If you are type that likes to go out on picnics or camping with family and friends, you know that one of the ways to keep your food and beverages fresh and cold is to put them inside a cooler. But most times, people want to know how electric car coolers work even though they have heard about it. Well, you are certainly in the right place.
Simply put, an electric car cooler works by getting power from a compartment in the car like the cigarette lighter port and using it to refrigerate its content. In other words, an electric car cooler is like a mini-compact, mobile refrigerator.
An electric car cooler is a compact looking refrigerator that can fit into a seat in a vehicle. They are often called the Peltier Effect because they have a thermoelectric effect. When you pass electric current through two different metals, heat is produced and there is a temperature difference.
One metal is colder than the other. If this effect is created in greater magnitude, cooling takes place. So since you have a cooler and a source of electricity (the cigarette lighter port), you now have an electric car cooler. Next, we will be taking a dive into why you even need a mobile refrigerator in your car.
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Why you need an electric car cooler
We can all agree that a normal sized refrigerator will be inconvenient to fit into a car, and the content of a normal cooler might gain more temperature especially if it stays longer without ice. So let us see a few reasons why an electric car cooler is important.
Keeps drinks and beverages cool This should be the primary reason why you will need an electric cooler in the first place. After driving and you are ready to eat your snack or food, you will want them cold and fresh. This can even help to prevent issues like food poisoning. Charge on the go I know you did not see this one coming.
Some recent electric car coolers have USB ports that you can use to charge your mobile devices. This is because some are equipped with battery for storage. So when fully charged, it has its own power and it can easily discharge it to other devices through the USB port.
Keep your food warm You see everything that was explained in the fourth paragraph of this post, if you reverse it, you get a device that warms food. Is science not wonderful? So you can see how special an electric car cooler is. It can keep your food cold as well as it can keep it warm.
Its dual-purpose, and you better believe it. Less bulky There are car coolers that are small they won’t even share seat space with you. They will fit perfectly into the leg room of your vehicle conveniently. Some of our conventional coolers can’t even achieve this feat. This is a great reason to have one.
No inconvenience at all. Mobile refrigerator Now when you get to your destination, if you feel inclined, you can disconnect the car cooler from the cigarette lighter port and carry the entire box with its content out of the car. It is lightweight and simply built.
This comes in handy especially if you don’t want to be going to and fro your vehicle to get the food.
Forms of car electric coolers
Thermoelectric coolers In all sincerity, this type of car cooler might not be able to freeze its content or make ice for drinks. So it is suitable for short road trips in cool weather regions. Absorption refrigerators This type of electric car cooler is dual-purpose.
It can run on 12V DC power supply and 100V AC power supply. This means an absorption car electric cooler can work in the house and in the vehicle. You won’t lose any degree of temperature with this one cos you can power it anywhere and anytime.
Compression refrigerators The working principle of the compression car electric cooler is similar to the types used in our homes. So you can use this one like a mobile fridge or freezer.
It is most suitable for long trips as it can keep its content cold for long period of time even it is disconnected from the cigarette lighter port of the car.
Things to consider when getting an electric car cooler
Double compartments If you will need to separate the food in your cooling compartment, then this type suits you. Some people might need to separate the food from the drinks maybe for better packing, handling and easy selection.
The double compartment car cooler will also help you when you need to warm food rather than having them cold. Size It has already been established that electric car coolers do not take up much space in a vehicle. But we know it doesn’t end there. Some people might need one to go mountain climbing or hiking.
In these cases, you might need a smaller, lightweight car cooler that will not be burdensome. Accessibility The way you reach out to get the content of your electric car cooler should be greatly considered. For a driver who puts his cooler in the front seat with him, opening from the top is easier since he has one hand on the steering wheel and still needs to concentrate on the road.
Opening from the top will help get the content of his electric car cooler without stress. Aside having openings at the top, some car coolers have at the side too.
Features of an electric car cooler
Before you get an electric car cooler, you need to know some of the features they come with. Thermostat A thermostat is a device that regulates the degree of temperature.
During summer, when there is a temperature increase, you might need the car cooler to be a lot colder than usual. But during winter, the reverse would be the case. So with this feature, you can use the thermostat to regulate the temperature the way you like.
Temperature retention The electric car cooler should have enough insulation to retain its content. Even if the lid is opened and closed with alarming frequency by the user, temperature should not be lost easily. It is normal to have a little loss in temperature, but it should not be too drastic that it affects the content of the car cooler.
In fact, a car cooler that is shut tight should not lose any degree of temperature even if it is exposed directly to the sun. This is why insulation is an important feature of an electric car cooler. Storage This is also an important feature because the purpose for which you need it for will determine what you should get.
If you are the only one going on picnic for instance, you do not need a big car cooler to go out. But if you have to go out with family and friends or colleagues, you will most definitely need a bigger unit. The best part is that no matter how big it is, it will still fit into a seat in your car or in the trunk.
Energy consumption Well, in this aspect I think you do not need to worry much because the car cooler is being plugged into the cigarette lighter port of the vehicle. This means you don’t have to bother much about power because the said port gets its power from the running engine of the vehicle. So this means the next thing to consider is the battery of the car cooler.
Its consumption should be efficient enough that it does not run down the battery immediately after full charge. The power from the battery should be able to retain temperature enough to keep the unit cold (or warm). Conclusion We have taken an extensive look at how an electric car cooler works. We added other things like its features and importance so you make a calculated decision when getting one.
