Turn your car into an outdoor power source

Beyond charging up your phone or other low-power devices, we don't recommend using a car as a frequent power source; the tips given here are to help you access electricity in a pinch. Newer vehicles have USB power sources built into the vehicle, but even older models will have a 12V power outlet that originally hosted car cigarette lighters.

Unless you own a wind farm or a giant solar array, when the power goes out, there are only two ways of generating backup power; 1) Producing power from backup batteries, which will only last a few hours at best, or 2) producing power from an internal combustion engine.

As long as you stay within the total power limit of your car inverter, it should provide a stable source of power as long as your car is running. The BMK offers up to 200W of AC power from a 12V car power outlet socket. Best of all, if you don't need AC power, you can turn off the inversion, and still use one of several fast-charging USB ports!

Inverters are designed to work while the car's engine is running. It's best to connect them to the car's battery terminals, as detailed in the manual. Some inverters can work from a 12V socket, but some cars may not have wiring providing power to those sockets that can handle the high power draw of an inverter.

For the 10-20 hours per year you might need to use your vehicle as a generator, is not even a drop in the bucket to the hundreds of hours you already idle every year. Prove it to yourself... get a vehicle scanner and run it on your own personal vehicle, and see how many "idle hours" are already on the engine clock.

You'll find standard outlets in the truck bed ready for use. The idea behind these outlets is that truck owners don't have to cart a gas generator around to power their tools on-site, but it's also a great way to get power during a blackout.