Generators: Inverter or Standard

[Muffin_Man]

Hey all, Been considering getting a new gen to power the house and charge my truck during power failures. The question is, do I go with a conventional gen or an inverter gen when taking into account charging the truck? The choice is fairly clear after doing some research but is it really that big of a deal and worth the additional the extra cost...

Has anyone had any issues using a conventional genset to charge their truck? Thanks!

Open AI:
1. Power Quality (Clean vs. Dirty Electricity)

• EV chargers and home battery systems are very sensitive to power quality.
  They contain onboard electronics that convert AC to DC and monitor voltage and frequency precisely.
• Inverter generators produce pure sine wave power (stable voltage and frequency, low total harmonic distortion <3%), which is safe for EVSEs and battery systems.
• Standard open-frame generators often produce “dirty” power with voltage spikes and frequency drift — these can:
  • Trigger charger error codes or shutdowns,
  • Cause inverter or control board damage, or
  • Prevent charging entirely (many EV chargers won’t even start if THD > 5%).

Winner: Inverter generator — its clean, regulated AC output is far safer and more compatible.

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[RLXXI]

Hey all, Been considering getting a new gen to power the house and charge my truck during power failures. The question is, do I go with a conventional gen or an inverter gen when taking into account charging the truck? The choice is fairly clear after doing some research but is it really that big of a deal and worth the additional the extra cost...

Has anyone had any issues using a conventional genset to charge their truck? Thanks!

Open AI:
1. Power Quality (Clean vs. Dirty Electricity)

• EV chargers and home battery systems are very sensitive to power quality.
  They contain onboard electronics that convert AC to DC and monitor voltage and frequency precisely.
• Inverter generators produce pure sine wave power (stable voltage and frequency, low total harmonic distortion <3%), which is safe for EVSEs and battery systems.
• Standard open-frame generators often produce “dirty” power with voltage spikes and frequency drift — these can:
  • Trigger charger error codes or shutdowns,
  • Cause inverter or control board damage, or
  • Prevent charging entirely (many EV chargers won’t even start if THD > 5%).

Winner: Inverter generator — its clean, regulated AC output is far safer and more compatible.

Generac uses True Power™ Technology for less than 5% Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) to safely run sensitive electronics.

I've had one since 2013 running my home when the grid drops.

None of my electrics/electronics have given me any issues.

 

[Heliian]

Oh look, more ai garbage.

You're fine with a standard generator, probably better off in most cases except fuel consumption and noise.

It all depends on how much you want to spend and how much power you need.

Cheap inverters use a square wave btw.

 

[EVpower]

Fuel consumption and availability is a consideration when selecting a backup power source. Most homes only use a few kilowatts of power on average. If you size the generator for EV charging or AC/heat pump operation, you will be paying a lot more per hour for backup power. Of course, an extended duration power outage in the winter can make the fuel cost a reasonable expense if gas or propane is available.

I have run our home from a 3 kW, one cylinder gasoline generator. The only issue I've had is from an old UPS powering the TV beeping regularly. The 18kW Diesel charges the Lightning without complaints with the FCSP dialed down to 60 amps.

Steve

 

[jwrezz]

If I had to do it all over, I'd get a regular generator, run it full out to charge my Lightning/battery backup, then use the Lightning/battery-inverter to run my house.

 

[MaintGrl]

In the past (Before got the PV battery b/u system), I had a EM4000SX Honda GenSet, I didn't get many power outages, but when I did, I never had any problems with electronics/Microwave/refer. Maybe I was lucky, or it wasn't a problem. Didn't have my Lightning at the time, so I had not set it up to charge it...

 

[jwrezz]

In the past (Before got the PV battery b/u system), I had a EM4000SX Honda GenSet, I didn't get many power outages, but when I did, I never had any problems with electronics/Microwave/refer. Maybe I was lucky, or it wasn't a problem. Didn't have my Lightning at the time, so I had not set it up to charge it...

OMG! I read "reefer" (not that there's anything wrong with that) but I think you meant refer as in fridge?

 

[MaintGrl]

OMG! I read "reefer" (not that there's anything wrong with that) but I think you meant refer as in fridge?

Yes, Fridg . . .

 

[flux capacitor]

Something to consider is that the charger has a converter built in so the only thing that will be damaged is your charger and that would be a rarity.

 

[Battalion3419]

Hey all, Been considering getting a new gen to power the house and charge my truck during power failures. The question is, do I go with a conventional gen or an inverter gen when taking into account charging the truck? The choice is fairly clear after doing some research but is it really that big of a deal and worth the additional the extra cost...

Has anyone had any issues using a conventional genset to charge their truck? Thanks!

Open AI:
1. Power Quality (Clean vs. Dirty Electricity)

• EV chargers and home battery systems are very sensitive to power quality.
  They contain onboard electronics that convert AC to DC and monitor voltage and frequency precisely.
• Inverter generators produce pure sine wave power (stable voltage and frequency, low total harmonic distortion <3%), which is safe for EVSEs and battery systems.
• Standard open-frame generators often produce “dirty” power with voltage spikes and frequency drift — these can:
  • Trigger charger error codes or shutdowns,
  • Cause inverter or control board damage, or
  • Prevent charging entirely (many EV chargers won’t even start if THD > 5%).

Winner: Inverter generator — its clean, regulated AC output is far safer and more compatible.

I charged my truck at an Incident base camp using dirty power. It did not end well. Truck would not take fast charge. Had to limp home using level 2 chargers. The truck reset several days later. Never again!

