Can Sorein be charged from a 12 volt car accessory outlet?Updated 3 hours ago

12-volt accessory outlets in cars and trucks (often called "cigarette lighter" outlets) provide 12 volts at low amperage. They often can't provide more than 120-180 watts, depending on the vehicle manufacturer.

You may be able to charge your Sorein Power Station from one of these outlets but it will be slow.

How slow? At 180 watts maximum output, a 3.2 kWh Sorein stack (which is the Main Unit plus one Extra Battery) would take about 18 hours to charge from 0% to 100%.  At 120 watts, it would take about 27 hours.

If you choose to go this route, you'll need an adapter to go from the 12 volt accessory plug to XT60, which are readily available for about $15-20 at various stores including Amazon. 

Keep in mind that many 12 volt accessory outlets don't turn off when the engine is shut off. Therefore, if you leave the power station connected after you finish driving, the power station will drain the truck's battery completely.

Don't use a portable inverter

We don't recommend using an inverter connected to a 12-volt accessory outlet. This will make charging less efficient, since the power would be converted from DC to AC by the inverter, and then from AC back to DC inside the Sorein. You'll get better results without using an inverter.

Consider a DC-DC charger

Many truck owners have installed DC-DC chargers, which connect directly to the truck's alternator and can put out much more power. The Sorein Power Station can accept up to 1,000 watts through the XT60 input.