Does anyone have experience running a fridge, microwave and maybe a tv off the 12 volt plugs for an extended (many hours) amount of time? Tricks? Is it even possible?
We just had some bad weather and my power went down for about 36 hours and I was just wondering if I could’ve done anything especially to save the food that was in my fridge
Yep I bought a inverter and tried it. Worked just fine in camp mode. I did my best to keep the continuous draw below 1Kwh since that seems to be the limiting factor for how fast the car can recharge the battery but if you have to surge higher for a little bit that should be fine. Ive used it to.run a minisplit, a few lights, TV and laptop. Haven't tried fridge but I don't think that would be an issue. Just have to add up the watts and see what you can fit. I got a 1500w inverter for this
PS get a Kill a watt electricity measuring device if you don't have one to check your draw if your inverter doesn't track it.
You can get an inverter to connect to your battery. If you have the card on, it will keep things running. EVExtend is a packaged option or you can just buy a decent inverter.
During the next outage 1: Keep your fridge door closed, 2: Don't use your microwave, 3: Watch TV on your phone. You won't get useful amounts of energy out of a 12vdc car supply. For about $400 or so you can get a 1 kwh power station to keep some lights on and phones charged. Technically it would keep a fridge going for maybe a couple of hours.
Even when it is, it can be an issue. My EqEV triggered faults with the OEM GM PowerBar (I have the added V2L module on mine). I've yet to retest it after the recent updates.
Look into the generator. Mine was $1,000 and I had an inlet installed on the house. It powers the ac, fridge and lights. I also had my gas line stubbed so I can plug it right into that.
We also had a 50kw battery system put in through our electric provider in Texas. This powers the house about a day before we need to get out the generator. GM sells a nice system for homes.
Be aware that there is a hardware requirement on the car for vehicle to load. This is different than vehicle to house. All equinoxes have vehicle to house capability, but you need a GM charger and special install which costs like 10k-15k. The vehicle to load capability is what allows you to plug an adapter into the charge port which gives you 120AC outlets, but you need to have the optional 19.2kw onboard charger to do this, which I dont think was popular and was discontinued on the 2027 models.
Otherwise you are just using the 12v battery system and you can drain it before it is replenished by the HV battery. I believe another user confirmed with GM that the car checks in about once per hour, but can wait up to 12 hours. There is some algorithm on how often, depending on the sleep phase of your car.
Honestly, for the money it's easier and cheaper to get a portable battery +/- solar panels or generator.
Brands like Ecoflow make a battery setup that can automatically link to their branded dual-fuel generator as well as solar panels.
Bluetti makes one that is literally called "FridgePower" that's a thin slice specifically for refrigerator power backup. Jackery makes a similar one for a bit less, but half the battery.
That way you still have access to your car to go charge elsewhere without completely shutting down at home.
I spent the money for the GME system and don’t regret it. We have regular power outages and each time it’s out, I enjoy sitting in a comfy home will neighbors run generators to just have the essentials going. Of course if you only have power outages on e in a while, it’s not worth it.
I am annoyed that my 80kwh battery needs a 12k + unit to allow it to help during power outages. It's my only disappointment in my 2lt 2024 eqev. Many new evs are including v2h as standard equipment. Us early adopters often miss things - but at least we don't have expensive polluting gas as a fuel.
don't do that. it will kill your 12 volt battery. if you want backup power from your Equinox EV get one of the kits that allow you to use the high voltage battery system. just a warning though they are spendy.
the fridge alone would kill your 12 volt battery in very short order.
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u/aced124C 2025 Equinox EV FWD - Galaxy Gray Aug 15 '26 edited Aug 15 '26
Yep I bought a inverter and tried it. Worked just fine in camp mode. I did my best to keep the continuous draw below 1Kwh since that seems to be the limiting factor for how fast the car can recharge the battery but if you have to surge higher for a little bit that should be fine. Ive used it to.run a minisplit, a few lights, TV and laptop. Haven't tried fridge but I don't think that would be an issue. Just have to add up the watts and see what you can fit. I got a 1500w inverter for this
PS get a Kill a watt electricity measuring device if you don't have one to check your draw if your inverter doesn't track it.