 

[jwrezz]

I charged my truck at an Incident base camp using dirty power. It did not end well. Truck would not take fast charge. Had to limp home using level 2 chargers. The truck reset several days later. Never again!

Dirty power from what? Most modern generators offer pretty clean electricity.

 

[ZSC100]

Oh look, more ai garbage.

You're fine with a standard generator, probably better off in most cases except fuel consumption and noise.

It all depends on how much you want to spend and how much power you need.

Cheap inverters use a square wave btw.

Yep, AI is 100% wrong here, but in fairness it's wrong because human's have taught it to be wrong. There is no cleaner sine wave than from a rotating electro-mechanical machine. Harmonics are the result of trying to digitally create a sine wave. Inverter generators are a total waste of money, Unless you are concerned with the 2 things they are good at.

Size and weight: They are smaller b/c they use 3phase permanent magnet generator heads.

Noise (Acoustic); they are quiet b/c engineers have figured out that sells them better and it's a bit easier to make them quiet b/c they are smaller.

I honestly think somewhere along the line people confused sound noise with electrical noise, that coupled with the fact that early inverter generators utilized god awful square step inverters. So, that WAS indeed a problem for electronics and thus the manufacturers started to design Low Harmonic Distortion inverters which then people started to believe was better somehow than a pure real sine wave which is the natural wave generated by a rotating machine,, geeze. This is a perfect example of how marketing deals with things they don't understand and the general public sure doesn't understand.

Dirty power can mean so many things it should never be used by lay people. Inverter generators DO generate perfect 60hz frequency and very stable voltage which are 2 things that are hard to do with small conventional rotating generators,,, but,,, those things are not important for charging batteries; especially not with the on board charger in the Lightning which I have personally tested from below 50hz to over 70hz, and down to 75VAC and it works just fine. There are even people who have charged on DC power before. I have not tested this with the Lightning, but plan to soon because lots of people are interested in the possibility of charging directly from batteries.

Long story short: a traditional generator IS the best for charging an EV. All problems people have had which can happen with any generator are ground/neutral - EVSE problems, but that's an independent issue that any good licensed electrician can navigate.

 

[MaintGrl]

Yep, AI is 100% wrong here, but in fairness it's wrong because human's have taught it to be wrong. There is no cleaner sine wave than from a rotating electro-mechanical machine. Harmonics are the result of trying to digitally create a sine wave. Inverter generators are a total waste of money, Unless you are concerned with the 2 things they are good at.

Size and weight: They are smaller b/c they use 3phase permanent magnet generator heads.

Noise (Acoustic); they are quiet b/c engineers have figured out that sells them better and it's a bit easier to make them quiet b/c they are smaller.

I honestly think somewhere along the line people confused sound noise with electrical noise, that coupled with the fact that early inverter generators utilized god awful square step inverters. So, that WAS indeed a problem for electronics and thus the manufacturers started to design Low Harmonic Distortion inverters which then people started to believe was better somehow than a pure real sine wave which is the natural wave generated by a rotating machine,, geeze. This is a perfect example of how marketing deals with things they don't understand and the general public sure doesn't understand.

Dirty power can mean so many things it should never be used by lay people. Inverter generators DO generate perfect 60hz frequency and very stable voltage which are 2 things that are hard to do with small conventional rotating generators,,, but,,, those things are not important for charging batteries; especially not with the on board charger in the Lightning which I have personally tested from below 50hz to over 70hz, and down to 75VAC and it works just fine. There are even people who have charged on DC power before. I have not tested this with the Lightning, but plan to soon because lots of people are interested in the possibility of charging directly from batteries.

Long story short: a traditional generator IS the best for charging an EV. All problems people have had which can happen with any generator are ground/neutral - EVSE problems, but that's an independent issue that any good licensed electrician can navigate.

Thank you for the clarification....I appreciate it...

 

[K6CCC]

Inverter generators DO generate perfect 60hz frequency and very stable voltage which are 2 things that are hard to do with small conventional rotating generators,,, but,,, those things are not important for charging batteries;

If all you are going to do is charge batteries, that is a valid statement. However if you are trying to power other devices, the inability of small conventional rotating generators to maintain stable voltage and frequency can be a very big problem. Think about this one (ham radio operators will understand this one better). You have lets say a 8 KW rotating generator, and are powering among other things a high power CW radio transmitter. That means the load for that radio (and therefore the generator) is changing from 100 watts to 2,000 watts multiple times per second. Now add another station doing the same thing (different traffic being sent so the high vs low power is not syncronized between the two stations). Now add a few desktop computers which unlike a laptop don't have a battery to buffer the power). Next add a microwave oven, and a Kuerig coffee maker. Recipe for disaster. The inverter generators handle that just fine. Most of the hams on here will understand what I mean by a high power Field Day or DXpedition station.

Granted, what I described is not the "normal" use for a generator, and is a somewhat extreme case.

And yes, I do want to power a Field Day station from my Lightning one of these days...

 

[ZSC100]

Granted, what I described is not the "normal" use for a generator, and is a somewhat extreme case.

And yes, I do want to power a Field Day station from my Lightning one of these days...

Awesome, thanks for your input, you are correct, the smaller the non-inverter generator the harder it is for multiple reason for it to maintain output voltage stability over large ranges of loads. This is 50% or more due to the shitty exciters they put in them which are all generic Chinese junk, but to be fair the same shitty Chinese electronics are inside all the inverters too. The big risk difference is that when an inverter generator fails usually it just fails, power off. When an exciter for a traditional generator fails, bad things, like over voltage bad things can happen

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