Looking to power bounce house/castle inflatables with Pro Power Onboard

[kev_electric]

I'm trying to duplicate for my Town's fall gathering what an Ottawa EV group did last June, where they used 2 Lightnings and a Sierra EV to power 6 inflatables. EVCO powers the Blackburn Fun Fair with EVs! - Electric Vehicle Council of Ottawa. Hoping to draw attention to how much better it is to not have our kids breath partially-combusted gas while they play, and bonus points for silent operation, maybe open ICE folks' minds a little to the benefits and utility of EVs.

Would any Metrowest Massachusetts owners (or know someone who is nearby or willing to travel!) be interested in volunteering your Pro Power Onboard capable Lightning? I'll cover the juice cost and a food truck meal at the event on September 19, 10a to 4p. Hoping to interest the climate reporters from the Boston Globe, Worcester Telegram, Canary Media and WBUR, so you might even get your picture or name in the paper (or e-paper, as the case may be) for your trouble!

Thanks in advance for any leads or suggestions!

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[RickLightning]

Why do you need others? You have multiple 120v circuits...

 

[Zprime29]

Why do you need others? You have multiple 120v circuits...

Looks like it is recommended to have each bounce house on its own 15A circuit to avoid tripping the breaker. So one truck = 2 safe bounce houses using frunk and rear outlets. Need more trucks if you want more than 2. Also, the more the merrier?

 

[MidAtlanticLightningClub]

Looks like it is recommended to have each bounce house on its own 15A circuit to avoid tripping the breaker. So one truck = 2 safe bounce houses using frunk and rear outlets. Need more trucks if you want more than 2. Also, the more the merrier?

If you have the larger (9.6kW) ProPower Onboard, you have two independent 2.4 kW (actually 3.2kW but rated for 2.4) circuits in the bed and one more 2.4 kW circuit in the frunk. That means 3 bounce houses are fine.

 

[RickLightning]

If you have the larger (9.6kW) ProPower Onboard, you have two independent 2.4 kW (actually 3.2kW but rated for 2.4) circuits in the bed and one more 2.4 kW circuit in the frunk. That means 3 bounce houses are fine.

Exactly. And I'm surprised they pull that much amperage to run a blower.

 

[K6CCC]

You really need to measure how much power each one really draws. I would not be surprised if you could run two off each half of the rear (bed) inverters. You may want to use the 240V / 30A outlet to a splitter cable or distribution box (similar to what is used at construction sites) either instead of or in addition to the 120V outlets.

 

[bmwhitetx]

The OP appears to have an Ioniq 5 and not a Lightning, thus asking for this forum's help. Google says the Ionic has a single 15A outlet and only in upper trims.

OP, correct me if I'm wrong. If so, you may have needed to state that upfront as most folks assumed you owned a Lightning.

 

[TaxmanHog]

Would any Metrowest Massachusetts owners (or know someone who is nearby or willing to travel!) be interested in volunteering your Pro Power Onboard capable Lightning? I'll cover the juice cost and a food truck meal at the event on September 19, 10a to 4p.

Unfortunately I have another commitment that day, hopefully other central New England members might be free to lend a hand.

I copied the request to this section to garner local attention with a link back to here for conversation with the OP New England USA

 

[Zprime29]

Just saying, I wouldn't want to be the owner to who put two on one circuit and had it trip while kids where in it. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. If they want 6, I agree that two trucks could handle it safely.

 

[kev_electric]

@bmwhitetx: You are right that I have an Ioniq 5, hence hoping that real workhorse EVs can help out.
Also correct that Ioniq 5's offboarding power is capped at 1800w. Had a good email exchange with the Ottawa folks who pulled this off last year and they said that the Hyundai/Kia/Genesis vehicles work as long as you get the blower moving via another source so don't need the startup surge.

The event is scheduled for 6 hours so at average draw of 1500w per blower, total energy per blower is only 9kWh, so two Pro Power-capable Lightnings would be plenty.

Happy to buy lunch for any volunteers!

 

[NWilson]

I'm in the Berkshires and might be able to make it out for this event.

The company I work for, ReVision Energy, also has a few Lightnings that are branded and I can ask if there is a possibility of getting one from our NH office for this, as long as you don't mind if we have a branded truck there. We have done several events using Pro Power Onboard to power things like concerts, an annual Western MA bike ride, and earlier this summer we provided cell phone charging at the Solid Sound music festival in North Adams.

I'll let you know if I'm able to get any of the company vehicles, but even if not, my personal vehicle is available.

 

[kev_electric]

I'm in the Berkshires and might be able to make it out for this event.

The company I work for, ReVision Energy, also has a few Lightnings that are branded and I can ask if there is a possibility of getting one from our NH office for this, as long as you don't mind if we have a branded truck there. We have done several events using Pro Power Onboard to power things like concerts, an annual Western MA bike ride, and earlier this summer we provided cell phone charging at the Solid Sound music festival in North Adams.

I'll let you know if I'm able to get any of the company vehicles, but even if not, my personal vehicle is available.

@NWilson: thanks so much--sent you a direct message, let's chat!

 

[Joneii]

I just powered a band at our town fire company’s 100th Anniversary celebration. The band played for several hours and used about 1%. They were completely shocked by the Lightning (yes, the pun is old). We had two bounce houses and they do recommend separate circuits. They were run off shore power as they were closer to outlets than the truck. The amazing thing is that the truck could’ve run all of it if that had been necessary! The bass player was nervous about it and had equipment along to check the cleanliness of the power (I guess they have gotten some pretty bad power at local fairgrounds and other places they’ve played and it wreaks havoc with their equipment). He said the signal from the truck was perfect and they performed without any issues.

 

[kev_electric]

@joneii—did you get much interest from non-EV folks in the Lightning or EVs generally? I’m always curious how we can use these opportunities to reach people with open minds. My goal is not necessarily to convert the unwilling, but to move the needle for those who were already EV curious.

 

[Joneii]

@joneii—did you get much interest from non-EV folks in the Lightning or EVs generally? I’m always curious how we can use these opportunities to reach people with open minds. My goal is not necessarily to convert the unwilling, but to move the needle for those who were already EV curious.

To be honest I don’t think anybody but the band realized that the show was powered by the quiet truck sitting behind the stage. We didn’t make any announcements about it. The band asked a lot of questions during their break. I think when people see that these trucks are much more than simply transportation, they start to see new possibilities.

I remember when I was putting in my order for this almost $80k vehicle that I was questioning the value. For comparison, my previous high point for vehicle purchases was $25k. Then I did the math and realized that in addition to the vehicle I was also buying the equivalent of 10 Tesla Powerwalls. They were $7k a piece, so I got the truck for a mere 10k more! At least that is how I justified it to my cheap alter ego. Now I don’t regret the decision one bit.

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