Another one of my crazy thoughts: how much would it cost to idle a gasser PM?
I remember searching the internet a while back and the figure of about $1/hr comes to mind. Maybe a bit more but nowhere as high as $2/hr. I guess it depends on gas prices and engine size.
Maybe someone knows how many litres/hour our 3.6 L Pentastars drink when idling.
Perhaps @GaryBIS still has his flowmeter rigged up to his gas tank and can do an experiment for us. (Sorry for imposing, Gary.)
The background: I was fantasizing about having an electrical system with enough capacity to run an air-conditioner and, further, how to hack a cheap window unit into the van. (I fantasize a lot.) Basically, it came to a lot of money and work. Could be a fun project though and thus it wasn't overly discouraging.
But, for the way I use my van (a few months a year, and only when and where the destination is mild), I was thinking another option is the blunt instrument: idle the engine, have the AC on high.
I'm thinking, cost-wise, it might be effective, i.e., cheaper than more batteries and an AC unit, when I factor in the number of times X the length of time I would actually use it.
Edit: to include note about engine size.
I remember searching the internet a while back and the figure of about $1/hr comes to mind. Maybe a bit more but nowhere as high as $2/hr. I guess it depends on gas prices and engine size.
Maybe someone knows how many litres/hour our 3.6 L Pentastars drink when idling.
Perhaps @GaryBIS still has his flowmeter rigged up to his gas tank and can do an experiment for us. (Sorry for imposing, Gary.)
The background: I was fantasizing about having an electrical system with enough capacity to run an air-conditioner and, further, how to hack a cheap window unit into the van. (I fantasize a lot.) Basically, it came to a lot of money and work. Could be a fun project though and thus it wasn't overly discouraging.
But, for the way I use my van (a few months a year, and only when and where the destination is mild), I was thinking another option is the blunt instrument: idle the engine, have the AC on high.
I'm thinking, cost-wise, it might be effective, i.e., cheaper than more batteries and an AC unit, when I factor in the number of times X the length of time I would actually use it.
Edit: to include note about engine size.