watts. Also these units are expensive.

So also looking at using a separate 12 Volt deep cycle gel battery and then hook it up to an inverter, so I can use any 220V appliance on it providing load is not too high. The oven won't run longer than 15 or 20 minutes. Most small ovens are rated at 1000 to 1500 Watt. Is the peak power expected to be much higher than the rated power? Not talking about microwave, but a standard convection type oven.

Are there inverters around that also have a charging capability built in for a deep cycle gel battery? In which case I just plug in the inverter/charger to the mains when at home to charge the battery, then flip the switch to use 220 while underway.

How long would charging take to load the battery full enough to use a 1000 Watt oven for 20 minutes? How much Ah should said battery be? I would like to use a fully closed battery so that I can leave it and the inverter permanently built into the car without safety worries and hassles carrying it in and out.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

[IMHO]

Is it just me, or does this sound like a fire waiting to happen?

[Gulfsailor]

Is it just me, or does this sound like a fire waiting to happen?

I'll put a fire extinguisher next to it... But seriously, it won't be sitting on the backseat, but mounted on a special rack that goes in the back (SUV). So I don't see how it's more dangerous than running it in your kitchen.

[inzman]

Seriously???

[Crossy]

Ignoring the potential fire risk etc.

OK, your 1000 Watt oven on for 20 minutes will consume about 330 Watt-hours.

At 12V that equates to 27.5 Ampere-hours.

Assuming 50% discharge that's a battery of about 60 Ampere-hours capacity. The battery may just have enough juice left to start the engine.

Current at 12V will be around 83 Amps, way more than your cigarette lighter can handle so you'll be hooked directly onto the battery.

Your car alternator will likely max out at 40A or so, so to recharge the battery after heating the croissants will take about 45 minutes of driving (not sitting on idle).

If you use a separate battery and one of the inverter chargers then the charger will push out around 15A, therefore taking about 2 hours to recharge the battery.

Remember, the above is for a single 20 minute bake.

EDIT You could use a charge-splitter to recharge your separate battery whilst driving without the danger of running your vehicle battery flat, it would of course take longer to recharge.

Have you considered one of the little suitcase generators? A 1500Watt one won't break the bank, they're quiet and the 4-stroke ones are readily converted to run on LPG (safer than having a gasoline powered one inside the car).

[Gulfsailor]

Thanks Crossy!

I'll check the suitcase generators. Just thought that having an lpg canister in the car isn't the safest choice either in case of an accident or malfunction compared to good old electrics.

I'll check again to see if there are high wattage 12V ovens available on the market that I can directly connect to a battery.

[IMHO]

Ignoring the potential fire risk etc.

OK, your 1000 Watt oven on for 20 minutes will consume about 330 Watt-hours.

At 12V that equates to 27.5 Ampere-hours.

Assuming 50% discharge that's a battery of about 60 Ampere-hours capacity. The battery may just have enough juice left to start the engine.

Current at 12V will be around 83 Amps, way more than your cigarette lighter can handle so you'll be hooked directly onto the battery.

Your car alternator will likely max out at 40A or so, so to recharge the battery after heating the croissants will take about 45 minutes of driving (not sitting on idle).

If you use a separate battery and one of the inverter chargers then the charger will push out around 15A, therefore taking about 2 hours to recharge the battery.

Remember, the above is for a single 20 minute bake.

EDIT You could use a charge-splitter to recharge your separate battery whilst driving without the danger of running your vehicle battery flat, it would of course take longer to recharge.

Have you considered one of the little suitcase generators? A 1500Watt one won't break the bank, they're quiet and the 4-stroke ones are readily converted to run on LPG (safer than having a gasoline powered one inside the car).

You're not actually suggesting that he run a combustion engine inside his car, along with an oven that's probably going to emit > 150c of residual heat, are you?

[Crossy]

You're not actually suggesting that he run a combustion engine inside his car, along with an oven that's probably going to emit > 150c of residual heat, are you?

One does have to assume that our members have a modicum of the old common. On second thoughts ......

The whole exercise does seem like an awful lot of bother for a hot croissant.

[Daffy D]

You're not actually suggesting that he run a combustion engine inside his car, along with an oven that's probably going to emit > 150c of residual heat, are you?

One does have to assume that our members have a modicum of the old common. On second thoughts ......

The whole exercise does seem like an awful lot of bother for a hot croissant.

Maybe it's just a project for fun not for real.

I sometimes embark on a project that I have no real use for just to see if it is possible and will work